3. Cultural and creative sectors
Estonia
Last update: November, 2020
In the field of heritage conservation, the General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state that:
- appreciation of cultural heritage as a whole is a national priority — tangible and intangible heritage are not separate from each other and protection of cultural monuments has expanded to the appreciation of the environment and context;
- other important aspects include specifying the strategy and measures for protecting cultural heritage (what, why, and how is it protected), an inventory and analysis of the list of monuments, and on the basis of the results of the analysis, an update of the lists and the respective legislation;
- state supports the owners of the monuments to ensure the conservation of important objects;
- state creates opportunities for presenting cultural monuments, as a result of which awareness of heritage conservation is raised within society;
- state recognises the role of NGOs in heritage conservation and encourages co-operation with the private sector in the conservation, maintenance, and presentation of national heritage;
- in setting and realising the objectives of heritage conservation, it is important to increase the cohesion of the different areas (incl. museums, environmental protection, spatial planning) and the relevant ministries and establishments.
The heritage field is closely related to museums, about which the General Principles state the following:
- the objective of museums is to develop in line with the contemporary expectations and needs of an institution of memory which, besides the accumulation, maintenance and researching of local cultural heritage would contribute to education, while at the same time being attractive for visitors from in and beyond Estonia. In addition to historic heritage, the state considers it important that natural heritage is researched and presented to the public by appreciating the activities of natural museums, botanical gardens, and zoos;
- based on the principle of the integrity of cultural heritage, the state facilitates close cooperation between and coordinated action of museums, heritage conservation, and research institutions;
- 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;
- educational programmes at museums are aligned with national curricula and contribute to reaching set study objectives. All school students are ensured the opportunity to visit Estonian museums. In each school year, at least one day is designated for museum visits;
- when designing the network of museums, the state takes into account the sustainability and diversity of the institutions.
During the last decade, the protection of cultural heritage has moved from single objects to whole areas – building complexes, town quarters and settlements. To protect the environment the state has established twelve heritage conservation areas, these mostly include the historic centres of Estonian cities.
Some Estonian objects of cultural heritage are internationally renowned. The historic centre of Tallinn and the Struve Geodetic Arc are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The year 2013 was declared by Ministry of Culture as a cultural heritage year. That same year, the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with representatives from the field of heritage conservation, started to draft an amendment to the Heritage Conservation Act. During the negotiations regarding the strategy for the state budget in the spring of 2017, the government agreed to finance additionally the implementation of the heritage conservation reform with a sum of EUR 1,4 million annually starting in 2019. This amount will be paid out as direct grants to owners that wish to renovate heritage properties.
In February 2019, the Parliamentpassed the new Heritage Conservation Act. The new legislation balances the rights and obligations of the state with those of the owners of cultural monuments, creating for the first time a compensation system for monument owners. As of May 2019, the activities of the National Heritage Board (NHB) will include both heritage conservation and museum fields. It is the competence centre in the field of cultural heritage and it also deals with museums and their collections. NHB is the only state authority to handle heritage conservation. The tasks of NHB include supervision, advice for the owners of monuments, support for renovation, and maintenance of a national cultural heritage registry. NHB has employees in all 15 counties and major towns. Information on monuments is available on the web registry register.muinas.ee.
NHB supports the popularisation of the museum field as well, its strategical development, activation of cooperation between museums and training of museum workers – all through the supporting programme “Development of the cultural heritage field”.
The state provides funding for international heritage projects through the support programme “Estonian Culture in the World". Projects are also funded by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Estonian Folk Culture Centre.
The Heritage Conservation Council operates under the Ministry of Culture and makes proposals on the matters related to the Heritage Conservation Act and helps form heritage conservation policies.
The Ministry of Culture helps to implement the European Landscape Convention in Estonia regarding the aspects of cultural heritage and built environment.
With the heritage reform, the state started to pay greater attention to consultation and prevention activities. The competence of heritage conservation inspectors will be focused on consulting and NHB will help owners become knowledgeable clients. More flexibility will be introduced into restoration and construction activities. The special conditions of heritage conservation, which are currently commissioned by the owners of monuments, will hereafter be provided by NHB based on research studies.
As a result of the reform, the state will become more active as a devoted partner who gets owners involved, concerning ca 135 000 owners of objects under heritage protection (incl. natural and legal persons). In addition to owners, the change will affect entrepreneurs and licensed specialists.
