What do you think of Juncker?

Juncker should have been more forceful.

Who would you like to see as European Parliament president?

Former president of Poland, President of the European Council Donald Tusk has done very good work. He has authority and could be president. But it would be difficult for him to get the position as he does not have support in his own country, his party is part of the opposition. However, if he managed to become council president, then I don’t see why he couldn’t become president of the European Commission.

Still, your plan of joining the EPP clashes with Estonia 200’s liberal image to some extent. I had Estonia 200 pegged for Macron.

Macron is looking at ALDE. Our decision has not been set in stone yet. Macron cannot be ruled out. But if most Estonian delegates will belong to ALDE, Estonia’s voice will be weak in many other groups.

Which aspects of Macron’s letter to European citizens spoke to you the most?

As a former journalist, I was intrigued by the aspect of fighting fake news. That we must do something about fake news and hate speech. However, I do not subscribe to many of his positions: I believe moving forward with the European army could be difficult. Macron is also talking about an EU-level minimum wage. I believe Europe is not ready for that as differences in wages and standard of living are too great. It could hit poorer countries and their businesses hard.

In as few words as possible: why do we need the EU?

It has been said it is a peace project. The power struggle of 19th century nation states culminated in the First and Second World War. Today, these countries are working together, share common elements and principles. We have a single economic area, free movement that can only benefit Europe.

Where should cooperation be closer and where should we leave member states more freedom to decide?

The EU must find its confidence, overcome this split. Perhaps we should not look for places for closer cooperation. The EU must reach the digital age. What we in Estonia describe as the personal state could reach Europe. The EU must also pay attention to physical and intellectual protection of borders so we could continue building Europe in a calm and safe manner.