Urmas was born in Tallinn. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1996 with a BA in political science and continued his graduate studies there, but without obtaining the degree. He was active in journalism during his studies, first at Estonian Radio and later at Postimees, a mainstream daily and one of Estonia's most popular newspapers.[2]
Political career
Paet continued his career in journalism until 1999, when he entered politics by joining the Reform Party and becoming professional advisor. [citation needed] He served as the Deputy Mayor of Nõmme (a district of Tallinn) from 1999 to 2003.
Paet remained in that position until April 2005, when the Parts government fell. In April 2005, when the Andrus Ansipcabinet took office, he became Foreign Minister.
During his time in office, the kidnapping of seven Estonian cyclists in the Beqaa Valley near the Syria-Lebanese border required Paet to undertake multiple trips to the Middle East in 2011; the cyclists’ release was secured after 113 days in captivity.[4] By the time he left office, he was the second longest-serving foreign minister in Europe.[5]
Member of the European Parliament, 2014–present
Paet has been a Member of the European Parliament since the 2014 European elections. A member of the ALDE (Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) political faction, he first served on the Committee on Budgets from 2014 until 2019. In this capacity, he authored a 2016 parliamentary resolution in favor of plans to increase European spending on military missions, as well as developing and sharing assets like helicopters.[6]
In the 2015 Estonian elections, Paet received enough votes to take up a seat in the national parliament yet decided to keep his seat in the European Parliament.[13]
Following the 2019 elections, Paet was part of a cross-party working group in charge of drafting the European Parliament's four-year work program on foreign policy.[14]
Recognition
In March 2019, Paet was the recipient of the Security & Defence Award at The Parliament Magazine's annual MEP Awards.[15] Paet was also the recipient of the Security and Defence Award at 2022 MEP Awards ceremony.[16]
