Analytics, Budget, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Funds, Legislation

Even though the initial volume is estimated to be determined in 2019, Estonia during the next budget period starting in 2021 will probably be able to use significant less financial aid, the National Audit Office said.

The Ministry of Finance said that according to initial estimation and not taking into account the impact of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the financial aid compared to the current budget period is to decreased up to 40 percent or by approximately 1.5 billion euros.

The European Union during the 2014-2020 budget period is to support Estonia with 4.4 billion euros from structural and investment funds. Approximately 3.5 billion of this is handed out as cohesion policy subsidies for example towards the development of education, business, transport, the information society and the environment and approximately 900 million euros goes towards supporting the fields of agriculture and fisheries.

The overview of the National Audit Office does not handle the support for agriculture and fisheries as those are developed on a special basis and are not based on the member state's GDP or GNI indicators.

"We cannot and must not keep endlessly looking with something of a demanding expectation towards the union's wealthier member states, seeing this kind of aid as a natural and irrefutable part of our lives and income and thinking that somebody else must give us money. A viable and sustainable country must build their functioning on the money that we ourselves are able to earn with our hands and brains," Karis said at the meeting with Nestor.

"It is not too much to once again remind of the repeatedly talked about need to critically mentally assess everything that the state is currently doing and thing through what is actually necessary. This should be done regardless of whether the flow of external aid continues in the same amount or decreases. When making decisions we are aided by a simple question: would we be doing this or that in the same way as now if we should cover all costs that come with the decision. And before answering we should take a break to think it through. The present is a suitable time for such an exercise of thought," Karis said.

The auditor general emphasized that it is reasonable to use the current good times to prepare for times that are not as good by collecting reserves and carrying out reforms to control the growth of expenses and promoting the creation of new income.