On the night of 22 August, Siim Kallas, founder of the Reform Party, former Prime Minister of Estonia and former Vice-President of the European Commission, died at the age of 77, according to his daughter, Kaya Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
“It is with great sadness that I must announce that my dear father passed away last night,” she wrote on social media.
Siim Kallas was born on 2 October 1948. He served as Prime Minister of Estonia from 2002 to 2003. Prior to that, he held the posts of Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996 and Minister for Finance from 1999 to 2002.
In 2004, Kallas became a member of the European Commission, and by 2014 he was its Vice-President.
Following the restoration of Estonia’s independence, Kallas headed the Bank of Estonia from 1991 to 1995. He oversaw the preparations for the currency reform and the introduction of the Estonian kroon in 1992.
Kallas was one of the founders of the Estonian Reform Party and led this political party for many years. He remained one of the leading figures in Estonian politics following the country’s restoration of independence.