Estonia has joined a number of international conventions, the principles of which form the foundation of heritage conservation work. These conventions are UNESCO, First and Second Protocol to the Hague Convention, European Council conventions. Currently, preparations are ongoing to join the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Heritage conservation concerns a lot of people and therefore NGOs are also very actively involved in the field. The oldest and best known is the Estonian Heritage Conservation Society with an active membership of nearly one thousand and many local branches.
Since 2003, the Ministry of Culture has tried to appraise the heritage of different cultural areas and societies, i.e. Estonian cultural heritage regions. A cultural region is a live community with a common identity, whose activities could be classified as intangible cultural heritage. To this effect, cultural region programmes have been a priority for the Ministry of Culture in recent years. Through regional support programmes the state helps with the preservation and continuation of cultural heritage and local society efforts in the field. Cultural region programmes are significant as they generally support communities on the periphery, where the intangible heritage has been preserved better.
The Estonian Folk Culture Centre manages seven cultural region support programmes:
- Setomaa culture programme (region south of Lake Peipus and inhabited by the Seto people, the historic range of Setomaa is located on territories of present-day Estonia and Russia)
- Kihnu Island cultural space programme
- Cultural heritage environment programme of Estonian islands
- Mulgimaa culture programme (an ethnographic and linguistic area in southern part of Estonia)
- Old Võru County culture programme
- Shore of Lake Peipus (the area partly inhabited by Old Believers' descendants who had emigrated from Russian Empire) culture programme
- Viru County heritage culture programme
Last update: November, 2020
The main task of the National Archives (NA) is to ensure preservation and usability of society’s written memory, documented cultural heritage for today’s and future generations. On the other hand, the NA guarantees the protection of citizens basic rights and duties as well as the transparency of the democratic state through the holding and preservation of archival records. NA is a government agency in the domain of Ministry of Education and Research acting on the basis of Archives Act and Archival Rules. The collections of the National Archives can be found via the Archival Information System AIS using the titles and names of the archives, series and records.
Estonia is covered with a comprehensive network of libraries, which operate on the basis of library regulations. The Estonian library system is used by every second inhabitant of Estonia. The network includes 895 libraries (2019):
- The Estonian National Library;
- 528 public libraries;
- 38 science and specialised libraries;
- 329 school libraries.
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state the following regarding libraries:
- the Estonian library network, based on the needs and interests of all its users, comprises public, school, science and specialised libraries and the Estonian National Library. The public library service ensures free access to information and is equally available free of charge to all users. All public libraries in Estonia will have broadband internet;
- public libraries have an important role in ensuring that all people living in Estonia have an equal opportunity for self-education and participation in culture. As institutions of local municipalities, public libraries operate as flexible and multifunctional centres for invigorating local life and culture and offering opportunities for lifelong learning;
- books in Estonian are available for all regardless of their format. The state supports the acquisition of quality literature and culture-related periodicals that are significant from the aspect of Estonian language and culture for public libraries;
- state recognises the value of the cultural and literary programmes of public libraries, the realisation of initiatives related to lifelong learning, programmes targeted at encouraging reading and shaping the reading habits of children and youth and activities targeted at people whose native language is not Estonian, and also acknowledging the interests of readers with special needs;
- the Estonian National Library, an entity operating under public law collects, stores, and makes available the majority of books published in Estonia or related to Estonia. The Estonian National Library is also filling the duties of a parliamentary library, ensuring the information service of the Riigikogu and other constitutional institutions, and a development centre of library studies.
The Ministry of Culture coordinates the development of the library network as a whole in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research. The task of the state is to guarantee equal free access to information for everyone via the library service. Using libraries as well as loaning books and using Internet is free of charge in the libraries.
The activities of libraries in Estonia are regulated by the Public Libraries Act, the Legal Deposit Act and the National Library of Estonia Act. Work is currently ongoing regarding the amendments of the Public Libraries Act (see chapter 2.1.).
The Estonian National Library (ENL) is a public institution that is tasked with the collection and preservation of books published in Estonia or containing information on Estonia, making these books available to everybody; with research and development in library studies and related disciplines; and with fulfilling the duties of a parliamentary and scientific library. ENL coordinates and advises the other Estonian libraries, and also serves as a culture centre. The activities of the national library are financed from the state budget.
The task of the Estonian Storage Library is to preserve all seldom used printed works from all over the country, to oversee book exchanges from the exchange collection, and to service people with visual impairment. The exchange collection accepts unwanted books from libraries, organisations and private persons. The activities are financed from the state budget.
