Siim Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister and European commissioner who helped steer his country into the European Union and NATO, has died at the age of 77. His death was announced on Saturday by his daughter, Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, in an Instagram post.

A life in service of Estonia and Europe

An economist by training, Kallas began his career as president of the Bank of Estonia in 1991, a position he held until 1995. In that role he was one of the principal architects of Estonia's monetary reform, overseeing the introduction of the national currency, the kroon.

In 1994 he founded the liberal-democratic Reform Party, and a year later he was elected to the Estonian parliament and appointed foreign affairs minister. As foreign minister, Kallas oversaw Estonia's bid to join the European Union. He was prime minister in 2002, when Estonia concluded its accession negotiations and was invited to join NATO.

Kallas later became Estonia's first-ever European commissioner, serving from 2004. He went on to hold the transport portfolio and served as vice-president of the European Commission from 2010 to 2014.

His daughter, Kaja Kallas, followed in his political footsteps, serving as Estonia's youngest-ever prime minister from 2021 to 2024 before taking up her current role as the EU's top diplomat under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Tributes from European leaders

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was among the first to pay tribute. Writing on X, she said she was "saddened to learn of the passing of former Prime Minister and EU Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas."

"I am thinking of the courage it took to build the state and introduce our own currency in the early 1990s, and the quiet conviction he brought with him to Brussels years later. Estonia and Europe are better off because of his life's work," Metsola wrote.

She also expressed deep sympathy to the Kallas family, addressing Kaja Kallas directly: "Kaja Kallas and the whole family: I am deeply sorry for your loss. I wish you strength and warmth during this difficult time."

The European Commission also expressed condolences on X, paying tribute to the Kallas family.