Ministry applies for additional €14 million for state railway company EVR
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has applied for an additional €14 million in state support for Eesti Raudtee (EVR) in the framework of the government budget strategy for 2018-2021.
The ministry’s spokesman, Rasmus Ruuda, told ERR on Wednesday that the state-owned railway company had made a loss of €17.3 million between 2014 and 2016, and that EVR expected a budgeted loss of some €15 million as well for this year.
According to the Railways Act, the state had to guarantee balanced finances of EVR within a five-year budget period, and the additional support in the amount of €14 million a year for 2018-2021 the ministry was applying for was calculated based on this fact, Ruuda said.
The budget strategy approved by the government in April did not reflect the allocations for EVR for the next years, Ruuda said. Still, the ministry’s application would be taken into account again in the light of upcoming economic forecasts.
Ruuda also added that the additional €32 million in infrastructure investments for the railway directly influenced EVR’s need for additional funding.
Editor: Dario Cavegn
