Boosting Enterprise a Regional Priority, Says Minister
One of the state's priorities on the regional level is supporting more projects related to the development of the Estonian business landscape, said Minister for Regional Affairs Siim Kiisler.
"So far, we have allocated assistance for the improvement of schools and kindergartens and for the reconstruction of cultural venues, which undoubtedly are very important," Kiisler told uudised.err.ee, adding that nevertheless unemployment is a considerable problem, which the state needs to tackle.
The ministry has launched several programs for supporting the establishment of industrial zones and setting businesses up with a high-speed internet connection, said Kiisler.
The 2012 budget for the Minister for Regional Affairs - who is in fact an Interior Ministry official parallel to the Interior Minister - has, however, decreased by 18.5 percent compared to this year. According to Kiisler, a large part of the ministry’s budget consists of assistance received from the European Structural Funds, meaning that the budget depends largely on the payment schedule of those subsidies.
"The forecast on the volume of [assistance received] in 2011 was much bigger than for 2012, and that makes the difference," said Kiisler.
Ingrid Teesalu