Estonian Library for the Blind services people with vision impairment or other disabilities, disorders or diseases that prevent them from reading normal writing and is financed from the state budget.
The Estonian Children’s Literature Centre collects, preserves, and offers the opportunity to engage with children’s and youth literature for all enthusiasts as part of Estonia’s cultural heritage. Its mission is to support a variety of initiatives, including research, education and entertainment.
Public libraries are local government institutions, the activities of which are coordinated by the Ministry of Culture. Cooperation between public libraries is organised by the Council of Public Libraries under the Ministry of Culture. Each county has a central library, which serves as a distribution, training and advisory centre for the other local libraries. The purpose of public libraries is to ensure free and unrestricted access to information, knowledge, achievements of human thought and culture for inhabitants, to promote lifelong learning and individual development. All public libraries shall operate pursuant to the Public Library Act and the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto.
The establishing of a network of public libraries shall be based on the following principles:
- at least one public library in every city with more than 10 000 inhabitants;
- at least one public library for every 15 000 inhabitants in cities with more than 10 000 inhabitants;
- at least one public library for a service area with an average of up to 500 inhabitants.
Public libraries are financed from the local and from state budget. According to the Public Library Act, local governments shall ensure the remuneration of employees, regular supply of collections with items, rooms, furnishings and management costs. The Ministry of Culture finances acquisition of items, realisation of national programmes, remuneration and maintenance of four employees of the public library serving as a county library and costs to establish connection with the public network.
The task of a science library is to collect, preserve, and process scientific information and to make this available to the general public. Science and specialised libraries include the ENL, libraries of universities and other higher education institutions, as well as specialised libraries of various organisations. The activities are coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research.
A school library supports the learning process and is thus a component of an educational establishment. Pursuant to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act, each school must have a library. In case there is no library in the school, the local public library shall provide library services to students.
Last update: November, 2020
In the field of performing arts, the General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state that:
- the field is diversified both artistically and institutionally. The programmes of performing institutions have a good balance of domestic and world culture. The state supports the commissioning and performing of original Estonian drama works;
- state funding of performing institutions is done through three-year funding agreements. Performing institutions with a continuous programme are supported directly from the state budget on principles previously discussed in the field. Project-based performing institutions and one-time projects are funded from the Cultural Endowment. The state also supports the activities of the more important theatre and dance agencies, the organisation of performing arts festivals, and the internationalisation of performing institutions;
- the importance of professional performing arts targeted at young viewers shall be recognised both through state financing and greater public attention. The activities of amateur and school theatres are also valued;
- state regards it as important to develop the higher education curricula in the field of performing arts in Tallinn, Viljandi, and Tartu.
The performing arts scene contains both theatre and dance. Music is separately, although the Performing Art Institution Act regards all these three sectors.
It is a function of the state to ensure that the theatre arts, in all their diversity, are always accessible for all age groups and for all preferences throughout Estonia. In order to guarantee this, the state maintains both large and small theatres — from ones with permanent staffs and long-ranging traditions to ‘empty spaces’ providing performance opportunities for various creative people from home and abroad.
Support by the Ministry of Culture is provided for the organisation of various regional and sectoral projects, as well as international theatrical arts festivals.
Grants from the state budget go to the state-owned foundations, local government and private theatre institutions as well as performing arts centres. In total, the Ministry of Culture supports the activities of about 23 performing arts institutions. In accordance with the arms-length-policy, a special Ministry commission will discuss the distribution of money to theatres, which will propose to the Minister of Culture an annual allocation of support to theatres and dance companies.
Project-based institutions and single projects are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
In Estonia, theatre performances are locally well accessible. All inhabitants have a chance to attend performing arts at a distance of about 50 km from their home. This is supported by the network of theatres throughout Estonia: there are state owned foundation theatres in Pärnu, Viljandi, Rakvere and Kuressaare. Since 2005 there is a state grant programme called Theatre to Rural Areas ("Teater maal"). The programme helps professional performing arts institutions and troupes to hold guest performances in the countryside, including dance performances. Since 2010 a special sub-programme supports children’s and youth theatre, supporting also the young audiences’ trips to performances outside of their own cultural centres. The support programme is run by the Estonian Folk Culture Centre.
Statistics on theatre are collected by the Estonian Theatre Agency (NGO). It also acts as an authors’ right agency in Estonia. The agency is financed by Ministry of Culture.
