From 2002 to 2005 Ojuland was the Estonian minister of foreign affairs, and she chaired the European Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu from 2004-07. In June 2004 she ran for the post of secretary-general of the Council of Europe, but was defeated, receiving 51 of 299 votes. She was the first vice-speaker of the parliament from 2007 to 2009, at which point she became a Member of the European Parliament for the ALDE. From 2007 to 2014 she was the Vice President of the ELDR and Vice-chair of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.