By Years: Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart

He demonstrates extensive knowledge of budget and state governance topics: he refers to necessary research (National Audit Office, Parliamentary Ombudsman), discusses activity-based budgeting and cost-benefit analysis, and provides examples of specific projects (Tallinn Hospital, Rail Baltic, Nordica). He uses technical terms (explanations, basic law, cost lines, metrics) and refers to research and the positions of official institutions to justify his stance (e.g., criticism from the National Audit Office and the Parliamentary Ombudsman). He demonstrates knowledge of the nuances of finance and economic policy, and uses data (e.g., 300 million / 550 million) to assess the impact of projects.

Expert knowledge encompasses the interaction of constitutions and EU legal acts (e.g., constitutionality, the transposition of European Union directives, the lack of impact assessments), as well as the subtleties of the state budget process (explanations, expenditure transparency, negotiations on budget size). Polished presentations are also given on specific technical topics: Rail Baltica finances, the structuring of land tax, indices and redistribution of subsidies, school sports funding, and issues of state power and control (the roles of the Ministry of Justice and Finance).