Main theatre festivals in Estonia are Draama; SAAL Biennale (a two-week-long international performing arts festival in Tallinn, which is the predecessor of Tallinn’s oldest contemporary dance festival August Dance Festival); biennial Baltoscandal (presents the inquisitive theatre of Europe and the rest of the world as well as innovative trends in performing arts); Golden Mask in Estonia (includes the best Russian theatre productions of the last couple of seasons, which are nominees or laureates of the Golden Mask award by the Theatre Union of Russia); Tallinn Treff Festival (an international visual theatre festival, which introduces contemporary puppet theatre and novel formats); Winter Night's Dream (international theatre festival that brings to Tallinn diverse theatre performances from all over the world, organised by the Tallinn City Theatre); and NoTaFe (a week-long professional training and educational festival taking place annually in Viljandi).
Last update: November, 2020
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state that:
- the internationalisation of Estonian art life is considered important by the state. Artists, curators and critics should take an active part in the world’s art life and international exhibitions and art projects should be organised in Estonia. With its national pavilion, Estonia is taking part at the Venice Biennale, with even more focus than before on cooperation projects with other countries;
- state facilitates the mobility of art professionals and their participation in international residency programmes. Art residency programmes operating in Estonia have always been significant in diversifying local art life and networking;
- state supports the activities of exhibition venues in order to create opportunities all over Estonia for people to appreciate the fine arts and for artists to show their work to a wide audience;
- in addition to creative individuals and agents, technical experts of art production and exhibition organisers are valued highly and their professional training and in-service training is funded by the state;
- the role of state-owned art museums is to collect and store mainly artworks related to Estonia and to research, mediate, present, popularise, and exhibit both Estonian and world art to Estonian residents and visitors;
- the Estonian art market is professional, with galleries belonging to international networks, there is joint marketing between the galleries, and the state is creating possibilities for Estonian artists to conquer foreign markets;
- with the application of the Commissioning of Artworks Act, the state supports enriching the public space with artworks, involving specialists in the field in the process of commissioning artworks. Amendments will be made to the said act to specify what types of artwork can be commissioned on the basis of the act and how to ensure a high artistic level of the commissioned works.
The art scene is comprised mainly of freelance artists as well as self-organised and private institutions; there are no central state organisations.
The main source of financing for this field is the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (visual and applied arts sub-endowment), the Ministry of Culture finances a total of about one third of the annual grants from the Cultural Endowment.
The Ministry of Culture provides partial financing for the activities of the Tallinn Art Hall (a historically significant exhibition venue in the heart of the city) and the Centre for Contemporary Arts Estonia (the sector’s information centre). The galleries of the Estonian Artists’ Association and the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia also receive partial operating subsidies. Support is also provided for the organisation of the Estonian pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale and the development of an art residency in Narva (established by Estonian Academy of Arts).
Since 2016, with grants from the Ministry, the Estonian Artists’ Association is paying three-year wages to art professionals, based on a public competition. The association receives funds for paying thirteen wages since 2020. The amount of one wage is equal to of the average monthly salary year of the previous year including all taxes. The differences of the wage compared to a grant for creative work, apart from its long-term nature, are the accompanying social security taxes and greater stability arising from them. The wages for creative persons will be implemented in fields with a large number of creative persons engaged in liberal professions: literature and art. The creative processes of the named fields are not as widely supported by the state through institutional supports. The artists' wage does not replace the creative person’s support paid based on the Creative Persons and Artistic Associations Act or grants paid by Cultural Endowment.
In addition, the creative associations in the field — Estonian Artists’ Association and the Estonian Society of Art Historians and Curators — mediate the creative grants and scholarships provided under the Creative Persons and Artistic Associations Act. The organisers of art events can also apply for grants for foreign activities during the Ministry’s calls for applications under the programmes called Estonian Culture in the World, and Transnational Cultural Cooperation Agreements.
The largest exhibition venues besides the state art museums are the Tallinn Art Hall, Tartu Art House, Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia, the galleries of the Estonian Artists’ Association, the city galleries in the county centres, and the galleries of the institutions of art education. The activities being organised in self-organised project spaces are also forcefully impacting the exhibition scene. Exhibitions are the central part of the activities in private galleries. Exhibitions of fine art are also organised by Estonian internet galleries. The growing number of residencies is having a noticeable impact on the organisation of exhibitions, providing an opportunity for the emergence and development of collaborations and synergies between artists.
The Ministry of Culture annually awards Edward Wiiralt Scholarships to art students, with funds collected from the fees for the use of artworks.
