Special EU Service in Tartu

by Mr Andero Uusberg

Tartu has funded several important projects from EU funds. The city government has a separate foreign project co-ordination service composed of three young people who make it all happen.

A year ago, there was only one specialist in Tartu city government responsible for foreign projects. Today, there is a separate service for foreign project coordination employing Pille Kams, head of the service, and two specialists, Kristjan Sahtel and Siim Läänelaid.

Those three young people write around 100 projects a year to apply for EU grants. Last year, the city government gained roughly 3,5 million EUR. Their work is quite unique, since most local governments in Estonia don't have a special service for project writing.

European funds have enabled Tartu to carry out several necessary environmental researches and build a new waste management station. Several cultural expenses have also been covered with the help of the funds. For example, the toy museum, one of the most unique museums in Estonia gained the necessary resources for its expansion from the EU. Recently, another very important cultural object - the National Song Festival Museum - got a positive decision for more than 1,3 million EUR. More projects reaching the sum of almost 10 million EUR are still waiting for approval.

The most expensive project currently in store is the reconstruction of the Dome Hill, the biggest park and former fortress of the city, which Siim Läänelaid has been working on for more than a year by now. "Renovating one of the symbols of our town will cost us 4,5 million EUR at the most optimistic estimations" - he explains. "I haven't heard about any other organization applying for funds for such a large-scale park renovation" - says Siim. The analysis shows that the success rate of the projects so far is 70%. "The town has set their priorities and even if the first application is not successful, the project will be completed a bit later with the town's own funds or with the resources of another opened fund. So none of the projects is ever wasted" - all three assure.