The budget’s explanatory memo includes a long table titled “Overview of additional resources by administrative area”. It holds dozens of appropriations to associations, unions, foundations and NGOs, ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of euros in size.
Sums are made available for fixing up the Jõhvi City Park, construction of tennis courts in Paide, to the Estonian Male Choir Association, Cultural Association Koit, hunting societies etc. Appropriations total more than €25 million.
That is not all, however. The fact the government has already allocated considerable sums does not mean Riigikogu factions will miss out on their part of protection money. Postimees’ information suggests parties will be allocated sums based on the recent tradition. Last year’s approach would give all parliament parties roughly one million euros and another million to be shared between members of the opposition. This will see the volume of protection money grow by around €4 million.
Previous coalitions have not made protection money available in this volume. Even though the budget has always included regional investments, they have traditionally been larger sums for fewer projects – things that could be done ahead of schedule courtesy of additional tax revenue.
The government decided to make a series of smaller investments in the pre-election budget of 2019. Coalition parties were unanimous in the decision and information available to Postimees suggests the sums were distributed more or less equally between projects important to the Center Party, Social Democrat Party and Pro Patria.