Last update: November, 2020
In Estonian cultural policy, the creative economy is defined as an economic field that is based on individual and collective creativity, skills and talent. The creative economy can provide well-being and jobs by creating intellectual property and using this as the primary sales argument. Creative people are at the centre of these processes. Nevertheless, there are artistic areas where the creative economy has remained more synonymous for commercial culture. The creative economy discourse continues to be a politically popular argument to justify funding decisions directed at it.
Creative industries are an integral part of the creative economy. They include the areas of the creative economy that use culture as an input and that have a cultural dimension, but the output of which is mainly functional (i.e. architecture, design, fashion and advertising). In Estonia the term “creative industries” is used to denote the same meaning as the European Union term “cultural and creative industries” or “culture and creative industries”.
In 2005, the first mapping of the creative economy was conducted in Estonia; in the course of which an attempt was made to define the concept of the creative economy and determine which fields of activity it encompasses. The definition of the creative economy sector is based on consensus.
Between 2008 and 2013, the development of the creative economy was a responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication. Since 2014, the development of the creative economy has been the assignment of the Ministry of Culture, based on the principles of cultural policy delineated by Culture 2020, the Estonian Business Growth Strategy 2014-2020, and the provisions of the implementation plan of the European Union Structural and Investment Funds for 2014-2020.
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 state, that the state supports the development of creative industries as part of a knowledge-based economy. The objective is to use innovation and creativity to raise the country’s competitiveness, thereby transforming from an agent to a creator of value. Professional agents have an important role in the organisation of cultural life and creative industries.
The main partner for the creative industries is Enterprise Estonia — the organisation that is implementing and carrying out the creative economy development measure. Enterprise Estonia carries out many other programmes that are also available to the representatives of the creative economy sector, including programmes related to awareness, knowledge and skills, clusters and co-marketing.
There are also thematic development centres, such as Creative Estonia, Estonian Centre of Architecture, Estonian Design Centre, Estonian Film Institute, Creative Gate, Music Estonia, Estonian Contemporary Art Development Centre, ARS Art Factory, IGDA Estonia and Digix.
Last update: November, 2020
State presence in the cultural media market has been maintained through continued state ownership of some organisations such as the foundation Kultuurileht — a publishing house for cultural periodicals and the Estonian Public Broadcasting. A comparison between the different fields of the culture industries shows that the juridical status of the companies is not the most determining factor. By means of project support from the Cultural Endowment or the Ministry of Culture, private-owned publishing houses can apply for public support:
- to translate foreign literature into Estonian;
- to use guesthouses for writers and translators;
- to develop international cooperation between writers’ unions.
Due to the limited publishing market in Estonia, it is difficult to issue cultural journals without state aid. An average edition will be less than 2 000 copies a month and if the state did not pay a share the price of a single copy would be extremely high. To prevent this from happening, the state supports cultural magazines and newspapers via the state-owned foundation Kultuurileht. It publishes the most noteworthy cultural journals and papers: two weeklies and ten magazines plus the monthly Diplomaatia in cooperation with the International Centre for Defense Studies.
The year’s issues for the cultural magazines Looming, Akadeemia, Vikerkaar, Teater.Muusika.Kino, Kunst.ee and Täheke have been digitized and are available free of charge, a year after these magazines were printed, in the Digar (digital archive of the Estonian National Library).
In the case of books, the Ministry of Culture’s priorities have been international promotion. The Ministry supports Estonian publishing houses presence in international book fairs. In cooperation with the Estonian Publishers’ Association, the state finances the participation of Estonian publishers in international book fairs such as London, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Bologna and the Baltic Book Fair.
The issue of books and printed newspapers/magazines is subject to a reduced VAT rate of 9% in Estonia (see chapter 4.1.4).
Last update: November, 2020
The audiovisual field in Estonia covers film-making and media services. The Ministry of Culture coordinates the drafting of legislation, strategies, action plans and other documents on media services and film policies. It also analyses developments in the content services and new technologies of media, cinema and information society, and makes appropriate suggestions. The Ministry of Culture coordinates the drafting of legislation and strategies on film policies; however, the general cinema scene is organised by the state-owned foundation Estonian Film Institute.
