The Swedish and Estonian parliaments have approved the prison lease agreement. The Riigikogu has also passed legislative amendments allowing foreign inmates to be housed in Estonia, which President Alar Karis recently promulgated. As the final legal step, Karis is expected to promulgate the prison agreement as well.

Preparations for the prisoners' arrival are underway, including the recruitment of 300 prison officers.

"If the agreement enters into force, August could be the first month when the first foreign inmates arrive. The arrivals will be gradual and it will take just under a year to reach the maximum capacity set out in the agreement, which is up to 600 prisoners," said Rait Kuuse, deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Justice's prisons department.

About 100 Swedish inmates would arrive in Tartu each quarter until the agreed capacity is reached. Prison officers at Tartu Prison are being offered salaries starting at €2,400 a month, meaning some people currently working elsewhere in Estonia's internal security sector could switch to prison work.

"That may happen in individual cases, but these are still very different jobs. I think Estonia's internal security sector stands to benefit if we have more people. We will train significantly more people than we did before," Interior Minister Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said.

The prison, which was built to house 1,000 inmates, will effectively be reserved for Swedish prisoners from August onward. The inmates transferred there will be men serving sentences generally for violent or drug-related crimes. They will be allowed to leave the prison grounds only in exceptional circumstances.

Kuuse said visits are expected to be infrequent.

"The only reason they might leave would be under armed escort to receive medical treatment that cannot be provided on the prison grounds. Of course, we cannot prohibit visits and contact. However, experience has shown that inmates primarily use phone calls and video visits," he added.

Officials paid bonuses for project execution

The Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs awarded one-time bonuses to employees who made contributions exceeding expectations in preparing for the implementation of the prison lease agreement between Estonia and Sweden.

Secretary General Tiina Uudeberg awarded Argo Tomingas, commander of the Prison Service's armed unit, a one-time bonus of €2,000. She cited his contribution exceeding expectations in preparing for the implementation of the prison lease agreement between the Republic of Estonia and the Kingdom of Sweden.

Deputy Secretary General Rait Kuuse awarded Risto Lindeberg, head of the Prison Service's administrative department, a one-time performance bonus of €1,500. This was also granted for his contribution exceeding expectations in preparing for the implementation of the prison lease agreement between the Republic of Estonia and the Kingdom of Sweden.

Kuuse also awarded Priit Post, the Prison Service's chief information officer, a one-time performance bonus of €2,000 for his contribution exceeding expectations in preparing for the implementation of the prison lease agreement between the Republic of Estonia and the Kingdom of Sweden.

The Riigikogu approved amendments to the law on June 10 allowing foreign prisoners to be housed in Estonian prisons. Estonia also ratified the prison agreement with Sweden.

The agreement provides for the use of up to 400 cells at Tartu Prison to house as many as 600 Swedish inmates. The agreement runs for five years, with the option of a three-year extension.

Sweden will pay Estonia €30.6 million annually for up to 300 prisoners, plus €8,500 per month for each additional inmate.

For the first year, Sweden will pay €23 million, or 75 percent of the annual amount, even though the prison is expected to reach full capacity only by the end of that year.

Based on cost estimates, the average annual operating cost for 300 inmates is expected to be approximately €28.9 million. Excluding one-time costs, which will be reimbursed separately, the average annual cost of providing the service is estimated at €26.8 million.

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