2. Current cultural affairs
Estonia
Last update: November, 2020
From April 2007 to April 2015, the Ministry of Culture was led by the liberal Reform Party. In 2012, the Minister of Culture started the process of compiling a new general principle of cultural policy. This process ended in February 2014, when the Parliament approved the General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020. These principles became the basis for the state’s decisions in the field of culture (see chapter 1).
From 2015 to 2019, the Minister of Culture was a leading politician of the social-democratic party. During this period, the Ministry of Culture paid great attention to improve the social problems (health insurance, pension) and salaries of creative persons. The wages of cultural workers in the state sector increased every year, low-paid employees (in museums, etc.) were a priority in this development. Freelance visual artists and writers were given the opportunity to apply for artists' and writers' wage through the corresponding artistic associations. In 2019, the process of drafting the new general principles of cultural policy up to 2030 began. At the same time, the Ministry began to deviate from the arm's-length-policy by providing financial support, thereby bypassing the principles of support programmes.
Since April 2019, the Minister of Culture is a representative of the conservative party Isamaa. At the end of 2019, the drafting of a document outlining the new cultural policy general principles has been stopped. The Government Office of Estonia (in charge of strategic planning on a governmental level) steered at first completing the preparation of sectoral development documents (including the general principles of cultural policy) in different ministries and to consolidate all in one national strategy document.
The ruling Minister of Culture has initiated discussions on what kind of cultural and sportive venues should be built over the next decades, the construction of which will be funded through the Cultural Endowment (see chapter 1.2.2). The previous three cultural buildings financed through Cultural Endowment with such an instrument are finished. Various organisations and municipals have made proposals for the construction of new cultural objects with the funding of the Cultural Endowment. Funding decisions will be made by Parliament in 2021. Currently, there are active debates in society about the priority of objects.
Several creative business organisations and associations have put pressure on the Ministry of Culture to reduce VAT on theatre and concert tickets from 20% to 9%. So far, it has been decided not to make tax differences, as nightclubs and other commercial entertainment would also benefit from that tax benefit.
The Ministry of Culture is updating The Public Library Act. As the law is being drafted, new forms of cooperation will be taken in use to develop the library network and services, so that the library service as a whole will be up-to-date and meet the needs of the reader. The act must be completed by the end of 2020.
The Ministry of Culture has initiated the updating of The Performing Arts Institutions Act. It has received significant feedback from the coordination round along with supplementary proposals from partners.
In order to strengthen the language policy under the authority of the Ministry of Education and Research, a draft law has been completed to establish the Language Board from September 2020, which will deal with language policy implementation activities instead of the Ministry and the Estonian Language Institute.
Last update: November, 2020
Main rights, connected with culture, are stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia:
- § 38. Science and art and their teachings are free. Universities and research institutions are autonomous within the limits prescribed by the law.
- § 39. The rights of an author in respect of his or her work are inalienable. The national government protects authors’ rights.
- § 49. Everyone has the right to preserve his or her ethnic identity.
- § 50. National minorities have the right, in the interests of their culture, to establish self-governing agencies under such conditions and pursuant to such procedure as are provided in the National Minorities Cultural Autonomy Act.
- § 51. Everyone has the right to address government agencies, local authorities, and their officials in Estonian and to receive responses in Estonian. In localities where at least one half of the permanent residents belong to a national minority, everyone has the right to receive responses from government agencies, local authorities and their officials also in the language of the national minority.
The General Principles of Cultural Policy (see chapter 1.1) define Estonian culture as both the creation of Estonians as well as that of other nationalities living in Estonia. These principles also declare that all Estonian residents must have a chance to create culture and to partake in it regardless of their regional, social, cultural, ethnic, age, gender-related or other individual characteristics and needs.
In October 1993, the Parliament passed the National Minorities Cultural Autonomy Act. The main objectives of the minority cultural self-government are: organisation of mother language learning, establishment of national cultural institutions, organisation of cultural events, establishment and awarding of funds, scholarships and awards for the promotion of national culture and education, etc.
According to the act, minority cultural self-governments may consist of German, Russian, Swedish and Jewish citizens of the Republic of Estonia and nationalities of which more than 3 000 representatives live in Estonia.
In May 2003, the government approved the Rules for the Election of the Cultural Council of National Minorities. The Cultural Council is the supreme body of the cultural self-government, which is elected by direct and uniform elections. The Ingrian Finns were able to elect their Cultural Council in June 2004. Estonian Swedes were granted cultural autonomy in 2007. The rights of other national minorities are guaranteed by the Constitution and other laws. Non-citizens may also participate in the activities of cultural and educational institutions and religious communities of national minorities, but may not be elected, elected or appointed to the governing bodies of cultural self-governing bodies.
