Culture Budget for 2022

The Riigikogu passed the legislation for the State Budget for 2022 on 8 December 2021. The Culture Budget for 2022 totals €290 million, which comprises 2% of the total expenditures and investments in the state budget.

Minister of Culture Tiit Terik noted that this culture budget is clearly focused on the future - new initiatives, such as the Culture Backpack and the promotion of physical activity, will help to maintain and improve the participation of children and young people in the services provided in the fields of culture and sport. “These budgetary decisions provide confidence that in the future cultural and healthy lifestyles will be a natural part of our people’s lives,” the Minister added.

The Ministry of Culture considers the salaries of cultural workers to be an important consideration in the preparations for the 2022 cultural budget, along with the continued funding of the film industry, initiating the reform of physical activity, and the launch of new initiatives such as the Culture Backpack.

The salaries of cultural workers – growth for as many workers as possible

Raising the salaries of the employees at cultural institutions that are paid from the Ministry of Culture’s budget has been a priority for years. The cultural sector needs motivated people and young people to be assured that they will earn a decent wage if they choose culture-related professions.

In 2022, a total of €2.8 million will be allocated for salary increases in the agencies of the Ministry of Culture. The minimum monthly wage for cultural workers with higher education will increase from €1,300 to €1,400, i.e., by €100 or 7.5%. The salary fund for the other employees will increase by 2%, with the more specific decisions being made by the heads of the agencies.

An agreement on the joint intentions of the Ministry of Culture and the Estonian Employees 'Unions' Confederation (TALO) will be signed at the end of the year, when the draft state budget has been enacted into law by the Riigikogu.

Until now, the minimum gross salary for cultural workers has been €1,300 per month. Therefore, the planned increase for 2022 is over 7.5%. Remuneration principles have always been recommended to all the institutions active in the field of culture, regardless of their administrative jurisdiction or ownership.

The fund for covering the labour costs for sports trainers will increase by 6.7% to €7.8 million. The salary support measure provided for the leaders of the groups participating in the song and dance festivals in the amount of €2,7 million will also continue.

Estonian film – the creator of cultural memory and an economic engine

In the 2022 Culture Budget, the budgetary support for filmmaking allocated by the state will increase by €2 million, in addition to the €5 million has been earmarked for this previously.

Domestic film production is important, because film, as one of the art forms with the widest audience, reflects Estonian life and our stories, which no one but us can tell.

A more detailed breakdown of funding for filmmaking is being developed by the Estonian Film Institute.

"Tõde ja õigus" (Foto: Allfilm)
"Tõde ja õigus" (Foto: Allfilm)

Culture Backpacks – better access to culture

The €1 million in the culture budget that has been earmarked for the Ministry of Culture’s Culture Backpack Initiative, which is directed at schoolchildren, will enable young people to participate in cultural activities to a greater extent.

Participation in culture begins in childhood, and support from home is especially important. Schoolchildren prefer to attend museum classes, concerts, theatre performances or even movies with their classmates. The experiences gained while in primary school increase the desire to participate in cultural activities later on in life. The funding also helps maintain and increase the opportunities for cultural institutions to earn income.

Exercise - a natural part of everyone's day

The Culture 2022 budget includes €600,000 for the reform of physical activity.

Based on the concept of promoting physical activity developed by the Ministry of Culture, target groups including everyone from schoolchildren to the elderly will be involved. Limited physical activity poses one of the greatest health risks in Estonia. Statistics show that while only up to 45% of Estonians exercise at least half an hour twice a week, 70% do in the Nordic countries. Therefore, the amount of supervised exercise in schools, for example, needs to increase significantly. All other target groups are also being considered by combining existing science-based approaches in the field.

Estonian language learning for adults

The basic funding for adult language learning will increase by €400,000. As of 2022, it will total €2.4 million.

In Estonia, where the state language is Estonian, business is conducted in Estonian. The Ministry of Culture, with support from the European Union budget, has funded the study of Estonian for adults in order to make it easier for everyone to participate in society.

In addition to all of the above, the Ministry of Culture also considers the funding of culture research and development activities and the continuation of investments in cultural and sports facilities to be important.

Meelis Kompus

kommunikatsiooniosakonna juhataja

Last updated: 22.12.2021