Siim Kallas


Siim Kallas is an Estonian politician, who most recently served as European Commissioner for Transport between 2010 and 2014. Before that he was European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud between 2004 and 2009. In both Barroso Commissions he was also vice-president.
Kallas has been Prime Minister of Estonia, Estonian Minister of Finance, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Member of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union and member of the Riigikogu. Kallas is a member and former leader of the free-market liberal Estonian Reform Party. Kallas was a vice-president of Liberal International.
He was twice appointed Acting Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro in Olli Rehn's stead, from 19 April 2014 – 25 May 2014 while he was on electoral campaign leave for the 2014 elections to the European Parliament and from 1 July 2014 – 16 July 2014 after he took up his seat.
After leaving the Commission, Kallas run in the Estonian presidential election in 2016, but was not elected. In October 2017, he started as the municipal mayor of Viimsi Parish.

Education

Kallas speaks Estonian, English, Russian, Finnish, and German. He also has passive knowledge of French. Married to doctor Kristi Kallas, he has one son and one daughter, Kaja, who is a former member of the European Parliament and the current leader of the Estonian Reform Party. Kallas is of Estonian and Baltic German origin.
Kallas has been an active participant in the restoration of Estonian statehood.

Criticisms and drawbacks

Avoidance of tackling the issues in public caused him to renounce his candidacy to the office of Prime Minister of Estonia in 2014.