Estonian minister: Planned cuts to be curbed to EUR 50 mln

TALLINN – The size of planned cuts in next year's state budget will decrease to 50 million euros, compared to the target of cutting 60 million euros set for the institutions of the state with the budget strategy in spring, Minister of Finance Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said according to Postimees. 

Cost saving and finding opportunities for reform are important not only in the context of next year's budget, but in the longer term, the Reform Party minister said.

"Namely in order for us to be able to maintain a situation where the state spends as much as we have in revenues, not more. The way the ministers set themselves this task in the spring is the way they will carry it out," Pentus-Rosimannus told the paper. 

The task of austerity will be mitigated in the most sensitive areas -- internal security and social affairs, she said. According to the minister, after relief in these two areas, the amount to be saved next year is 50 million euros.

Pentus-Rosimannus said that an agreement has largely been reached in the budget negotiations.

"Right now we are in the stage where all the numbers are being refined. In general, it can be said that there has been a very good climate of cooperation in the governing coalition, thanks to which we have recently been able to elect a good president for Estonia and now Estonia will also get a good budget. The good atmosphere of cooperation has made it possible to put the budget together at a pretty fast pace," she said. 

The Estonian government is about to present the preliminary decisions in principle on the 2022 state budget at the scheduled government press conference on Thursday.

The government must submit the state budget bill to the parliament three months before the start of the new budgetary year at the latest, that is by the end of September.