Estonia ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Council of Europe, 1995) in 1997.
Last update: November, 2020
Support for freelance creative persons and creative unions is regulated by the Creative Persons and Artistic Associations Act, which entered into force in January 2005. The purpose of this Act is to support cultural creativity and the professional preservation and development of fine arts, and to improve and create the conditions necessary for the creative work of persons through creative associations.
According to the Act, a freelance creative person is an author or performer, whose main source of livelihood is professional creative work in the fields of architecture, audiovisual, design, performing arts, sound, literature, visual arts, or shorthand, not under employment or similar obligations. An artistic association is a non-profit association that is recognised pursuant to the procedure provided for in this Act, the purpose of which is to promote one artistic field and support the creative activities of creative persons who are members of the artistic association.
The artistic associations unite and represent persons working in one creative field: architecture, audiovisual arts, design, performing arts, sound arts, literature, visual arts or scenography. More than 40% of the members of an artistic association may not belong to another creative association recognised in the same creative field. An artistic association must have at least 50 persons who have been active in the relevant creative field for at least the last three years and whose works have been published or made available to the public.
The statutory purpose and profession of an artistic association, which it unites and represents, cannot coincide with another statutory aim and profession recognised in the same creative profession. The artistic association may not impose any restrictions on its membership or activities that are of a regional, ethnic, gender, racial or other nature, other than those arising out of their trade or profession.
A freelance creative person who is a member of one of the recognised artistic association and fulfills the conditions laid down in the Creative Persons and Creatives Associations Act, is entitled to receive support for six months through the artistic association. The amount of this support is the national minimum wage established by the Government of the Republic and the recipient is also guaranteed health insurance.
To be eligible for funding, a freelance creative person must apply to their creative union. In case the creative person belongs to several artistic association and has not applied for support for only one association, the application must be submitted to all creative unions of which he or she is a member.
A freelance creative person who does not belong to a recognised artistic association but who meets the conditions specified in Creative Persons and Artistic Associations Act, is eligible to apply for creative support to the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture forwards the application of the creative person to the association representing the respective field, which evaluates the compliance of the creative person with the requirements of the Creative Persons and Creative Associations Act and decides on granting the support.
The Ministry of Culture and the Confederation of Estonian Employees' Unions (TALO) have traditionally negotiated in autumn during the past 15 years to raise salaries for cultural workers in the public sector. With some exceptions, an agreement is usually signed by the Minister and the TALO. The state sector cultural workers minimum monthly wage (with higher education) started in 2014 from level EUR 700 (average salary in Estonia was EUR 1 005 monthly) and reached EUR 1 300 in 2019 (average in Estonia EUR 1 407 monthly).
In December 2019, the Minister of Culture and the Chairman of the Management Board of TALO signed the 2020 salary agreement for cultural workers. The agreement calls for increasing the wage fund for people working at Ministry of Culture institutions by 2,5%. The distribution of the wage fund depends on the decisions of the heads of cultural institutions. The wage agreement applies to all cultural workers receiving a salary from the Ministry of Culture budget, but is also recommended for all cultural institutions regardless of their administrative jurisdiction or form of ownership. In 2020, the minimum salary for cultural workers, receiving a salary from the Ministry of Culture budget, is EUR 1 300. The national minimum salary also forms the basis for determining the artists’ and writers’ wage.
According to the agreement based on the General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1), the minimum wage of cultural workers should at least equal the projected average gross earnings. The agreed upon wage agreement covers those receiving a salary from state institutions, public institutions, foundations and county libraries. The cultural workers that are covered include those with higher educations, higher vocational qualifications or specific specialised knowledge equivalent to the higher education requirement, of whom there are almost 4 000. The same amount of additional funds will be added to the wage fund for coaches, the total amount for 2020 is EUR 2,3 million.
Last update: November, 2020
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) deals with digital policies in different chapters:
Cultural heritage
“The more valuable parts of cultural heritage will be digitalised by 2018, so that its long-term survival is ensured in compliance with international standards and quality requirements. The interoperability of culture-related information systems is ensured with harmonised descriptions and web services. Works digitalised by institutions funded and managed by the state are as a rule, if such rights are established, made freely available. The use of digitalised cultural heritage in e-learning and in the provision of e-services in the field of the media and creative industries is promoted.”
“Estonian Film Institute is responsible for the restoration and digitalisation of the heritage in their possession, collects statistics on the topic and carries out activities related to in-service training and raising awareness of filmmaking. Estonian audio-visual heritage is digitalised and made available to the public.”
Printed media
“The state ensures the opportunities for the foundation Kultuurileht for the flexible use of the new technological potential to digitalise and make public those issues having cultural significance from past years and to reach new readers online.”
