By Months: Tõnis Lukas
Total Months: 11
Fully Profiled: 11
12.2024
10 Speeches
The focus is national, but in the context of education and language instruction, attention is drawn to Tallinn and Ida-Virumaa, areas facing challenges with the transition to Estonian-language schooling. Regarding culture and tourism, the Seto Kingdom and the Hiidlased (people of Hiiumaa) are highlighted as active cultural regions. Specific school locations (Suuremõisa, Vana-Vigala) are also mentioned in the context of optimizing the school network.
11.2024
26 Speeches
The regional focus is extremely strong, highlighting the state's retreat from the regions and its concentration in Tallinn. Particularly concerning are the closure of small schools (e.g., Lüganuse school), the centralization of jobs in state institutions (e.g., the National Library's digital platform), and the negative cumulative impact of the car tax on residents in rural areas. He/She emphasizes the necessity of retaining residents throughout Estonia.
10.2024
12 Speeches
The speaker strongly emphasizes the need for regional balance and criticizes Tallinn-centrism, noting that over half of the population and jobs are located in Harju County. They cite the elimination of jobs in county libraries as an example and stress that decisions (such as the motor vehicle tax and the teachers' salary fund) deepen the inequality between Tallinn and more distant municipalities. Furthermore, they express concern about the regional impact of leasing out Tartu Prison.
09.2024
9 Speeches
The primary emphasis is placed on national themes (the education system, culture, history). The speaker, however, points out that the failure of the state high school entrance tests also negatively impacted students aspiring to move from the counties to study in Tallinn and Harju County, underscoring the issue's wider regional effect.
07.2024
13 Speeches
The strong regional focus is placed on rural areas and conditions of dispersed settlement, stressing that the car tax and the restructuring of the school network are forcing families to leave the countryside. Particular emphasis is placed on the difficulties of organizing children's school commute in rural areas, which necessitates families owning two cars.
06.2024
5 Speeches
The speaker’s main focus is international (Georgia, Russia, the EU, NATO) and national (the Estonian-language environment). Regionally, he/she concentrates on educational institutions in Ida-Viru County, inquiring about the future of the schools in Lüganuse and Toila, and the preservation of the Estonian-language environment there.
05.2024
23 Speeches
The focus is strongly national (language law, the National Opera, the state budget), but it includes a significant regional emphasis on Tallinn, criticizing the city's leadership and stressing the capital's responsibility toward national institutions. The language issues in Ida-Virumaa are also mentioned, along with the role of Tartu (Vanemuine) and the municipalities surrounding Tallinn (the "golden ring").
04.2024
23 Speeches
The regional focus is heavily centered on maintaining the viability of sparsely populated regions and addressing the issues with the school network in rural areas, stressing that the survival of the local school is a matter of life and death in these communities. Special attention is drawn separately to Ida-Virumaa (integration and salary subsidies), and criticism is directed at the disproportionate gains made by the "golden ring" municipalities surrounding Tallinn from the equalization fund, which ultimately distorts the national educational standard.
03.2024
19 Speeches
He/She emphasizes the need for balance between regional policy and education policy, while opposing careless decisions regarding the restructuring of the school network, which could lead to the depopulation of sparsely settled areas. He/She supports the preservation of small schools and ensuring consistent quality across all regions of Estonia to prevent educational inequality. Ida-Virumaa is also mentioned in the context of the film campus.
02.2024
13 Speeches
The focus is clearly at the national level (the Estonian state, the Estonian people, the constitutional objective). Local issues are addressed only within the context of the political ramifications of immigration, specifically by pointing out how non-citizens with voting rights influence municipal decisions (for example, the transition to Estonian as the language of instruction).
01.2024
17 Speeches
A strong regional focus is aimed at preserving rural schools and ensuring regional balance, which is considered the very essence of Estonia. There is a demand for supporting sparsely populated areas and for the fair redistribution of existing funding coefficients (the coefficient of rurality/remoteness coefficient), so that the money actually reaches the true hinterland areas, rather than the immediate vicinity of cities. Specifically mentioned are Metsküla School, Lihula Gymnasium, and Kastre municipality.