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state that:
- the state supports filmmaking in a capacity that meets the prerequisites for ensuring the continuation of professional filmmaking in Estonia and an increase in viewer interest;
- The Estonian Film Institute is the umbrella organisation for all-important activities in the field, supporting the development, production, and marketing of films. The 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 audiovisual heritage is digitalised and made available to the public;
- in cooperation with local municipalities and private companies, the state will create better opportunities for digital film screenings at theatres and culture halls in larger county centres. Estonian films are distributed at international festivals, as well as in cinemas and on television abroad and they are made available on new digital platforms;
- in Estonia, the internationalisation of filmmaking and co-production with film companies and filmmakers from other countries is supported. Estonia has the professional specialists and infrastructure for international companies to realise television and film projects in Estonia. Regional foundations are operating in order to offer the services needed internationally for producing audiovisual content in Estonia, as well as an organisation for marketing Estonia internationally as a filming location;
- the state appreciates professional filmmaking as the primary source of media literacy for young viewers and participants, and values the promotion of amateur and school film in Estonia;
- the Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School will develop into a contemporary international higher education institution for film and media studies, where education in the field of film and audio-visual media can be obtained in Estonian as well as in English. Together with other universities, study and research directions will be developed to address the application of information and communication technologies in the creation of culture, but also cross-media studies, video game development, the digitalisation and re-use of cultural heritage, and the creation of digital learning ecosystems, including educational games. It is important that audio-visual in-service training is provided to teachers of general education schools.
The state-owned foundation Estonian Film Institute (EFI) was established by the Estonian Ministry of Culture in 1997 (then Estonian Film Foundation) with the task to share and distribute the national film budget. In 2013, EFI came to be as its successor, embracing a wider spectrum of activities in the Estonian film industry. EFI is financed by the Ministry of Culture. The institute is divided in three departments: production, development and marketing, and heritage. The production department gives support to the filmmakers at various stages of film making: supporting financially, reading concepts and scripts, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the projects, considering expert opinions from outside, and keeping a beneficial eye on the production process. The task of the development department is to help develop marketing deals for the finished product and to make sure the Estonian films find their way to festivals, audiences on foreign film markets and other important hubs of film executives and institutions.
The EFI heritage department manages films made in the Tallinn film studio in the years 1941-2001, which belongs to EFI. It owns authors rights and manages an arthouse cinema ‘Artis’. As there was only one film studio in the Soviet Estonia, it forms the considerable majority of all the films made in Estonia during this period.
EFI is member of the Creative Europe MEDIA Desk, mediating the financing and educational opportunities of European Union. EFI also organises the annual Estonian Film and TV award gala.
To ensure the preservation of more than 15 000 films created throughout a century, the state has supported the restoration, digitisation and systematisation of Estonian film legacy. There is also an ongoing plan of mass digitisation of movies. The Estonian Film Database has the objective of putting together the Estonian national filmography and making it available online for all interested parties.
An overview of the history of Estonian cinematography has been provided in the English-language publication "The World of Estonian Cinema” by EFI.
The state finances Estonian film production mainly through EFI and the Cultural Endowment. In addition, filmmakers can apply for aid from the European Union programmes. The Ministry of Culture gives out activity support to the Estonian Film Institute, the Black Nights Film Festival and the international festival of documentaries and anthropological films in Pärnu.
See also chapters 3.5.6 and 4.2.6.
Last update: November, 2020
In the field of music, the General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) state that:
- the state supports the diversity of the Estonian music scene, creating opportunities for participating in the high-level music life all over Estonia and continuously directing concert experiences at children and youth;
- the state ensures the necessary operational and developmental conditions for institutions and top collectives forming the basis for the music culture. The activities of various private musical collectives and concert organisers are also supported, as well at the organisation of diverse and high-level music festivals;
- the Estonian National Opera is promoting national musical theatre, making available Estonia’s and the world’s best musical, opera, and ballet works;
- in cooperation between the state and the private sector, instrument funds have been created for acquiring, renewing, maintaining, and renting out musical instruments to ensure the international competitiveness of Estonian musicians;
- the aim of the state is to create better opportunities for the activities of Estonian composers and interprets and the popularisation of the works. The state supports the commissioning of new musical works from Estonian composers and helping the Estonian composers and interprets reach the international arena. The state regards it as important to collect, document, publish, and promote the valuable legacy of Estonian composers and interprets;
- the state supports a wholesome musical education system to prepare competitive professionals for all areas of musical culture. Musical education on all levels of education (i.e. on the level of pre-school, basic, secondary, and higher education) is an essential prerequisite for ensuring the sustainability of professional musical culture. The state also supports the organisation of musical competitions and participation in international competitions supporting the development of interpretation and musical creation and raising the professional level of musicians;
- the state facilitates the development of music-related entrepreneurship and professional support structure (incl. managers, agencies) and supports the export of music in the whole chain of operation, including in-service training and internships abroad, organising performing festivals and concerts in Estonia and the target market and musical collectives taking part in international festivals. Estonian music plays an important role in the development of the country’s international image and cultural tourism.
