Rain Epler
{{Short description|Estonian politician (born 1977)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rain Epler
| image = Rain Epler at the Opinion Festival 2022 in Paide, Estonia.jpg
| caption = Epler in 2022
| office = Minister of the Environment
| primeminister = Jüri Ratas
| term_start = 16 November 2020
| term_end = 26 January 2021
| predecessor = Rene Kokk
| successor = Tõnis Mölder
| party = Conservative People's Party of Estonia
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|6|6|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Tallinn, Estonia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
}}
Rain Epler (born 6 June 1977) is an Estonian politician and businessman. He served as Minister of the Environment for approximately two months from 2020 to 2021.
Early life and business career
Rain Epler was born in Tallinn on 6 June 1977. He graduated from Johannes Käis Põlva Secondary School in 1995 and then attended the University of Tartu, studying management and foreign economy from 1995 to 2000. He married and had three children.{{Cite journal |date=2024-06-17 |editor-last=Allandi |editor-first=Marge |editor2-last=Melts |editor2-first=Tiia |editor3-last=Pärgma |editor3-first=Piret |editor4-last=Randjärv |editor4-first=Gerli |editor5-last=Suurpalu |editor5-first=Lii |title=101 biographies: The 15th Riigikogu |journal=101 Biographies |publisher=National Library of Estonia |page=13 |issn=2674-3205}}
Epler worked in the insurance industry with several companies.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-05 |title=EKRE proposes candidate for environment minister |url=https://news.err.ee/1155357/ekre-proposes-candidate-for-environment-minister |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=ERR}} He worked for If P&C Insurance from 1997 to 2003. He then worked as a development manager for Hansa Kindlustusmaakler from 2003 to 2005 and Swedbank from 2005 to 2006. In 2006, he began attending the Estonian Information Technology College and began working as a partnerships manager for Aon. He left the college in 2008 and became Aon's Central and East European IT Manager in 2009. He left Aon in 2012 and worked as sales and marketing manager for RSA Kindlustus from 2012 to 2014. He then worked as a private businessman, and he was head of the Romanian Division of Endover KVB OÜ from 2018 to 2019.
As of 2020, Epler owned the Baltic Fleet Company, the Pühajõe Brewery, and the computer consultation company Kolmejalgne mündiga konn OÜ.
Political career
= Early political affiliations =
Epler was a member of the Pro Patria Union from 2000 until 2006, and he ran in the 2017 Estonian municipal elections in Võru as a member of the Estonian Reform Party. He became advisor to the Minister of Finance, Martin Helme, in 2019.{{Cite news |date=7 November 2020 |title=Rain Epler confirmed as new environment minister |url=https://news.err.ee/1156362/rain-epler-confirmed-as-new-environment-minister |access-date=2025-04-05 |work=ERR}} This included a seat on the boards for Enterprise Estonia, Kredex, and the State Forest Management Centre.{{Cite news |date=2020-11-16 |title=Rain epler takes office as estonia's environment minister |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2460699554 |work=Baltic News Service |id={{ProQuest| }}}}
= Minister of the Environment =
Epler joined the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) on 30 October 2020, and he was selected to succeed Rene Kokk as Minister of the Environment in Jüri Ratas's second cabinet on 7 November 2020. He was sworn in on 16 November 2020.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-17 |title=Environment minister: I'm not convinced climate change is mainly man-made |url=https://news.err.ee/1159848/environment-minister-i-m-not-convinced-climate-change-is-mainly-man-made |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=ERR}} Epler was not a member of Parliament at the time of his appointment. He expressed support for Kokk's forest management policy, but he did not immediately comment on the state plan after taking office. He also supported deregulation and expressed interest in constructing a nuclear power plant as a means of fossil fuel phase-out. While in office, Epler expressed doubt that climate change is caused by human activity. The Estonian Greens objected to his appointment for this reason.{{Cite news |date=2020-11-18 |title=Estonian greens: Epler's views do not allow him to hold office of environment minister |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2461186440 |work=Baltic News Service |id={{ProQuest| }}}}
In November, Epler changed rules surrounding the validity of fishing licenses, making gillnet fishing cards expire seven days after issuance by default instead of at the end of the calendar week.{{Cite news |date=2020-11-27 |title=Estonia: Fishing cards to be switched to 7-day system from 2021 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2464558138 |work=Baltic News Service |id={{ProQuest| }}}} Epler approved a cutting area of 56,381 hectares in December for forest cutting over the next five years, maintaining numbers similar to the previous period.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-27 |title=Minister approves five-year state forest regeneration plan |url=https://news.err.ee/1171831/minister-approves-five-year-state-forest-regeneration-plan |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=ERR}} He dismissed the committee tasked with drafting the forestry development plan in December, saying that it was insufficiently focused and that a new committee was needed.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-18 |title=Environment minister: Dismissed forestry committee not compromise-oriented |url=https://news.err.ee/1212811/environment-minister-dismissed-forestry-committee-not-compromise-oriented |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=ERR}} Epler left the ministry position following the resignation of the government of Jüri Ratas. Upon leaving office, he granted his two assistants a bonus of 3,000 euros each.{{Cite news |date=2021-01-25 |title=Estonia's outgoing minister of environment to pay advisers bonus totaling EUR 6,000 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2480209855 |work=Baltic News Service |id={{ProQuest| }}}} Tõnis Mölder was appointed as his successor and formed a new committee replacing the one Epler had dismissed.{{Cite web |title=Expert assessment: Drafting of Estonia's forestry development plan non-transparent |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/expert_assessment__drafting_of_estonia_s_forestry_development_plan_non-transparent/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=The Baltic Times}}
= Post-ministry career =
In the 2021 local government council elections, Rain Epler was the EKRE mayoral candidate in Võru. He received 221 votes in the elections and was elected to the Võru City Council, where he serves as the chairman of the audit committee.{{Cite web |title=Delfi |url=https://www.delfi.ee/leht/valimised2021/tulemused/0919 |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Delfi |language=et}} In the 2023 Riigikogu elections, Epler ran as a candidate for EKRE in electoral district number 11, which covers Võru, Valga, and Põlva counties.{{Cite web |title=640 Rain EPLER |url=https://rk.ekre.ee/kandidaat/rain-epler/info |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=rk.ekre.ee |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=ERR |title=rk valimised 2023 |url=https://www.err.ee/k/rk-valimised-2023# |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=ERR |language=et}} He represented the EKRE in negotiations to expedite the development of renewable energy in May 2024.{{Cite news |date=2024-05-30 |title=Estonia : The riigikogu passed a law accelerating the construction of offshore wind and solar parks |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3062380220 |work=MENA Report |id={{ProQuest| }}}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{s-bef|before=Rene Kokk}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister of the Environment|years=2020–2021}}
{{s-aft|after=Tõnis Mölder}}
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{{Members of the 15th Riigikogu}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epler, Rain}}
Category:Conservative People's Party of Estonia politicians
Category:Environment ministers of Estonia
Category:Government ministers of Estonia