According to the Constitution, the official language of Estonia is Estonian and it is the state's obligation to preserve the Estonian language, nation and culture “through the ages”. The activities necessary for the preservation and development of the Estonian language are defined in the Development Strategy of the Estonian Language (2004–2010) and the upcoming Estonian Language Development Plan (2011–2017). Practical language relations in Estonia are regulated by the Language Act and the legislation based thereon.

The activities related to Estonian as well as other languages are coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research. The Estonian Language Council observes and analyzes the language situation and prepares monitoring reports and follow-up strategies concerning the language strategy.