By Plenary Sessions: Reili Rand

There is a strong focus on promoting local community development and ensuring the sustainability of local governments (LGs). Particular attention is paid to rural and remote areas where LGs face financial constraints and where a significant boost is needed for the creation of businesses and jobs.

The focus is entirely on national issues, covering the funding of Estonian culture across a broad spectrum and addressing money laundering risks at the national level. There are no references to specific regions, constituencies, or local projects.

The main focus is on national issues (the budget, birth rates), but to highlight regional disparities, the median wage in Hiiumaa (€1,400) is cited as an example. This data point is used to contrast tax breaks for high earners, illustrating the unfairness of tax policy at the regional level.

The speaker draws attention to regional specificities and inequality, emphasizing that the availability of services should not depend on the place of residence (local government unit/municipality). Specifically, the issue of ensuring security in Western Estonia is raised in the context of filling Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) positions, and a question is posed regarding the connection between the reorganization of the vocational education reform in Hiiumaa and Vana-Vigala and budget cuts.