Ministries not yet clear on how 10 percent cuts will be made

Ministries in Estonia are still unclear on how cuts outlined in the coalition agreement are to be implemented.
The agreement sets out a requirement for cuts of 10 percent, over the next three years.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said this will affect jobs, administrative activities, and operational costs across the ministries, their agencies and other state and public institutions.
Defense and education are two areas which will not primarily be affected.
Michal said: "We need to achieve a 10 percent cut over three years, and if we exclude the defense, police, and education sectors, it becomes clear that this will be a challenging task."

"We have set the target, everyone understands the goal, and this wee - tomorrow is the first cabinet meeting with this composition - we will review the plan. The Ministry of Finance is to then finalize the details during the budget negotiations in August and September," the prime minister added.
Most ministries themselves refrained from commenting on Wednesday on the planned budget cuts, citing a lack of clarity at this point in time. However, it is clear that the cuts will be wide-ranging.
Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo (Reform) said: "We are principally looking at workforce costs, operational expenses, and the subsidies paid to our partners. As of now we do not plan to reduce the benefits provided to our citizens."
"Separate negotiations will begin in August and continue into September. In the course of these discussions, trickier topics are expected to arise," the social security minister went on.

Speaking in the context of cuts also hitting a ministry's subordinate agencies, Keit Kasemets, Ministry of Climate secretary general said: "We will certainly be reviewing whether the current scope of oversight in various fields is necessary, including whether environmental monitoring activities need to continue at their current level."
"We will also be reassessing the entire environmental impact assessment system, to make it simpler, more efficient, and achievable, but with fewer personnel," Kasemets added.
Investments, in particular in those where construction is already underway, such as the environmental house project, are not be cut, Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Secretary General Keit Kasemets both stated.
More clarity is expected to emerge during the budget discussions in August and September.
The state budget for a given year has to pass three rounds of Riigikogu voting by the end of the year preceding.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' reporter Mart Linnart.