Broadcasting
“The public broadcasting organisation has an important role in the commemoration of Estonian history and culture in sound and vision and the preservation, restoration and digitalisation of recorded material.”
Museums
“The state supports the interpretation of the knowledge that has been accumulated in a museum to bring it to public use, through, amongst other methods, contemporary e-solutions and by digitalising the collections.”
Libraries
“The Estonian National Library is one of the central institutions for digitalising, storing and making available Estonian cultural heritage.”
During the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2017, in the area of culture the main focus was on the accessibility of culture at a time when digital technologies are developing more rapidly than ever before. Cultural institutions have been created to fulfil public tasks and making culture accessible is one of their most important responsibilities.
The Ministry of Culture has organised so-called theme years since 2000. The year 2020 is dedicated to digital culture. The aim is to make digital culture part of the success story of e-Estonia. The aim is to improve Estonia's image as an e-state (digital administration with state agencies and local governments, digital recipes, e-tax office, etc.) with various forms of digital culture. It is important that new generations embrace their own living culture and heritage and that digital solutions support it. The activities and events of the year are organised by the National Library of Estonia, the National Heritage Board, the Estonian National Broadcasting and the Estonian Film Institute. Topics that will shape the digital culture year include the re-use and rethinking of the digitised cultural heritage, copyright and open data issues, programmes that bring digital creativity to youth, and the analysis of better policies of cultural data. Attention is also paid to the downside of digital culture, i.e. smart addiction, identity theft, cyber security, etc.
In Estonia, cultural (heritage) objects have been digitised for years already, but currently still less than 10% of it is available for the public. The field of culture will continue to lag behind the private sector and other fields when it comes to the uptake of digital technologies. The problem is that cultural institutions are more traditional and even conservative in the way they operate. However, the lack of resources in the field also has a role.
In February 2018, the Action Plan for Digitisation of Cultural Heritage 2018-2023 was adopted by the Minister of Culture. The main goals and elements of this plan are:
- to make digitally available one third of cultural heritage preserved in memory institutions (libraries, museums, archives);
- to develop the infrastructure for archiving, long-term preserving and backup of data and connected services was adopted;
- the whole cost is EUR 9,16 million, of which EUR 8,28 million comes from the investments of EU structural funds;
- mainly focussed on heritage from 1900-1940 (except film);
- by the end 2023 the goals are – documents 3%, objects 32%, film 60%, photos 60%, art 55%, printed heritage 28%;
- cooperation between public/private sectors, promote the reuse of digital heritage, especially in education and creative industries;
- main coordinator and implementer is the Ministry of Culture, partners are the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication, and the Ministry of Education and Research;
- other partners involved: Estonian Literary Museum, Art Museum of Estonia, Estonian National Museum, National Library of Estonia, Estonian Public Broadcasting, National Archives of Estonia, University of Tartu.
There are certain platforms, developed by the state:
MuIS – a web-based work environment to manage museum collections, to make the information accessible to the public. Sixty museums have joined and it contains information on more than 3,2 million items and 1,2 million digital images.
DIGAR – e-library environment of the National Library of Estonia, which contains books, newspapers, magazines, maps, music sheets, photos, postcards, posters, illustrations, audio books, and music files.
e-Varamu – joint information portal of Estonian museums, libraries, archives, etc.
Other relevant platforms are VAU Virtual reading room and Ajapaik (platform for crowdsourcing geotags and rephotographs for historic view images).
Last update: November, 2020
Representatives of about 194 nationalities live in Estonia. The population consist of 69% Estonians, 25% are Russians, 2% Ukrainians, 1% Belarusians, 0.8% Finns and other are smaller national minority groups.
The task of the Ministry of Culture is to ensure the integration process within Estonian society between Estonians and the representatives of national minorities, and support the cultural life and societies of the Estonian minorities to preserve their cultures and languages in Estonia.
The Estonian Constitution states:
- § 49. Everyone has the right to preserve his or her ethnic identity.
- § 50. National minorities have the right, in the interests of their culture, to establish self-governing agencies under such conditions and pursuant to such procedure as are provided in the National Minorities Cultural Autonomy Act.
In October 1993, the Parliament passed the National Minorities Cultural Autonomy Act, determining the main objectives of the minority cultural self-government: organisation of mother language learning, establishment of national cultural institutions, organisation of cultural events, establishment and awarding of funds, scholarships and awards for the promotion of national culture and education, etc.
According to the Act, minority cultural self-governments may consist of German, Russian, Swedish and Jewish citizens of the Republic of Estonia and nationalities of which more than 3 000 representatives live in Estonia.
