Opposition rejects budget, says Estonia can manage until April

Estonia’s opposition parties will not support next year’s state budget in its current form and may vote against it in the final vote, saying the country can manage without an approved budget until April, ERR reports.

The opposition had planned to interrupt the budget bill’s second reading in parliament on Wednesday, but the motion failed because four lawmakers were absent. They were unaffiliated MPs Kersti Sarapuu, Tõnis Mölder and Henn Põlluaas, who belongs to Isamaa, and EKRE leader Martin Helme.

Social Democratic Party leader Lauri Läänemets said the outcome would depend on whether the government accepted opposition amendments before the final vote. He called on the coalition to seek common ground and said it risked losing further members before the vote.

Läänemets said 20 million euros should be allocated to special care services. A proposed amendment from the Finance Committee would give the Ministry of Social Affairs an additional 7.47 million euros to improve access to those services. He said a Supreme Court ruling also envisaged increased funding.

Finance Committee chair Annely Akkermann of the Reform Party said blocking the bill would hinder the strengthening of Estonia’s defence. She said defence spending of 2.3 billion euros was planned for next year, with procurement and contracts due to begin in January, and warned that without an approved budget the funds could not be used during the year.

Läänemets called that argument a rhetorical tactic, saying decisions could be made under the previous budget. He said the government should take responsibility if its proposed budget failed to win majority support in parliament.

Centre Party parliamentary group leader Lauri Laats said the state would continue to function without the next year’s budget and that nothing would break. He said the opposition could not count on support from Sarapuu and Mölder, who would likely vote with the coalition.