Andrus Ansip (; born 1 October 1956) is an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n politician, a member of the European Parliament, the former European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

of the European Commission, in office from 2014 until 2019. Previously, he was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2005 to 2014 and chairman of the liberal Estonian Reform Party () from 2004 to 2014. Before his entry into politics Ansip trained as a chemist, before working in banking and business. He entered Parliament in 2004, quickly becoming Minister of Economic Affairs, and subsequently prime minister in April 2005. On 1 November 2014, he was appointed to the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

Early life and business career

Born in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, Ansip graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

in 1979. He worked as an engineer at the university from 1979 to 1983 (with a two-year break for mandatory military service). He was an instructor in the Industry Department and Head of the Organisational Department of the Tartu District Committee of the Soviet Union Communist Party Estonian branch Estonian Communist Party from 1986 to 1988.The Government of the Republic of Estonia
Andrus Ansip - Estonian Government
Ansip has been involved in several banking and investment ventures. He has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the People's Bank of Tartu (), Chairman of the Board of Livonia Privatisation IF, and CEO of Investment Fund Broker Ltd (). He also has served as

Chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

for Radio Tartu. From 1989 to 1993 Andrus Ansip also managed a Tartu branch of AS Estkompexim.

Political career

Mayor of Tartu

In 1998, Ansip was elected as Mayor of

as a candidate of the centrist-right ''Reformierakond'' (Reform Party), a position which he held until 2004, to great popular acclaim and very high ratings in the opinion polls. He had run in previous elections for the ''

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

'', the Estonian Parliament, but had always given up his seat in order to remain Mayor. He was succeeded by fellow Reform Party member Laine Jänes.

Chairman of Reform Party and Minister of Economics

On 21 November 2004, Ansip became Chairman of Estonian Reform Party because the party's founder and hitherto chairman, former prime minister Siim Kallas, had become EU Commissioner and vice president and thus had to move to

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. It was obvious that Ansip would have to move to

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

, and a chance opened up when the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications in the coalition government of Juhan Parts, Meelis Atonen, a party colleague, had to resign. Ansip became his successor on 13 September. His track record as Minister is more difficult to evaluate because of the short duration of his service.

Prime minister

On 31 March 2005, Ansip was charged by President Arnold Rüütel to form a government, following 24 March 2005 resignation by Prime Minister Juhan Parts. Ansip was able to form a coalition with the Centre Party and the People's Union of Estonia, which was approved by the Riigikogu on 12 April 2005. Ansip thus became Prime Minister of Estonia. He was backed by 53 out of 101 members of the Riigikogu, 40 deputies voting against. He and the ministers were inaugurated in office the next day, on 13 April. Andrus Ansip and Angela Merkel

On 4 March 2007, Ansip's Reform Party won 27 percent of the vote in the Estonian parliamentary elections, raising its mandate in the Riigikogu to 31 seats from 19. Ansip personally received over 22,500 votes. He was charged by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to form a government. This time the Reform Party formed a coalition with the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (IRL) and the Social Democratic Party. His second term as prime minister began on 5 April 2007. In May 2009, the Social Democrats left the government, and as coalition talks with the People's Union of Estonia failed, it was decided to continue with a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...

of the Reform Party and IRL. In March 2011, the Reform Party won 33 seats in the Riigikogu, remaining the largest party even after the country's economic output had fallen by 14% in 2009 due to the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

and the collapse of a real estate price bubble fueled by cheap and easy credit from Nordic banks.David Mardiste (4 March 2014)
Estonian PM submits resignation: president's spokesman
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

''. Ansip was once again charged by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to form a government. The Reform Party continued in a coalition with the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica. Ansip's third term as prime minister began on 6 April 2011, when ''

'' approved his third cabinet. But Ansip's center-right coalition soon struggled in polls amid signs of voter fatigue at years of a government focused on fiscal austerity as well as several high-profile party funding scandals. The center-left opposition also gained popularity. On 4 March 2014, Ansip announced his resignation to enable a successor to lead his party into

2015 elections Africa * 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015 * 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015 * 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015 * 2015 Burundian presidential election 21 July 2015 * 2015-16 Central African gene ...

. From 4 December 2013 to 26 March 2014 he was the longest-serving

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Vice President of the European Commission

In the 2014 European elections, Ansip was elected as an MEP received the largest number of preferential votes in Estonia. Shortly after, Prime Minister

Taavi Rõivas Taavi Rõivas (; born 26 September 1979) is an Estonian politician, former Prime Minister of Estonia from 2014 to 2016 and former leader of the Reform Party. Before his term as the Prime Minister, Rõivas was the Minister of Social Affairs from ...

nominated him as the country's next European Commissioner. On 10 September 2014 President-Elect Juncker of the

announced that he proposed Andrus Ansip as

Vice-President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

and the European Commissioner for the Digital Single Market. He was formally appointed by the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...

as vice president with the consent of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Member of the European Parliament, 2019-2024

Ansip was re-elected in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. Shortly after, he handed in his resignation from the European Commission to take up the European Parliament seat he won. In Parliament, he has since been serving on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. In 2020, he also joined the Committee on Petitions and the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age. In addition to his committee assignments, Ansip is part of the Parliament's delegation for relations with the

Pan-African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...

. He is also a member of the European Internet Forum, the European Parliament Intergroup on Artificial Intelligence and Digital and the European Parliament Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas. In March 2024, Ansip announced that he would not stand in the 2024 European Parliament election.

Relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn

One of the most controversial actions of Ansip's government was relocation of the '' Bronze Soldier of Tallinn'' from a prominent location in the center of Tallinn to the Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn adjacent to the city center. The removal of the monument, as well as war graves, from its location on 27 April 2007 led to mass protests and two nights of the worst rioting Estonia has seen since regaining independence.

Personal life

Andrus Ansip is married to gynecologist Anu Ansip (b. 1956) and they have three daughters Reet (b. 1977), who is a stomatologist; Tiina (b. 1981) who is a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and Liisa (b. 1997). Andrus Ansip is a member of the Estonian voluntary home guard organisation Kaitseliit (Defence League) since 10 November 2009.

Awards

* On 31 July 2007 Ansip was recognized for "his service in fight for Estonian freedom and Estonian national idea" b
Estonian Central Council in Canada
* Estonian Newspaper Association named Ansip Press Enemy of 2007. * : On 5 April 2010 Received a copy of the key of the city of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

on the occasion of his state visit to Albania.Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana

References

External links

*
Official biography for Andrus AnsipEstonian Reform Party
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ansip, Andrus 1956 births Estonian businesspeople Estonian European commissioners Estonian Reform Party MEPs Estonian Reform Party politicians Estonian University of Life Sciences alumni European commissioners (2014–2019) Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Leaders of political parties in Estonia Living people Mayors of Tartu Members of the Riigikogu, 1999–2003 Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007 Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011 Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015 MEPs for Estonia 2014–2019 MEPs for Estonia 2019–2024 Politicians from Tartu Prime ministers of Estonia Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 2nd Class Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Soviet politicians University of Tartu alumni