In May 2003, the government approved the Rules for the Election of the Cultural Council of National Minorities. The Cultural Council is the supreme body of the cultural self-government, which is elected by direct and uniform elections. The Ingrian Finns were able to elect their Cultural Council in June 2004. Estonian Swedes were granted cultural autonomy in 2007. Non-citizens may also participate in the activities of cultural and educational institutions and religious communities of national minorities, but may not be elected or appointed to the governing bodies of cultural self-governing bodies. In order to preserve their distinctive cultural and national identity (customs, practices, language), people of different national groups belong to associations of national culture in Estonia. By 2019, there are more than 300 such kind of associations. Most of them are interconnected through umbrella organisations.
The Ministry of Culture is in charge of the coordination of the strategy of integration and social cohesion (Integrating Estonia 2020) and the integration measures of the European Social Fund for the period of 2014–2020. The Ministry of Culture is the founder of the Integration Foundation.
The purpose of integration is to foster a situation where other nationalities living in Estonia, as well as Estonians themselves, are ensured a cohesive and tolerant society where everyone can feel comfortable and safe – to work, study, develop their culture, be a full member of the society.
Integration is a broad-based societal process involving many different areas of life. Besides the Ministry of Culture, other ministries also contribute to the pursuit of a more cohesive society, mainly the Ministries of Education and Research; Interior Affairs; Justice; and Social Affairs.
The preparation of a new national integration plan for 2021-2030 is underway at the Ministry of Culture, which will formulate the objectives of the integration policy of the Republic of Estonia and the activities needed to achieve them.
The state wishes to recognise the value of everyone in society, and thereby also support cultural diversity, promote a behavioural space in which the Estonian language and culture can be developed. This allows the Estonian identity to be preserved and its culture to be cultivated by people who speak different languages and have different cultural backgrounds.
The new sector-based development plan will provide the basis for the planning of the implementation and financing of the national integration policy for 2021 to 2030. To prepare the development plan, a series of research studies, consultations, discussion seminars, and inclusion meetings will be conducted. Related state institutions, scientists, representatives of civic associations and all interested Estonian residents will be able to participate online as well as by attending inclusion events.
Foundation Innove, local municipalities and civil society organisations (NGOs) play a central role in the integration activities. Foundation Innove implements the state supporting measure “Creating opportunities for less integrated permanent residents living in the Estonian society for increasing active participation and social activity as well as for supporting the adaptation and integration of new arrivals”, and monitors and controls the related projects. Most of integration activities are carried out by the Integration and Migration Foundation ‘Our People’ (MISA) on the basis of the directive of the Minister of Culture. Although all activities are nationwide, it should be taken into account that the representatives of the target group (less integrated residents) mainly live in two cities and two major regions: Tallinn and Tartu, Ida-Virumaa and Harjumaa.
One major activity supported by the related measures is the shaping of attitudes. Support is provided for those media and outreach activities, which increase tolerance in Estonian society. Attitudes are also shaped by means of cooperation activities, which take place at the level of ministries, local governments, and civil society. This helps to increase the awareness of people residing in Estonia about various cultures, traditions, and values, which in turn improves attitudes towards other ethnic groups.
Last update: November, 2020
In the field of integration, diversity education is one important topic. It must be possible for Estonian-speaking children and children whose native language is not Estonian to study together in Estonia’s schools, to learn the Estonian language, while also preserving their own cultural identities. Due to the segregation of kindergartens and schools based on language, there are insufficient communication means, friends from different ethnic groups and joint activities developing in society.
The national curricula for basic schools and upper secondary schools contain important themes related to fundamental human values and social values, such as freedom, democracy, respect for native language and culture, patriotism, cultural diversity, tolerance, solidarity, responsibility, and gender equality.
Estonian as a second language gained relevance as an important part of the government’s policy after Estonian reindependency. Versatile activities financed by the state and the European Social Fund are aimed at integrating children, adolescents and adults whose mother language is other than Estonian into the Estonian society.
Estonia has a unified education system, which means that the same national curricula apply equally to all Estonian schools in basic and upper secondary schools. However, there are some differences in the curricula due to the learning of the first and second languages.
In basic schools, the language of education is decided by the school owner in accordance with the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act, which means mostly that the language is chosen by the local government. The Ministry of Education and Research has prepared analysis and proposals for improving the teaching of Estonian in basic schools. The level of Estonian language proficiency among young people has increased significantly, but there are still many challenges in this area. The Language Inspectorate found in 2019, that in about 33% of Russian elementary schools, the level of teaching the state language is such, that students can only say a few phrases in Estonian on graduating the school.
The language at all upper secondary schools is Estonian. Exceptions can only be made by the Government of the Republic. In most Estonian upper secondary schools, all subjects are taught in Estonian. There are also secondary schools where classes are held in both Estonian (60%) and Russian (40%). Additionally, the International Baccalaureate (International IB) curriculum and the European School curriculum are in use, the specifications of which are the Gymnasium Act.
Last update: November, 2020
The offering of media services is regulated in Estonia by the Media Services Act, the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive 2010/13/EL. According to Media Services Act, a television or radio channel needs to apply for a activity license to offer its services. A license is not needed to offer on-demand audiovisual media services.
The state supervisory authority is the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, which is operating in the administrative area of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. Its one goal is to regulate the market in the field of communications and media.
In the first decade of the 2000s, the European Union has urged that media licenses have to be issued and monitored by an independent regulator and instead of a political body, i.e. the Ministry of Culture. Thus, it was decided in 2013 to move the activities out of the Ministry of Culture and introduce the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority as an independent regulator. However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications didn’t take from Ministry of Culture over more general media policy-making. The Ministry of Culture is responsible for broadcasting policy and participates in a number of trans-European policy making processes.
The major private television channels have mainly foreign ownership and, as well as major newspapers, are all politically independent. Broadcasting legislation guarantees the independence of media organisations from the state and requires political balance. It also specifies quotas for the share of news and programmes produced by the broadcast organisation itself.
The entire Estonian broadcasting industry includes the Estonian Public Broadcasting, private television and radio stations plus companies that produce television programmes and series for several channels.
Estonian Television and Estonian Radio are united in the Estonian Public Broadcasting (EPB) since June 2007. It is a legal entity governed by public law: the Estonian Public Broadcasting Act. EPB is funded directly from Estonia's state budget and supervised by the Parliamental Cultural Committee as well as the Broadcasting Council. This council is made up of a panel of independent members as well as one for each political party represented at the Riigikogu.
This means that both bodies have a multi-party line-up, and that they are neither appointed nor instructed by the Estonian government. Their task is to supervise EPB in terms of the use of its finances and resources as well as its mission to inform the Estonian people.
EPB broadcasts three television (one in Russian) and five radio (one in Russian) programmes plus a number of specialised web-portals.
The General Principles of Cultural Policy 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state the following regarding broadcasting:
- The EPB, operating under public law, is an independent and reliable media organisation that reports on a regular basis to the public and to the cultural committee of the Parliament, which evaluates whether the operations of the national public broadcasting organisation are in compliance with the law, the development plan and the public interest. With their activities, the EPB promotes the development of Estonian language and culture, the preservation of cultural diversity, and contributes to the commemoration and preservation of Estonian history and culture;
- The state considers it important that the EPB takes an active part in the creation of culture, among other things resulting in the production of television films and series of historic value on the basis of the works of Estonian authors, recording radio theatre programmes and participation in the co-production of cinema films;
- The EPB has an important role in the preservation of Estonian history and culture in sound and vision and the preservation, restoration and digitalisation of recorded material. The state supports the efforts of the public broadcasting organisation in making public the audio and visual materials available in the archives of the EPB as well as other institutions of historic memory. It is important for the state that people interested in Estonian life, either at home or abroad, have access to the information stream of the public broadcasting organisation. The state supports the development of the public broadcasting organisation on a contemporary level and electronic media platforms.
The Media Pluralism Monitor of 2017 concludes the following for Estonia: “There is major concern in relation to the aspects of social inclusiveness and market plurality. The highest potential risk within the area of social inclusiveness is related to the sustainability of the regional media. For an independent regional newspaper, it is very hard to maintain itself by producing local news in a market where the audience for traditional media is shrinking. There is, basically, one major media outlet serving the most populated areas of the country (i.e, Eesti Meedia). Only a few regions in Estonia have their own independent newspaper or radio station which is not part of a bigger media organization.” (Andres Kõnno; CMPF 2017). The report brings out three aspects which need to be stressed. Firstly, the horizontal and vertical concentration of media ownership has been growing, especially as far as the regional media are concerned. Secondly, the tradition of municipal media is strong all over the country and it offers the ruling parties the opportunity to spread their messages by using public money. And thirdly, municipal media, as a rule, also sell advertising, and this tends to create market distortions.
Last update: November, 2020
The only official language in Estonia is Estonian. The Language Act, which is in force now, was passed by the Parliament in 2011. The purpose of the act is to develop, preserve and protect the Estonian language and ensure the use of the Estonian language as the main language for communication in all spheres of public life. It regulates the use of the Estonian language as well as foreign languages in oral and written administration, and public information and services. It also regulates the use of Estonian sign language, the requirements for and assessment of the proficiency in the Estonian language, and the exercise of state and administrative supervision over compliance with the requirements provided in the Language Act.
Russian speakers comprise about 30% of the country's population. There are several cultural institutions in Tallinn as well as in Eastern Estonia, which are operating in Russian, such as the Russian Cultural Centre, the Russian Drama Theatre and the Russian Museum (part of Tallinn City Museum). One television and one radio channel of the Estonian Public Broadcasting are broadcast in Russian. Several NGOs of ethnic minority groups receive regular financing from the Ministry of Culture.
The Language Inspectorate is a government agency operating in the area of government of the Ministry of Education and Research. The main tasks of the Language Inspectorate are the implementation of language policy, state supervision over compliance with the requirements of the Language Act and legislation providing for the use of languages.
Strategic planning for the development of the Estonian language started in 1998. The strategy covers four areas:
- Estonian as the native language;
- Estonian as the second language;
- Estonian abroad; and
- Multilingualism, including foreign languages.
The current Estonian language development plan was used as a basis for the sustainable development of the “Estonian Language Development Plan 2011-2017”. The strategy is used as a blueprint for planning and financing all four areas covered with a special focus on Estonian as the native language. In March 2018, the Government decided to extend the development plan until the end of 2020. In September 2018, the Ministry of Education and Research was tasked by the government, in cooperation with the Government Office, to develop new basic principles of Estonian language policy. In October 2019, the Parliament ordered the Government to prepare the draft of Estonian Language Development Plan 2021-2035.
Estonian as a second language gained relevance as an important part of the government’s policy after Estonia’s reindependence in 1991. Versatile activities financed by the state and the European Social Fund are aimed at integrating children, adolescents and adults whose mother language is other than Estonian into the Estonian society.
The National Compatriots’ Programme supports the study and use of the Estonian language by the Estonian community that resides temporarily or permanently abroad. The programme supports the expatriates when they want to return to Estonia and offers information about Estonia and Estonian communities abroad. The Programme of Academic Studies of the Estonian Language and Culture Abroad supports the teaching of Estonian in higher education institutions abroad.
The government’s language policies and related plans are developed and implemented in consultation with the Estonian Language Council, a substructure of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research established in 2001. The language policy department of the Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for the development of language policies. The department coordinates the implementation and upgrading of language legislation and the allocation of funding.
Last update: November, 2020
The Estonian Constitution § 12 states: “Everyone is equal before the law. No one may be discriminated against on the basis of nationality, race, colour, sex, language, origin, religion, political or other views, property or social status, or on other grounds.”
In Estonia, there is an independent public official: the Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner. The Commissioner provides advice and assistance to people that feel discriminated on the basis of their gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or other beliefs, age, disability, sexual orientation, domestic responsibilities, family-related duties, belonging to a trade union or duty to serve in defence. Moreover, the Commissioner actively advocates for equal opportunities and possibilities as well as monitors compliance with the Equal Treatment Act and the Gender Equality Act both in public and private sector.
The Equal Treatment Act entered into force on 1st January 2009 and specifies eight characteristics, discrimination on the grounds of which is regarded as unlawful. These are: nationality (ethnic origin), race, colour, religion or other beliefs, age, disability, sexual orientation and gender.
The purpose of the Gender Equality Act is to ensure equal treatment of men and women as provided for in the Constitution and to promote equality of men and women as a fundamental human right and for the public good in all areas of social life. The Act applies to all areas of social life. It provides for:
- the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of gender in the private and public sectors;
- the obligation of state and local government authorities, educational and research institutions and employers to promote equality between men and women; and
- the right to claim compensation for damage.
The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for the coordination of equal treatment (concerning gender, sexual orientation, age, disability) and the preparation of the respective draft legislation. Gender equality means that equal rights, obligations, opportunities and responsibilities are ensured for men and women to participate in all aspects of social life. The prevention of violence against women is an important prerequisite for achieving equality. The Ministry of Social Affairs designs the appropriate policy for the achievement of gender equality and implements policies that directly promote gender equality.
Since January 2016, the Registered Partnership Act entered into force. A registered partnership contract may be entered into between two natural persons (regardless of their gender), of whom at least one resides in Estonia. However, the Parliament has not passed any implementing legislation, i.e. provisions that specify the implementation of the Registered Partnership Act in everyday life. The NGO Estonian Human Rights Centre helps to ensure the implementation of the Registered Partnership Act. They aremonitoring the overall human rights situation in Estonia and publish bi-annual independent reports. The Centre also coordinates the Estonian Diversity Charter - a voluntary agreement by which a company, NGO or public organisation confirms that they respect human diversity and value the principle of equal treatment among their employees, partners, as well as clients.
Last update: November, 2020
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state that the state shall ensure better opportunities for people with special needs to take part in culture: by taking into account their needs while building and renovating the cultural infrastructure; and by supporting initiatives and programmes for involving people with special needs (mobility related, mental, intellectual or other disabilities) at the cultural establishments.
Estonia adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol on 13th December 2006.
A cooperation memorandum on principles of cooperation between the Estonian government and representatives of organisations of persons with disabilities was signed in 2012. The idea of the memorandum is to promote social integration and value the civil society of persons with disabilities. The memorandum also aims to involve such representative organisations in national decision-making processes more, not only in jurisdiction of Ministry of Social Affairs, but also in areas of other ministries, including the Ministry of Culture. The memorandum agrees that both sides promote an accessible society in all areas of policies, however, with a predominant focus on education, constructed environment, employment, transportation and social protection.
The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for the development of policy for persons with disabilities, but the Ministry of Culture makes sure that supported cultural organisations ensure better opportunities for people with special needs to take part in culture, both passively and actively. There have been seminars for heads of cultural organisations and the Tartu University’s Viljandi Culture Academy has special courses for cultural administrators about organising cultural events and the participation of people with special needs.
Since 2007, the Estonian sign language had been included in the Language Act and the state promotes its use and development alongside the Estonian language.
Since 1998, interpreters have been translating Estonian Television’s main news programme Aktuaalne Kaamera into sign language. Hearing impaired viewers still didn’t wanted to accept a small window with a translation in the bottom corner of the screen. Since August 2009, the Estonian National Broadcasting started broadcasting separate news in sign language on Estonian Television’s 2nd Channel, thereby improving access to information for people with hearing disabilities and increasing their social inclusion.
In 2017, all dances of the Estonian Youth Song and Dance Celebration were accompanied with a description translation and drawings of the dances were in Braille. In 2019, a Song Celebration special area was made for the hearing impaired with sign language interpretation.
Since 2014, all Estonian films supported by the state-owned Estonian Film Institute are provided with subtitles for people who are hearing impaired or visually impaired. All feature films, animated films and documentaries longer than 50 minutes must have specialised subtitles and the obligation is set out in the film support agreements.
For ministries, the partner in these activities is the NGO Estonian Chamber of Disabled People. It is the umbrella organisation for disabled people's organisations operating in Estonia, a network of 16 regional disability chambers and 32 nationwide disability-specific unions and associations. The organisation is a partner for the state, local governments, the private sector and other non-governmental organisations on disability issues.
The state-owned company Hoolekandeteenused has organised the Disabled People Song and Dance Celebration since 2009, where all songs are translated to sign language.
The Estonian Library for the Blind services people with vision impairment or other disabilities, disorders or diseases that prevent them from reading regular writing. People can order audio books to be delivered at home and use the web-library, which holds about 4 000 audio books, newspapers and magazines in Estonian and foreign languages. The library and association for the blind also has DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) books.
Last update: November, 2020
Representatives of about 194 nationalities live in Estonia. The population consist of 69% Estonians, 25% Russians, 2% Ukrainians, 1% Belarusians, 0.8% Finns and other are smaller national minority groups.
In October 1993, the Parliament passed the National Minorities Cultural Autonomy Act, which determines the following main objectives of the minority cultural self-government: organisation of mother language learning, establishment of national cultural institutions, organisation of cultural events, establishment and awarding of funds, scholarships and awards for the promotion of national culture and education, etc.
After reindependency, in 1992 the Citizenship Act defined Soviet-time settlers into Estonia as immigrants. Soviet-time immigrants and their descendants who have not taken citizenship are either citizens of other countries or stateless (alien passport holders). Most non-citizens are holders of long-term residence permits, which grant them the same economic and social rights as Estonian citizens. They have a vote in local authority level, but not in state or EU elections. Members of the Parliament and local councils may be Estonian or EU citizens, but non-citizens can’t work in certain public offices.
In May 2003, the government approved the Rules for the Election of the Cultural Council of National Minorities. The Cultural Council is the supreme body of the cultural self-government, which is elected by direct and uniform elections. The Ingrian Finns were able to elect their Cultural Council in June 2004. Estonian Swedes were granted cultural autonomy in 2007. Non-citizens may also participate in the activities of cultural and educational institutions and religious communities of national minorities, but may not be elected or appointed to the governing bodies.
In order to preserve their distinctive cultural and national identity (customs, practices, language), people of different national groups belong to associations of national culture in Estonia. By 2019, more than 300 cultural associations and 30 Sunday-schools of different nationalities operate. Most of them are interconnected through umbrella organisations.
Estonia has ratified several international conventions concerned with the cultural rights of minorities such as the United Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
There are a number of civil society organisations (NGOs) that help to organise and promote the culture of other national minority groups. These organisations receive financial support from local authorities and the Migration Foundation Our People (MISA). The state supports the Russian Theatre, as well as numerous folk-dance groups or choirs. A good example is the song and dance festival "Slavic Wreath", in which various Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian culture groups as well as Estonian communities take part. The activities are financed by the state and the city of Tallinn.
