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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Wednesday, 24.04.2024, 04:20

Estonian entrepreneurs demand from a new government a decisive state reform

BC, Tallinn, 05.03.2015.Print version
Estonian business associations and trade unions said in a joint address on Thursday that the main task for the next government period should be significant improvement in effectiveness and updating the functioning of the state, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports.

"The success of the past two decades is the result of bold and statesman-like decisions; the foundations for success of the next two decades must be laid with similar bold decisions today," wrote the Estonian Trade Unions' Confederation; Estonian Employees' Unions' Confederation TALO, Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Estonian Employers' Confederation in a common statement.

 

"For the society to be able to develop in the new circumstances, and in today's stage of development, for us to be able to provide for the state in these circumstances, we have the obligation to create more and spend less but smarter. The basis of substantive and successful state reform is coordination, in order to avoid duplication and waste; the right size, in order to focus on the necessary; simplicity, to ensure reliability and the way of thinking that focuses on the result, not the process," the statement reads.

 

The organizations estimate that a decisive and meaningful reform of the state consists of at last six major chapters.

 

First, a resolute studying trend has to evolve in the society, to compensate for the fact that in the near future, fewer workers are entering the labour market than leave, the number of taxpayers is shrinking, the proportion of dependents and the costs to society, however, continues to increase. The only possible way to provide for a more expensive society with a smaller number of working hands is to do more work and more complex work with fewer workers. Therefore, the Estonian society's biggest short-term aim has to be a decisive leap in the value chain, and fast increase of competitiveness. This is feasible if coordinated educational, economic, environmental and social policies are dedicated to it in a coordinated way.

 

Secondly, the state needs an administrative reform. The goal must be to end wasteful fragmentation of resources and creation of administrative units that are capable of really organising local level life and supplying high-quality public services.

 

Third, modernisation of the functions of state institutions is necessary: considering the development of the country, the tasks and use of resources of many institutions, including constitutional institutions has to be revised.

 

Fourth, targeting and analysis base of legislative processes has to be increased.

 

Fifth, public administration and policy-making activities have to become more efficient and sixth, sustainability of the public service has to be ensured.






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