According to the government’s decision, the construction and renovation of state buildings will not proceed within the framework of the next period’s state budget and budget strategy, the Ministry of Finance announced in its press release.
“Regional developments are undoubtedly important, but the situation of the state budget unfortunately forces many plans to be postponed, and those of state houses can be postponed more painfully. Services must not suffer, but the working environment must wait,” said Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi.
This means that no new contracts are being signed for the projects at this time. The last completed project is the renovated Paide state house, and the Võru building is also moving forward, which is planned to be reconstructed to meet modern conditions by 2027.
According to Administrative Policy Vice Chancellor Kaur Kajak, the process will be paused. “The concept of state houses was completed in 2018, before the corona years and major cuts. Now that several houses have started working, let’s take a look at how things have gone, how much floor space has been reduced and what the future needs are.”
According to Kajak, state houses generally fulfill the function assigned to them – for local people, public services are located in one place, the buildings are accessible, the work environment is modern, and the cooperation of institutions located under one roof is also more efficient. At the same time, some institutions are reviewing their service network and channels, which is why it is reasonable to reassess the current plans.
Modern state houses operate in Paide, Jõgeval, Rapla, Valga, Rakvere and Pärnu, the renovation of the Võru building is being prepared. The construction of the Kärdla house and the reconstruction of buildings into state houses in Kuressaare, Haapsalu, Jõhvi, Viljandi and Põlva will be postponed.
The Government of the Republic approved the concept of state houses in 2018 with the aim of bringing state services to the counties as unified service centers, making it easier for institutions to cooperate and achieving savings on work space and administrative costs. The plan was to build a total of 18 state houses in 13 cities across Estonia.
2024-09-30 08:12:51
#construction #state #houses #postponed
