61% of EU support for Estonia in 2014-2020 period endorsed
As of the end of 2017, projects in Estonia financed from EU Structural Funds in the 2014-2020 financial period were approved to an extent of 61 percent of the primary part of the subsidy earmarked for Estonia for said period.
By the end of the year, 2,648 projects financed from three Structural Funds had been approved and 1,005 projects completed, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday. The funding for these projects accounts for 61% of the primary part of the structural funding earmarked for Estonia for the years 2014-2020.
The ratios of absorption were 80% for projects financed from the European Social Fund, 56% for projects financed from the European Fund for Regional Development, and 61% for projects financed from the Cohesion Fund.
Payouts made totalled 786 million euros, or 17% of the sum total to which Estonia is entitled. The main part of the subsidy earmarked for Estonia in the structural funds is €3.3 billion, to which a performance reserve in the amount of €210 million will be added from 2019.
The rate of project approvals and subsidy payouts in Estonia is above the EU average. As of the end of 2017, Estonia ranked eighth among all member states in the absorption of EU funds of the 2014-2020 period.
The monitoring committee of the operational programme of EU Structural Funds for 2014–2020 has approved the operational programme monitoring report on Estonia for 2017.
Members of the committee and representatives of the European Commission are visiting Ida-Viru County to look at the outcomes of the projects in Northeastern Estonia, see the impact from the use of EU Structural Funds and hold discussions with applicants for and recipients of support.
Included on their schedule were visits to the refurbished ash field of Balti Power Plant and the wind farm built on top of it, Tulivee Restauant and Tourism Centre in Liimala village, Lüganuse Municipality, which forms a whole together with Purtse Yacht Harbour, as well as Kiviõli Adventure Park, which was built on an ash hill. They were also to learn about the activity of language clubs helping Russian-speakers acquire everyday Estonian language skills as well as the activity of the Ida-Viru Enterprise Centre.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS