Cuts can be made, I'm not against that — but let's start from the right end. If regulations remain unchanged while officials are laid off, the result will be an impossible business environment, unfair competition and unchecked environmental damage. That doesn't sound good. More precisely targeted environmental protection? Now that would be something meaningful. But that requires changing regulations first, not firing people.

The most effective way to streamline the state is to start with legislation. The Environmental Board's responsibilities, derived from European law and Estonian legislation, continue to grow rather than shrink. We are eagerly awaiting lawmakers to simplify the rules governing environmental protection. Legislative action in this area would be most welcome.

We would gladly put an end to redundant work in planning boreholes, make animal rescue efforts more rational, simplify some "procedures" into mere registrations and bring greater clarity to nature conservation restrictions. But all of this requires changes to the law. Dear lawmakers, the ball is in your court. Simply laying off half of the Environmental Board's staff will not improve anything.

Regulating environmental protection involves high stakes and conflicting interests. While we are far from the largest state agency — with 460 government employees and 85 externally funded project staff — the Environmental Board's work is highly visible and significant to society. Even the minister of education, when thinking about government agencies, mentioned us first. But believe me, a weak Environmental Board is a businessperson's worst nightmare.

Fewer officials mean longer processing times for all permits. As an entrepreneur, this is not the kind of Estonia I would dream of. Right now, only one person in the entire agency is responsible for preparing the state's purchase of protected land. Oversight of cross-border waste transport rests on just one person's shoulders. The coordination of environmental liability cases — that is, enforcing compensation for environmental damage — has been cut back to a bare minimum. Estonia's radiation monitoring system would collapse if even one more person were let go. And these are just a few of the legally mandated responsibilities of the Environmental Board.

We have already cut €2 million. About 30 employees, roughly a quarter of our office space and around a third of our vehicles have already been trimmed. And we continue. In several areas, we have reduced staff numbers to the point where any further cuts would mean the end of essential services for the state.

At present, the Environmental Board must keep an eye on waste incinerators, the forestry industry, fuel traders and poachers. Yet, even with all our inspectors and investigators combined, we have only 151 people working in enforcement across the entire country — covering all conceivable environmental protection issues. By comparison, Tallinn's municipal police force has 174 employees.

And still, we have managed to accomplish a great deal. By integrating remote sensing into our enforcement efforts and conducting precisely targeted inspections, we have effectively enforced nesting season protections, leading to an increase in Estonia's forest bird populations. We have stirred up a minor storm in the fuel market, persistently pushing for climate-friendly fuels and cleaner power plant chimneys. The spawning grounds of the Umbusi River, damaged by pollution, have been restored. Large carnivore populations, once in dire straits, are now thriving in our forests thanks to well-balanced conservation and hunting policies. Through pollution charges, we contribute millions to the state budget. Last year alone, our post-collection audits of environmental fees boosted state revenues by €900,000.

Despite the increasing obligations imposed by European and Estonian legislation — and the public's desire to leave behind a clean and well-maintained Estonia for future generations — the Environmental Board has managed to optimize its operations through painful decisions. We will continue to do so in the future, but this requires collaboration, a clear reassessment of national objectives and the simplification of legal frameworks.

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