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The President of the Republic met with leaders of local governments
16.04.2002


President Arnold Rüütel today at Kadriorg conferred with the chairmen of the Association of Estonian Cities and the local government associations of the counties on co-ordinating and funding regional activities. Also the Minister of Finance, Harri Õunapuu, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ain Seppik, took part in the meeting.

In the course of the discussion, it turned out that the local governments deem it indispensable that a national strategy for regional development be laid down and a necessary legislative basis for its implementation be created in the form of a law of regional development. In addition, the local governments want their interests in the Government to be represented by a minister having at his disposal the administrative machinery and financial resources needed for his work.

Both the leaders of the local governments and the Minister of Finance underlined the need to change the revenue base of local governments in such a way that the majority of the rural municipalities could further on cope without state support. Besides, they also spoke in favour of restoring the fund for the support of counties, and of allocating resources for this purpose already by this year's supplementary budget, but equally by the next year's budget.

President Rüütel also took interest in the opinion of the local governments associations on the amendments to the Local Government Election Act. In this matter the view prevailed that in the rural municipalities and towns, like in the country as a whole, it had become inevitable to carry out elections on the basis of party lists. At the same time the chairmen of several local government associations disapproved of unnecessary rush in this respect and of overpoliticizing the local governments.

Concluding the conference, the President remarked that in his activities he was proceeding from the Constitution, and that the same equally applied to forming a consultative body to the President of the Republic, of which intention the leaders of the local governments also were informed by the Head of State. Furthermore, the President added that he wished to confer with the leaders of local governments also in future on what kind of a regional policy should be implemented in Estonia.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, April 16, 2002


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