MISA supports larger events organised by cultural associations of national minorities, including the Novruz Bayramı festival of Eastern people that celebrates the start of the New Year of the Sun, the Ukrainian Flowers international children’s and young people’s festival held in Tallinn, and the Slavic Wreath international song and dance festival. September is especially rich in national cultural events when National Minorities Day is celebrated in Estonia. The largest traditional events of National Minorities Day include the Ethno Fair, the Under One Sky concert in Tallinn and the National Cultures Creative Pot festival.
MISA also helps to implement cultural activities as part of the ‘Integration-based cooperation activities’ sub-point of the ‘Activities promoting integration in Estonian society’ project of the European Social Fund. Cooperation between people and teams from the field of culture is financed for the organisation and its workshops, masterclasses and discussions. Most of these activities are focused on Ida-Viru and Harju counties, where there are a lot of people have Russian as their first language.
See also chapters 2.2 and 2.5.1.
Last update: November, 2020
In 2005, the Parliament approved the development plan Sustainable Estonia 21, which contains guidelines regarding the social sphere as well. It points out the increase of the appreciation of local identity as a counter-reaction to globalisation; local and regional attempts to diverge from globally spreading trends; to value the local language and culture. It is also essential for the preservation of cultural memory and the sustainability of the Estonian cultural space that the most important cultural texts — i.e. Estonian music, classical literature, repository of visual arts, recordings of theatre performances, films, radio and TV archive, cultural history archive, folklore treasury — are made available in the digital environment.
In the educational sphere, Sustainable Estonia 21 considers it important to ensure that an education in the Estonian language and related to the Estonian culture is provided in Estonia, while being internationally competitive, grounded on developments in modern sciences and technology and connecting the Estonian culture with world culture. Such education will integrate the national identity with professionalism, social skills and the global cultural horizon.
Welfare is defined as the satisfaction of the material, social and cultural needs of individuals, accompanied by opportunities for individual self-realisation and for realising one’s aspirations and goals.
The Culture Endowment of Estonia and such state support programmes like Theatre to Rural Areas (a programme helps professional performing arts institutions and dance troupes to hold guest performances in countryside), Support for Music Festivals, Support for Private Organisers and Music Groups help to reduce the social divide, the urban-rural difference and effectively implement the social effects of cultural policy by improving access to the arts.
According to the Ministry of Justice guidelines, an important objective of regional policy is to ensure the sustainable development of all regions, based on their own development preconditions and characteristics. The assessment of the impact of a local legislation or a development plan on regional development must focus on the specific situation and assumptions of the certain region. Legislation or a development plan can affect different regions and places in a variety of ways, depending primarily on their geographical (including location), social, demographic and historical-cultural background.
Last update: November, 2020
Policy-wise, sustainability within the cultural field is a topic within the context of the development plan Sustainable Estonia 21. The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 also draws on the national strategy as formulated in Sustainable Estonia 21, which has the viability of the local cultural space as one of its objectives.
In Sustainable Estonia 21, it is formulated that Estonia is sustainable when the preservation of the Estonian cultural space, the growth of welfare of people, the coherence of the society and the balance with nature are all ensured. All of these goals are important, none of them can be substituted with another one. Therefore, the development goals have to be treated as a holistic system which is to be considered and taken into account in an integral manner to ensure sustainability.
Sustainability of the Estonian nation and culture constitutes the cornerstone of the sustainable development of Estonia. The development goal postulating this has a fundamental meaning, as the persistence of ‘Estonianhood’ is the highest priority among the development goals of Estonia.
Last update: November, 2020
In February 2020, in its application for the next four-year state budget strategy, the Ministry of Culture is seeking extraordinary financing. In order to maintain the Song and Dance Celebration traditions, the Minister wants to implement a national wage subsidy program for folk dance teachers as well as choir and orchestra conductors, which will ensure that these professions are popular in the future.
Because the humanities as a field of research has not received adequate funding from the Ministry of Education and Research in recent years, the Ministry of Culture intends to establish a national support programme for the research and development of the Estonian language and culture in support of Estonian cultural studies. This will be divided into a support programme of the scientific-level research of the Estonian language, history and culture, a programme for the development of language technology solutions, and a programme dedicated to the research and publication of classics of Estonian literature.
The ruling Minister also wants to boost the increase in state funding of Estonian film production as in recent years filmmakers received large sums from commissions for the Estonian centennial programme in addition to annual state funding. In their absence, there would be a setback in funding. To avoid this, state need to increase annual film funding accordingly.