Coalition deal proposal may allow child support debt repayment in installments
One proposal in the almost finalized Reform-Eesti 200 coalition agreement would allow for the repayment of child support debt in installments. This, it is argued, would motivate debtors to make payment, and would be followed by the state lifting any sanctions imposed on them, once repayment was made.
The Ministry of Justice reports that there are more than 10,000 child support debtors in Estonia, and an even greater number of children whose support is not being paid, while the total debt exceeds €120 million (plus interest) and is continuing to grow.
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta (Eesti 200) said: "We are actually talking about extremely large sums that are owed to children in Estonia." The state has introduced additional measures piecemeal over the years to put more pressure on child support debtors to pay up. For example, the state can confiscate travel documents and vehicles, while a bailiff must conduct a home search once per year. However, these measures have not improved the child support payment situation much, Pakosta noted.
Often, paying the whole sum at once is very difficult for the parent who owes it. They may be in a difficult financial situation themselves. Then if all seems completely overwhelming, they end up paying nothing at all," she continued. Pakosta stated that a legal and digital working group has proposed encouraging partial child support payments, to ensure children receive at least something, as poverty can sometimes even discourage debtors from working – since much of what they earn will be seized. Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller (Reform) also backs introducing debt payments in installments. "This is one planned change to ensure that the child does not end up without any support at all," she noted.
At present, Pakosta explained that there is no concrete plan in place to reduce child support debt, but the solutions remain on the table.
The finalized coalition agreement will be presented to the councils of the Reform Party and Estonia 200 for approval this Saturday, after which it will also be made public. The new agreement was needed after the Social Democrats (SDE) were ejected from office in March, as the other two parties, Reform and Eesti 200, continued in office. In the meantime, a draft framework agreement has underpinned this bipartite alliance.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Andrew Whyte
