EU judges vote down Estonia’s steep cost to run for office

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Estonia's deposit requirement for European Parliament candidates, 4,100 euros per person, went further than necessary to deter unserious contenders. The Estonian Greens had initially been blocked from registering seven of nine candidates for the June 2024 election over the fee.

Parties only got their deposits refunded if they cleared 5% of the vote nationally, a threshold the Greens ultimately missed, leaving the refund question for Estonia's Supreme Court to sort out. The EU court noted the deposit had climbed from 2,700 euros in 2019 to 4,100 euros in 2024, and that Estonia charges only a fifth as much for national parliamentary races.

Legal scholars quoted in the piece warned that steep deposits can concentrate power among incumbents and discourage new parties, while one professor noted the ruling sets an EU-wide principle without dictating a specific number. Estonia's National Electoral Committee said any changes to the deposit rules are now up to lawmakers.

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