Juhan Parts
{{Short description|Estonian politician (born 1966)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Juhan Parts
| image = Juhan-Parts.jpg
| caption = Parts in 2012
| office = Member of the European Court of Auditors for Estonia
| president = Klaus-Heiner Lehne
Tony Murphy
| term_start = 1 January 2017
| term_end = 31 December 2022
| predecessor = Kersti Kaljulaid
| successor = Keit Pentus-Rosimannus
| office1 = 15th Prime Minister of Estonia
| president1 = Arnold Rüütel
| term_start1 = 10 April 2003
| term_end1 = 12 April 2005
| predecessor1 = Siim Kallas
| successor1 = Andrus Ansip
| office2 = Minister of Economic Affairs
and Communications
| primeminister2 = Andrus Ansip
| term_start2 = 5 April 2007
| term_end2 = 26 March 2014
| predecessor2 = Edgar Savisaar
| successor2 = Urve Palo
{{small|(Economic Affairs and Infrastructure)}}
Anne Sulling {{nobr|{{small|(Foreign Trade and Entrepreneurship)}}}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|8|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Tallinn, Estonia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Res Publica Party {{small|(2001–2006)}}
{{nobr|Pro Patria and Res Publica Union}}
{{small|(2006–present)}}
| spouse = Merle Parts {{small|(1987)}}
Daisy Tauk {{small|(2002–present)}}
| children = 4
| alma_mater = University of Tartu
}}
Juhan Parts (({{IPA|et|ˈjuhɑnʲ ˈpɑrtʲːːsʲ}}, born 27 August 1966){{cite web|url=http://www.mkm.ee/326415/ |title=Minister Juhan Parts |publisher=Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications |access-date=10 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417005214/http://www.mkm.ee/326415 |archive-date=17 April 2010}} is an Estonian politician who was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2003 to 2005[https://web.archive.org/web/20121103020826/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-117536890.html HighBeam] and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications from 2007 to 2014. Juhan Parts is a member of Isamaa party.
Education
Born in Tallinn, Juhan Parts completed Gustav Adolf Grammar School in Tallinn (then Tallinn Secondary School No. 1). Afterwards, he studied law at the University of Tartu in Tartu, Estonia.
Early career
After completing his university education, Parts instantly joined the Ministry of Justice. {{According to whom|He soon became known as a young, dynamic figure|date=February 2019}} who wanted to push for reforms. As an ally of Deputy Minister Mihkel Oviir, he was appointed Auditor General in the spring of 1998. He held this office until 2002. From this virtually unimpeachable office, unique in the Estonian Constitution, he frequently criticised the government and became somewhat of a popular figure in Estonian politics.
Political career
Parts became the chairman of a new party, called Res Publica, which he was instrumental in starting. It is a largely technocratic party which can be described as an economically liberal party of young administrators. Res Publica now is a member of the right-of-centre European People's Party organisation.
=Prime Minister of Estonia, 2003–2005=
In the Riigikogu (Estonian parliament) elections in 2003, Parts surprisingly gained a majority among the right-of-centre parties, and as a result, he was charged to form a new government coalition and became Prime Minister of Estonia. The new government took office on 10 April 2003.
On 24 March 2005, Parts stepped down as prime minister after a vote of no confidence against Minister of Justice Ken-Marti Vaher had passed the Riigikogu. Vaher had established a quota system of how many civil servants had to be prosecuted every year (per county), which is seen as reminiscent of Stalinist purges by many Estonians, a measure that Parts had endorsed.
Parts' term as Prime Minister officially ended on 12 April 2005 when the Riigikogu confirmed his successor Andrus Ansip.
=Minister for Economic Affairs, 2007–2014=
From 2007 until 2014, Parts served as Minister for Economic Affairs and Communications in the government of Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.
