Tallinn is planning to move forward with the construction of the Tallinn City Hall (Linnahall) even if planned cooperation with shipping company Tallink doesn t work out, due to the coronavirus, Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) said. This project is not finished. Maybe no one has noticed, but when we signed a contract with Tallink, I said we also have an alternative plan. We will continue to ask the European Commission for permission to invest there. Hopefully, this permission will come this year and if it does, we will want to start this project, Kõlvart told Vikerradio s morning program Vikerhommik Tuesday.
Estonia may not receive the full amount of the desired â¬380 million from the European Union s recovery funding, for the construction of the planned Tallinn Hospital, meaning the state and Tallinn city need to start thinking about whether and what amount they are capable of contributing with their own finances, Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) says.
At the same time, the a lack of clarity regarding the amount of the subsidy doesn t mean that the hospital won t receive any recovery funding whatsoever, Kõlvart said. As much as I have understood from Brussel s signals, the issue isn t Tallinn Hospital s suitability, but the fact that the share of European money is too big. The promised â¬380 million seems to be unrealistic. It probably means that the subsidy will be reduced, Kõlvart said.
Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kolvart (Center) has proposed declaring a national emergency situation as happened this time last year, and widening the net for possible coronavirus vaccine sources, including the Russian Federation and China, amid soaring coronavirus rates in the capital and nationally.
In a set of proposals sent to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) Monday, Kõlvart also called for the avoidance of ghetto-izing the capital or the country, amid what he called a risk of pointing the finger at any national or ethnic group in the country.
Kõlvart told Kallas that the city government is ready to contribute all it can in resolving the crisis, with his first suggestion being to immediately declare an emergency situation.
The coronavirus crisis has now reached a point in Estonia where an emergency situation should be declared, according to Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart (Center).
Tallinn will increase investment in Tallinna Vesi, which provides the capital with its water, drainage and sewerage needs, after purchasing a majority stake in the company last week, Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) said. Water tariffs will remain constant in the near future, he added, noting that supply would be put ahead of profits.
As reported by ERR News, Tallinn is acquiring a 52.35 percent stake in Tallinna Vesi from U.K. water company United Utilities Tallinn B.V., its largest shareholder up until now. United Utilities was reportedly looking to sell its shareholding.
Renewables firm Utilitas is also acquiring a 17.6 percent share in the transaction, which cost €100 million, shared equally by both major shareholders.