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Nearly half of the allocations of the Centre for Environment Investments to water protection

Yesterday, 28 January, the Board of the Centre for Environmental Investments (CEI) approved the programmes for the current year, ca 250 MEEK in total.

According to Kalev Aun, Director of the CEI, the largest allocation, 107 million EEK, will be made to projects of water protection and elimination of past pollution. As depreciation is a general problem in the water facilities of Estonia, the state of water bodies and ground water in many regions meets neither national nor EU requirements. CEI's this year's priorities of water protection include co-financing of international projects, water project of 17 small municipalities, and clean-up of past pollution. One of the largest clean-up projects deals with elimination of residual pollution in the former Tiitsu blactop production plant in Rapla County. 

The second largest allocation will support the Waste Management Programme, which will receive ca 56 million EEK of CEI's this year's allocations. The priorities in the waste management sector are to reduce environmental pollution from waste, to promote waste recovery, and to create possibilities for environmentally safe waste disposal. This year CEI will support the closure of a number of old landfills in practically all counties of Estonia, and the first phase of construction of Viljandi and Rapla waste management centres. It will also continue to co-finance the project of closing down Sillamäe radioactive waste repository and will support disposal of hazardous waste in Vaivara waste management centre, transport of hazardous waste to Finland for utilisation, and management of hospital waste.

Overall, the funds will be distributed between 10 programmes in accordance with the decision of the Board. The Nature Conservation Programme (including construction and renovation of buildings in staffed protected areas) will be supported with 19.7 MEEK, Forestry Programme 18.2 MEEK, Fisheries Programme 16.8 MEEK, Environmental Awareness Programme 14.7 MEEK, Ambient Air Protection Programme 5.9 MEEK, Game Management Programme 4.2 MEEK, Mineral Resources Programme 3.8 MEEK and Technology Programme 2.9 MEEK.

CEI is a foundation within the administrative field of the Ministry of Finance. It finances environmental projects and its main sources of income are revenues of the State Budget from the use of the environment.

Additional information: Kalev Aun, Director of the Centre for Environmental Investments, tel.: 627 4171, 050-56474