The Estonian National Opera is a legal entity governed by public law (National Opera Act). The Estonian National Opera is the main promoter of Estonian musical theatre, with compositions, operas and ballets from Estonia and abroad in its repertoire.
There are three state and three municipal concert organisations in the field of music. The largest concert organiser is state-owned foundation Eesti Kontsert, which includes the Estonian National Male Choir and the early music group Hortus Musicus. Eesti Kontsert manages four major concert halls in Estonia: the concert halls of the Estonia Theatre and Vanemuine Concert Hall in Tartu, as well as halls in Pärnu and Jõhvi. In 2011, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Saint Petersburg was reopened and it also serves as a music venue of Eesti Kontsert in Russian Federation. As Eesti Kontsert is active in all the regions, the availability of professional music is guaranteed to the people all over the country.
The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra is a state-owned foundation, full time orchestra with 100 musicians and the average season includes sixty concerts and a large number of concert tours in abroad. The state-owned foundation Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is one of the best-known Estonian choirs in the world with about thirty singers giving annually about seventy concerts in Estonia as well as abroad.
Mainly local municipals, but also the Ministry of Culture with small annual budgets, support Pärnu City Orchestra, Tallinn Philharmonic Society (together with Tallinn Chamber Orchestra) and Narva City Symphony Orchestra.
Most concerts are organised by private organisers, both non-profit and commercial. Non-profit concert organisers in Estonia are supported with the Ministry of Culture's music programmes (see chapter 7.2.1).
Support programmes of the Ministry of Culture — Support for Music Festivals, Private Organisers and Music Groups — are to ensure the continuity and development of music collectives and festivals that are important to Estonian professional music. The support will improve the opportunities for Estonian musicians and composers to present their creations and opportunities for the public to attend professional music events. With the help of the programme, it is possible to increase the involvement of Estonian musicians in the concert productions' own productions and to promote the development of professional concert organisation all over Estonia.
The Music Subscription Programme’s aim is to enrich and diversify Estonian music life through the commissioning of new compositions from Estonian composers.
The Music Publications Support Programme’s aim is to support music publishers and to ensure that Estonian music, monographs and other relevant texts to the field of music are published.
The Music Competitions and Young Musician Support Programme’s aim is to finance organisers of music competitions and events/festivals for or with young musicians (see chapter 7.2.1).
All those organisers can also apply for support from the Cultural Endowment.
For international projects, the state provides money from the support programme Estonian Culture in the World. This programme supports projects that promote the internationalisation and export of Estonian music and the creation of opportunities for Estonian musicians, orchestras, choirs and ensembles. Access to the international arena for cultural collectives and creative entrepreneurs is also supported.
Main partners in the music field are:
- Estonian Composers' Union – an artistic association, NGO uniting composers and musicologists.
- Estonian Association of Professional Musicians - a non-profit artistic association whose members can be all professional musicians working in Estonia and abroad - soloists, chamber musicians, orchestra and conductors. Main chamber music concert organiser.
- Estonian Performers’ Association - a non-profit organisation administers and promotes performers rights, collects remunerations under the Copyright Act, and distributes the remunerations among those entitled to them.
- Estonian Music Council – a non-profit organisation uniting fifty Estonian music institutions and professional musicians, gets annual financial support from the Ministry of Culture.
- Estonian Music Information Centre – the main objective of the centre is to introduce and promote Estonian classical music both at home and abroad by collecting and spreading information on Estonian composers and their work, music organisations and events, interpreters and groups. Gets annual financial support from the Ministry of Culture.
- Estonian Music Festivals – unites more than fifty music festivals’ organisers, gets annual financial support from the Ministry of Culture.
- Estonian Jazz Union – unites Estonian jazz musicians, organiser of concerts in jazz-clubs all over Estonia.
- Estonian Choral Association – an umbrella organisation for all unions of choirs, wind orchestras, choral conductors and music teachers in Estonia.
- International Arvo Pärt Centre - founded in 2010 by Arvo Pärt and his family to create opportunities for the preservation and study of the composer’s creative legacy in his Estonian homeland in his mother language. Opened a new centre in Laulasmaa, near Tallinn in 2018. Gets annual financial support from the Ministry of Culture.
