"By the end of May, all state agencies and institutions presented their vision on how jobs could be relocated out of Tallinn," Aab told the paper. "Just recently I asked again — with regard to 70-80 jobs, it is known quite precisely that they will be moving. The broader goal is 150, and over the next year already."

The minister said that he could not currently go into detail, as the matter was still being decided within ministries.

"I do not want to disseminate information so long as there is no concrete information regarding what institution or post will be moving," he explained. "We know about half of it already."

The minister said that in order to avoid marginalization, the government must begin spending more money.

"The only thing the state can do to put the brakes on this process is spend money," Aab said. "The example I've always liked to cite is that, in Finland, a doctor in Lapland earns 150 percent of what a doctor in Helsinki makes. It's as simple as that.

"People's lives away from major population centers must be paid for, as life there is more expensive," he continued. "Transport is more expensive for them; they must incur additional costs to attend cultural events, for instance. The poor state of our public transport means that you cannot get by without a car living in a rural area."