Read our insights, reports and more

Estonia has been in a state of emergency for a month now, which has limited the work and regular routines of businesses and individuals alike. Sports clubs and entertainment centers are closed, and people are forbidden to visit shopping centers. Accordingly, businesses experience many disruptions in their usual business routines and activities. Under certain conditions, it is possible to rely on § 103 (2) of the Law of Obligations Act (hereinafter LOA), which establishes force majeure. Grant Thornton Baltic legal adviser Brigitta Jõgi explains when force majeure can be applied to the situation.

A subsidy to employees affected by the COVID-19 crisis was established by order of Estonian Government from March 23rd, 2020 „Employment program 2017-2020 . To apply for the employee subsidy the employer must meet 2 out of 3 requirements. What are those requirements and what action must employer take? Grant Thornton Baltic legal adviser Lee Laanemäe and legal manager Kristel Tiits explain the subject and give recommendations for further steps.

To improve liquidity, KredEx has developed crisis measures. It should be remembered that a company intending to use KredEx measures should first contact their home bank. Grant Thornton Baltic legal manager Kärolin Rohumäe explains what companies should do to be able to apply for the KredEx crisis packages.

The COVID-19 pandemic is placing companies and their management teams in a challenging situation due to the lockdowns and state of emergency established around the world. One of the most critical areas is managing the companies’ cash flows and decisions to maintain liquidity. Mikk Mägi, head of financial advisory in Grant Thornton Baltic, gives advice what should be a priority for the companies during the crisis.

During the emergency situation in Estonia, many employers have allowed some or all their employees to work from home. Allowing people to work from home cuts the risk of contracting the virus, but also raises the question of who is responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment for the employee. Kärolin Rohumäe, Grant Thornton Baltic's legal adviser, explains in more detail.

The crisis caused by the coronavirus is coinciding with the peak season for preparing annual reports. It raises the question of whether and how aspects related to the coronavirus be recognized in the 2019 financial statements and if so, how? Grant Thornton Baltic partner Mart Nõmper gives instructions in his article.

Estonia declared a state of emergency (defined in national law as “emergency situation”) on 12 March 2020 and this affects the rights and responsibilities arising from employment relationships. What steps can an employer take to slow the spread of the virus while keeping the work processes flowing, and what are an employee’s rights to refuse to come to work? Grant Thornton Baltic specialists Kristel Tiits and Lee Laanemäe give overview and suggestions on how to best deal with the current situation.

In simple terms, copyright is the right over intellectual property. Copyright is gained automatically and requires no separate registration or other completion of formalities. Grant Thornton Baltic specialists Kristel Tiits and Lee Laanemäe are explaining the details in depth in their article.

Hundreds of companies are bought and sold each year in Estonia. In the case of bigger transactions, relying on assistance from transaction advisers has become the norm, although for the sake of total certainty, it’s a good idea to bring aboard an adviser even on smaller acquisitions.

Below we list eight main reasons why companies prefer outsourcing payroll operations instead of a dedicated in-house department.

The European Union has adopted new rules on VAT that will simplify and facilitate e-commerce. The rules will come into effect in full on 1 January 2021, but companies that provide electronic services will be able to benefit from the rules already starting 1 January 2019.

It is extremely important for managers to pursue self-improvement. As the saying goes: a fish starts rotting from the head. Unfortunately, managerial culture in Estonia is not at a level we can be satisfied with. We have many companies where money and financial results are managed but where the people are not. Actually, instead of money and results, it’s people who should be managed. If so, the good results will not be long in coming.

This year, a number of large-scale purchase and sale transactions have provided much fodder for discussion in the media – Nelja Energia, Luminor and Utilitas are three examples. The large transactions always stand out, but this year has seen many mid-sized and small company acquisitions as well.

Although employer branding is seen as mainly the domain of personnel and marketing people, it isn’t only their function. Managers have just as important a role here, because it is managers who can leave employees with a good experience of the organisation as employer. Or the opposite – a negative experience, because Estonia has many organisations that have a substandard managerial culture and instead of leading people, they’re busy managing money and processes.

United Motors has purchased the distributor of Peugeot and Hyundai in Estonia. Grant Thornton Baltic provided advisory services for the transaction.

Next year, amendments to the Taxation Act are expected to enter into force. One of the amendments calls for more data to be added to the employment register, which will however increase the workload for accountants.