Lately, different ministries have had plans to close the Koidula border crossing to save on costs. Last year, however, the Ministry of the Interior encountered opposition from Setomaa Municipality. The three main arguments were: essential labor comes to Setomaa companies from Pechory; the border itself provides jobs for locals and generates tax revenue; the municipality receives tax revenue from companies providing services at the border, such as through building rights fees.

In summary, although the load on border points has significantly decreased since the war began, they remain crucial for local life. Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) agreed with these arguments and announced that the Koidula border crossing would remain open.

At the end of April this year, Finance Minister Mart Võrklaev (Reform) proposed limiting Koidula's operating hours to save costs by closing the highway border crossing during nighttime hours.

The Ministry of the Interior has explicitly stated that, from their perspective, there would be no savings from closing the border crossing at night, as people would simply be redirected to work on the green border. The Tax and Customs Board is adopting a wait-and-see approach. The main concern for all agencies is the same – they are struggling with understaffing and are not keen to lay off employees.

Setomaa Municipality Mayor Raul Kudre believes the proposed nighttime hours to be unreasonable because people who come to work in Estonia from Russia would not be able to return home in the evening or catch the Elron train in the morning, while passenger numbers for the latter are growing steadily.

In light of all this, Setomaa Municipality is left bewildered, asking whether the aim of limiting Koidula's operating hours is to cut jobs and reduce the revenue base in rural areas, or whether it is a broader, more principled decision to restrict all trade with the aggressor state.

Let's clarify a few things. Estonia has four land border crossings with Russia: Narva, Luhamaa, Koidula and Saatse. The latter can only be crossed on foot. Currently, Narva can also only be crossed on foot due to improvement works on the other side, requiring the temporary closure of the border crossing for vehicles. This means that all freight transport to Russia and through Russia to third countries goes through the Luhamaa and Koidula border crossings. This option is also used by Latvians, whose border is overburdened, and Finns, whose land border with Russia is completely closed.

Looking purely at the numbers, only a few vehicles cross the border during nighttime hours. For instance, as of April, 51 trucks exited Estonia to Russia through the Koidula border crossing in 24 hours, and 91 trucks entered.

To clarify, the number of vehicles leaving Estonia does not depend on the capacity of our Tax and Customs Board; from their perspective, the load could be several times higher. The issue is how many vehicles the other side can receive. The Russian side's attitude is illustrated by the fact that there are nearly 1,100 vehicles in the queue at Estonia's two border crossings, and the first available border crossing time is on June 21.

But what if we did close our border crossings to trade with Russia? There are high-ranking officials in Brussels who would raise both hands in support of this idea. Meanwhile, the eyes of occasional passersby at the Koidula border crossing are struck by parking lots full of trucks, and they rightfully ask, what sanctions against Russia are we talking about?

About 60 percent of pre-war trade between the European Union and Russia is under EU sanctions. What people see is the remaining 40 percent, consisting of prepared foods, machinery and mechanical devices. While Estonia advocates for a complete trade embargo within the EU, the reality is that several major countries disagree with this.

The common stance is that as long as European countries are not unified on this issue, Estonia has no reason to act alone by closing its borders. Doing so would not only affect Setomaa Municipality but also the entire transport and logistics sector. Closing the highway border crossings would not stop trade either; goods would simply be moved to rail or sea routes, and carriers would shift to other countries like Latvia. However, Latvia already has kilometers-long queues, and currently, Latvian trucks prefer to come to Estonia.

This brings us back to the beginning. The Minister of Finance is looking for cost-saving measures and hopes to find some by closing the Koidula border crossing during nighttime hours. However, this does not take into account what reducing the crossing's capacity would mean for already long queues.

Years ago, significant efforts were made to move the long lines of vehicles from the highways to parking lots for traffic safety reasons. What happens if the parking lots can no longer accommodate all the vehicles? Who will then manage the vehicles lined up on the highways, ensure safety and provide basic conditions for drivers stuck in queues? No one wants to return to the chaotic situation that existed at Koidula 15 years ago.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!