Chancellor of Justice not challenging 2025 state budget at Supreme Court
Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said she has no plans to contest the 2025 state budget at the Supreme Court, but hopes that future budgets will be drafted in a way that allows everyone to clearly understand how state funds are being spent, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
The justice chancellor indicated Friday that next year's state budget probably does not comply with the Constitution, due to a lack of comprehensibility.
This makes it hard for the Riigikogu to come up with any amendments.
However, the following Monday, Madise announced that she will not be contesting the budget in the Supreme Court, adding that it is not clear whether doing so is even viable – though the underlying legislation governing how state budgets in general are formed could in theory be subject to review, Madise added.
"If it's even possible to contest the state budget through constitutional review is open to debate," Madise told "Aktuaalne kaamera."
"It was attempted once, 25 years ago, which resulted in a very complex Supreme Court decision. But, where necessary, the base law of the state budget could be reconsidered," Madise said, adding that this is in fact necessary in her opinion.
As for next year's state budget, there is no reason to derail the process now, the justice chancellor went on.
"The 2025 state budget can, if so desired, get passed [at the Riigikogu] as the government presents it, or amended to the extent that is currently permitted. There is no need to seek out blame or conflict here," Madise said.
Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi (Reform) meanwhile expressed his support for the current activity-based budget methodology, which has come in for plenty of criticism.
Ligi said that the activity-based system is easier to understand than the previously used, cost-based one.
The minister also told "Aktuaalne kaamera" that the 2025 state budget has been rendered more comprehensible than some of its predecessors.
He said: "From a money management standpoint, the legal framework needn't be too detailed. In any case, detail complicates the optimal use of funds, and in fact makes the overall budget picture harder to grasp. If you compare it with, for example, Finland's state budget, which we have also had a presentation on: Well our budget is laughably detailed," Ligi said.
A cost-based state budget, drafted with detailed breakdowns, was used until 2015. Since then, the state budget has been drafted in an activity-based format.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Marko Tooming
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' Anne Raiste.