- Music Estonia - a music industry development centre and export office in Estonia, gets annual financial support from the Ministry of Culture.
- Estonian Traditional Music Centre – an organisation that supports and organises long-term courses and a Viljandi Folk Music Festival, also promotes live performances of traditional music, gets annual financial support from the Ministry of Culture.
Last update: November, 2020
Before 2014, design as a separate field belonged to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. Design policy was part of Estonian business policies for 2007-2013. In 2012-2013, a national action plan for the area of design was implemented. This constituted the first phase of a national support policy that aimed at developing design use. The objectives of the action plan were to increase the use of design among businesses and to foster the development of design as an important sector of the creative industries. In cooperation of various ministries and organisations, activities were carried out to increase design awareness, knowledge and skills; design bureaus were developed and increasing their export was supported; and design education quality was promoted.
Since 2014, design is under the administration of the Ministry of Culture, and it also is a part of the General Principles of Cultural Policy:
- the role of design is to contribute to the development of innovative, functional, environmentally sustainable, user-friendly and attractive products and services and the creation of safe and welcoming environments;
- the state supports the activities of designers and design agencies, because quality design service helps to create added value in other sectors of the economy as well and therefore increases the international competitiveness of Estonian enterprises;
- state support measures are directed at increasing the demand for quality design and product development based on it. This increases the value of design in the conditions of public procurements, raises awareness of design and facilitates cooperation between designers, enterprises, and research institutions through supporting the funding of projects, innovation shares, and entrepreneurship centres. It is important to raise the general public awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental value of design and to continue marketing Estonian design in the international arena;
- in order to raise the quality of designer training, studies need to be international, provide internship opportunities at various enterprises and include joint curricula and projects between universities providing education in design and technology. When devising curricula, it must be ensured that representatives of enterprises are involved.
In 2016-2018, the Ministry of Culture participated in creating a vision document for the field. The process was led by the development centre and strategic partner Estonian Design Centre.
The Ministry of Culture carries out "Design Ladder" studies exploring design implementation among enterprises in the private sector, as well as among the state enterprises and foundations in the public domain. These surveys provide a viable overview of the current situation and opportunities for progression.
The Ministry of Culture cooperates with the Ministry of Social Affairs and other institutions and organisations to advance the inclusiveness of the living environment regarding the aspects of accessibility for all.
Design Night is a design festival held each autumn in Tallinn with the aim of interpreting different aspects of design and pushing the borders of the discipline. The festival consists of seminars, workshops, exhibitions, competitions, and performances. One of the events at the Design Night is the Estonian Design Awards ceremony. The purpose of the Design Awards is to recognise, praise and promote design work, which offers aesthetic enjoyment as well as solutions on how to improve our living environment in a nature-friendly and sustainable way.
In addition, within the competition for the Entrepreneurship Award, every other year Enterprise Estonia hands out the title of the Design Implementer of the Year, with the objective of drawing more attention to those businesses whose success has significantly increased as a result of the strategic implementation of design in the development of their goods or services or in the management of their business. The Entrepreneurship Award competition is the highest recognition in the country for outstanding and progressively minded businesses.
Last update: November, 2020
The General Principles of Cultural Policy up to 2020 (see chapter 1.1) show several links between tourism and the cultural fields:
- “The cultural policy is closely interlinked with several other national policy areas including educational, economic, social, environmental, employment, integration, regional, tourism, and foreign policy. The many-faceted cultural life has a significant impact on the well-being of the Estonian people, the quality of the local living environment, and the international competitiveness of the country.”
- “The state is going to direct external resources into the development of the cultural field in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the creative industry, develop information technology services, support integration, and to invest into a cultural infrastructure which supports tourism and regional development.”
- “The objective of museums is to develop according to the contemporary expectations and needs of an institution of memory which, besides the accumulation, maintenance and researching of local cultural heritage would contribute to education, while at the same time being attractive for visitors from home and abroad, thereby increasing Estonia’s popularity as a destination for cultural tourism.”
- “Estonian music plays an important role in the development of the country’s international image and cultural tourism.”
- “Folk culture events and phenomena of intellectual cultural heritage develop cultural tourism in different areas of Estonia, therefore encouraging the local businesses of the area.”
Developing tourism policy is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and Communication, and Enterprise Estonia is the leading institution in the tourism sector responsible for the implementation of tourism policy. The main task of Enterprise Estonia’s Tourism Development Centre is the branding of Estonia as an attractive tourism destination, and it also supports international large-scale culture and sport events.