Estonian minister: Tallinn-Ruhnu merger not possible under law

Photo: kaart.postimees.ee

Unification of the southwest Estonian island municipality of Ruhnu and the city of Tallinn into one self-governing unit is not possible as both present laws and legislation in preparation prevent this, Regional Affairs Minister Siim-Valmar Kiisler said.

"Neither the present laws nor the laws parliament is amending so as to simplify unification of self-government units provide for such a possibility," Kiisler told BNS. "Those two self-government units do not function as a unified area," he explained.

The head of the Ruhnu municipality, Aare Sunter, met on Thursday with Tallinn Mayor Edgar Savisaar and Deputy Mayor Taavi Aas. He said after the meeting that unification of Ruhnu with Tallinn was indeed one of the topics discussed.

"Ruhnu gets a lot of summer visitors who have closer connections with Tallinn or the nearby area, and seeing that unification is much talked about in Estonia and some [local governments] are holding talks and discussing it, the question cropped up here too, and that's the way it is," he told news of the public broadcaster ERR on Thursday.

Aas said that before official unification residents of Ruhnu must have a clear idea of whether joining Tallinn is their firm wish, then formal merger negotiations should be started at which also possible legal obstacles can be clarified.

The city of Tallinn already has one island in its jurisdiction - the island of Aegna situated only 1.5 kilometers off the mainland in the Bay of Tallinn.

A government-initiated bill to ease unification of self-government units passed the first reading in parliament at the end of January.

One of the provisions in the draft legislation allows a merger of self-government units in special circumstances, such as island municipalities, even if there is no common administrative border between the self-governing territories as a result of unification.