Early in his tenure, Parts unveiled a plan to boost Estonia's cyber security in response to the 2007 cyberattacks targeting websites of Estonian organizations, including Estonian parliament, banks, ministries, newspapers and broadcasters.{{cite web |title=Estonia to bolster cyber defenses after attacks |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-estonia-cyberattack-idUSL0588580120070705 |website=Reuters |date=2007-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113081019/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-estonia-cyberattack-idUSL0588580120070705 |archive-date=2022-01-13 |url-status=live}} Under his leadership, the Estonian government opened talks with SAS Group about the future of Estonian Air and did not rule out taking a majority stake in the carrier.{{cite web |title=UPDATE 1-Estonia to hold talks with SAS on Estonian Air |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/estonia-sas-talks-idUSMAR66789720091216 |website=Reuters |date=2009-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113081023/https://www.reuters.com/article/estonia-sas-talks-idUSMAR66789720091216 |archive-date=2022-01-13 |url-status=live}} Also during his time in office, Estonia and Finland signed a 2014 agreement on building two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on either side of the Gulf of Finland and a pipeline connecting the two countries.{{cite web |title=Estonia, Finland sign accord on building joint LNG terminals |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/-finland-estonia-lng/estonia-finland-sign-accord-on-building-joint-lng-terminals-idUKL6N0LX46Z20140228 |website=Reuters |date=2014-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113094325/https://www.reuters.com/article/-finland-estonia-lng/estonia-finland-sign-accord-on-building-joint-lng-terminals-idUKL6N0LX46Z20140228 |archive-date=2022-01-13 |url-status=live}}
After calling some members of the Lithuanian government "fools" in a 2014 interview with the Wall Street Journal about the joint Rail Baltic infrastructure project, Parts found himself under heavy fire in both countries.{{cite web |title=Estonian Transport Minister, Juhan Parts, Says Article "Spread Misunderstanding" |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-RTBB-4098 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=2014-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113081025/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-RTBB-4098 |archive-date=2022-01-13 |url-status=live}}
In the 2015 parliamentary election, Parts was re-elected to the parliament with 4,208 individual votes.{{cite web |url=http://rk2015.vvk.ee/detailed-4.html |title=Riigikogu valimised 2015: Detailne hääletamistulemus |publisher=Vabariigi Valimiskomisjon |access-date=8 March 2015}}
European Court of Auditors, 2017–2022
In 2016, the Council of the European Union appointed Parts as member of the European Court of Auditors.{{cite web |title=Council appoints Juhan Parts as new ECA Member |url=https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/NewsItem.aspx?nid=8004 |website=European Court of Auditors |date=2016-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228130421/https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/NewsItem.aspx?nid=8004 |archive-date=2020-12-28 |url-status=dead}}
Since taking office, Parts has been leading the Court's investigations into the performance of the European Anti-Fraud Office (2019),{{cite web |title=In EU, it's watchdog vs. watchdog |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-auditors-take-aim-at-anti-fraud-watchdog-olaf-european-commission-eu-spending/ |website=Politico Europe |date=2019-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331030100/https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-auditors-take-aim-at-anti-fraud-watchdog-olaf-european-commission-eu-spending/ |archive-date=2023-03-31 |url-status=live |last1=Bayer |first1=Lili}} the European Union's 2014-2020 development spending in Kenya (2020){{cite web |title=Audit finds EU aid to Kenya lacked impact |url=https://www.devex.com/news/audit-finds-eu-aid-to-kenya-lacked-impact-98092 |website=Devex |date=2020-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308110958/https://www.devex.com/news/audit-finds-eu-aid-to-kenya-lacked-impact-98092 |archive-date=2023-03-08 |url-status=live |last1=Chadwick |first1=Vince}} and the use of Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance funds in the Western Balkans (2022).{{cite web |title=EU funds have little impact in Western Balkans, auditors say |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-western-balkans-rule-of-law-european-commission-court-of-auditors/ |website=Politico Europe |date=2022-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206024715/https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-western-balkans-rule-of-law-european-commission-court-of-auditors/ |archive-date=2023-02-06 |url-status=live |last1=Bayer |first1=Lili}}{{cite web |title=EU auditors: Rule of law aid for W Balkans doesn't pay off |url=https://apnews.com/article/business-albania-europe-kosovo-european-union-592f180c99061faaeb2c452aeb1e6668 |website=Associated Press |date=2022-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218181514/https://apnews.com/article/business-albania-europe-kosovo-european-union-592f180c99061faaeb2c452aeb1e6668 |archive-date=2022-12-18 |url-status=live |last1=Casert |first1=Raf}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.irl.ee Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica]
- [http://www.mkm.ee/index.php?keel=en Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications]
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Hindrek Meri}}
{{s-ttl|title=Auditor General of Estonia|years=1998–2003}}
{{s-aft|after=Mihkel Oviir}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Siim Kallas}}
{{s-ttl|title=Prime Minister of Estonia|years=2003–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=Andrus Ansip}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=Edgar Savisaar}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications|years=2007–2014}}
{{s-aft|after=Urve Palo, Anne Sulling}}
{{s-end}}
{{EstonianPMs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parts, Juhan}}
Category:Politicians from Tallinn
Category:Prime ministers of Estonia
Category:Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 2nd Class
Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Category:University of Tartu alumni
Category:Res Publica Party politicians
Category:Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007
Category:Members of the Riigikogu, 2007–2011
Category:Members of the Riigikogu, 2011–2015