Rising construction prices and building materials supply problems have caused the Estonian Transport Administration to postpone nearly 50 roadbuilding projects planned for this year to pay existing contractors more.
The consumer price index was up 18.8 percent year-over-year in April, with price advance faster than it has been in decades. Housing expenses contributed the most, Statistics Estonia reports.
Analyst Heido Virsur tells ERR in an interview that double-dip inflation will disappear by year's end. Vitsur considers various support measures to be costly and largely ineffective.
The Estonian Association of Construction Entrepreneurs has sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance in which it threatens to terminate public sector construction contracts signed before Russia's invasion of Ukraine if the state is not willing to pay more for ongoing projects. The address suggests current material prices make it impossible to finish the projects based on existing agreements.
While analysts forecast price advance to slow down in the second half of the year, Russia's attack on Ukraine has created new uncertainty, with the prices of energy and food now believed to continue growing.