Estonian state spending on private PR firms up 55% in two years
Estonian state and public institutions spent €7.3 million on public relations services in 2025, a 55% increase from €4.7 million in 2023. The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) is the biggest spender, paying millions to PR firms for promoting Estonia abroad.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance's payment application, reported by Postimees, Estonian state institutions paid €4.7 million to 13 PR companies or groups in 2023, rising to €7.3 million by 2025—a 55% growth over two years.
A significant portion of this spending comes from the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS). One of the largest PR firms, Akkadian, generated €2.9 million in revenue last year, with 80% from state institutions, including €1.1 million from EIS alone. Another firm, Miltton New Nordics, earned €3.4 million in sales revenue, over half from state institutions, including approximately €1.6 million from EIS.
Kasper Elissaar, head of EIS's communications team, explained that the agency hires PR firms to promote Estonia abroad as an attractive place to work, live, export, and visit. Typically, EIS contracts an Estonian PR firm, which then subcontracts a local agency with regional expertise in the target country. EIS was founded in 2022 through the merger of KredEx and Enterprise Estonia (EAS) to foster entrepreneurship and improve the international competitiveness of Estonia's economy.
