How satisfied are you with the state of roadworks in Tallinn?

They are proceeding as planned. Work is being done this summer at previously started sites. Of course, one would like for some things to have proceeded faster, procurements to have been prepared or carried out to have shorter deadlines, that major intersections would not have to be closed for so long. But that's the situation. Looking at the big picture, roadworks aren't as extensive as they were last year.

Unfortunately, I have no encouraging messages for the future. We will have to carry out more roadworks and reconstruct streets in the City Center area in the coming years, so a measure of inconvenience due to roadworks is unavoidable.

Could we then say that this is the new normality in Tallinn in summer?

Considering we need to reconstruct Liivalaia tänav, launch the Peterburi tee reconstruction, planning will start for the Main Street, and we'll have to rebuild the Kristiine public transport junction, there will be more roadworks in the future.

Where we'd like to improve is to have clearer conditions for the contractors, so that major intersections could still accommodate public transport and cars if necessary during roadworks. And if stretches need to be closed completely, that those closures would be as short as possible. More efficiency can be found there.

What would it take from the city government?

We need to agree on a set of principles. Tram lines and their construction is one such area. We're planning to add tram tracks to Liivalaia tänav in the coming years. Until now, we've built tram tracks by pouring the concrete on location, which automatically means closing the road for weeks. But our neighbors to the north, for example, first pour the track beds [elsewhere] and then simply lift them into place. Such changes can be introduced. We are waiting for a proposal from the Urban Environment and Public Works Department on what those principles could be moving forward.

Secondly, we've seen months of relative inactivity at major construction sites, meaning that deadlines have been too lenient and contractors have also worked other sites at the same time. Which is their right, of course, while it also serves as a lesson for us. Talking about important intersections, a situation where they are closed to traffic for months, while not much work is being done, is abnormal.

Could work proceed during weekends at some sites?

That requires a broader public debate. Not just weekends, but also whether to work nights. Talking about major traffic arteries, certain intersections, I believe work continuing during weekends and at night should be considered, which would constitute a major disturbance for local residents. But I think it is something we could consider, provided it is for short periods and sensibly organized. But it is not something that can be decided overnight. It will probably cause works to become more expensive, and there is the social cost to consider.

How well did Tallinn solve the problem that will see hundreds of public garbage cans disappear from the streets, possibly creating a municipal trash crisis? Is it a problem of communication between Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) and the waste management contractor?

I cannot comment on the effectiveness of others' communication, but we discussed the matter with the deputy mayor and the department yesterday. There will not be a crisis. Once the bins are removed, we are ready to replace them temporarily should that prove necessary, and it will be necessary in certain places. We are in the final stages of preparing a longer-term solution.

There has been a debate on waste sorting in public spaces. While the principle may be sensible, I remain skeptical in terms of whether we need to implement it everywhere. I have asked the department to analyze and think on it some more. The reason is that if we can continue using trash cans attached to lamp posts in many parts of the city, even though we will be installing them ourselves this time, it is probably the most effective and sensible solution. Trash cans that allow sorting for recycling take up a lot of room but also need to be bolted to the ground, while a bin attached to a lamp post can be installed and removed more simply.

Looking at small municipal waste, it makes up a fraction of total waste. It is mostly packagings which we burn as mixed waste anyway. Even if they are sorted, they're used to make waste fuel and then burned. Therefore, I do not believe we need it everywhere.

But opinions differ among members of the municipal system, so there is an additional analysis being drawn up.

How satisfied are you with the work of deputy mayors?

Work is getting done, with some being more active than others. Looking at education, we have preparations for the Estonian language transition, and these past months have been very difficult. There may have been less acute problems in other fields. But the deputy mayors have been preparing for discussions, set to start next week, on reforms outlined in the coalition agreement, also as concerns next year's municipal budget. So, they are looking at very active and busy weeks. Tallinn's deputy mayors have been preparing their materials, and we'll see how successful they've been over the course of the next few weeks.

You have been looking for someone outside the party to serve as the district elder of Lasnamäe. Is this still the case, and have you found any potential candidates?

That is still our intention, yes.

Have you interviewed candidates?

We have talked to a few people, but we will make it public when the time is right.

When might that be?

As soon as possible.

Before local elections [in 2025]?

(Laughs) Probably, yes.

Are you after someone from the Center Party?

Not necessarily. There are many good people in Estonia.

How will the Tallinn Hospital matter be taken forward? You've written that the total cost of the project is €850 million of which €300 million Tallinn hopes to get from the state budget.

The idea was not to get money from the state budget. The proposal was that the central government could give tax revenue the construction of the largest building in Estonia will generate back to the city. Tallinn is capable of financing the construction in terms of cash flow, but not loan burden.

Progress so far? The design tender will be declared Monday. Based on the coalition agreement for Tallinn, we want to continue consolidating the healthcare network, in cooperation with the state and the North Estonia Medical Center (PERH) if possible. I will be meeting with the healthcare minister a week from now to get an idea of the state's readiness to proceed.

Once that piece of the puzzle falls into place, once we know whether we see eye to eye with the central government on this, drawing up a financial plan for Tallinn Hospital will be the next step. I believe we should have a financial plan in the comings months, which would allow us to plan for the next few years' funding needs. The investment plans of existing hospitals are directly tied to this, because if we want to move into a new medical campus by 2032, it is clear that current hospitals will only be making investments that are absolutely necessary. But if we won't know when the construction of the new hospital will start, existing hospital infrastructure will need investments post haste.

I believe we will know in a few months' time whether the project is feasible in the coming years, or whether we'll need an alternative plan. But I'm optimistic in that we'll have a plan and can take the project forward.

The coalition has been gradually improving its situation in the Riigikogu, becoming stronger after people have quit opposition parties to join those in power. Could this make it possible to elect the next president in the Riigikogu, with the three ruling parties' votes?

It is a theoretical possibility, while it requires the parties to agree. If past experience is anything to go by, the partners will be trying to calculate what they and others have to gain from backing particular candidates.

But harking back to presidential elections moving into the Electoral College in the past, I believe it would be more sensible to try and elect the president in the Riigikogu. Whether that will happen, I believe, depends on he general political situation at the time of the election.

Has the matter come up?

It has not, nor is there sense in talking about it now. It is often suspected that secret protocols of coalition agreements also cover presidential preferences etc. There would be no point. It's useless to spend your energy on it without knowing the political and social reality at the time of the election.

Do you believe Alar Karis could get a second term?

I will refrain from expressing an opinion. Once we come to the point where the party needs to weigh different presidential candidates, that is when we'll consider the possibilities. While you might want someone to stay in their role, it is quite difficult without political support. Let us recall last time – I would have liked for Kersti Kaljulaid to continue as president, but the Reform Party decided not to back her. Speculating on this today is of no use.

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