Estonian Minister of Culture announces resignation / Article

As the Minister representing the Center Party in the government has explained, the reason for her resignation is the disagreement over restrictions in the field of culture and measures to support this field.

She acknowledged that she did not see the possibility of continuing as a minister in the light of recent government decisions, and at the same time thanked all those who had spoken out for cultural interests throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

According to the Minister, in the conditions of the crisis, when the income of cultural institutions is decreasing, support measures must be developed without delay and appropriate decisions must be made.

“Unfortunately, the current situation is that my vision of supporting the cultural sector does not coincide with the position of the coalition partners, although I have paid attention to this issue several times,” Ota said.

Since October 25, attending cultural, sports and entertainment events and many other activities in Estonia are only allowed with a Covid-19 vaccination certificate or confirmation that a person has recovered from the disease in the last six months, but negative test results no longer allow this.

The brush is the only minister in the Estonian government who has not been vaccinated against Covid-19 until recently, and with the entry into force of stricter restrictions, lost the opportunity to attend many important events.

She has now indicated that she has already received one vaccine, but has also allowed the vaccination decision to be postponed for several months if strict restrictions had not come into force in the country. At the same time, the minister said that he had never been an opponent of vaccination.

Prime Minister Callas, for his part, said the resignation of the Minister of Culture “is the only possible step in a situation where she feels that she is no longer able to defend the interests of the industry effectively enough in government.”

“The government has not imposed any specific restrictions on the cultural sector. We have restricted the participation of unvaccinated people in entertainment activities to protect themselves and reduce the workload of hospitals. I believe it is extremely important that the cultural sector works well and I am always ready to listen to any concerns the industry, “said Kallas.

Meanwhile, Jiri Ratas, the Speaker of the Center Party, the Speaker of the Riga Party, emphasized that Ota had done a lot for the cultural industry and added that she had never been an opponent of vaccination, but “strongly defended her field and principles”. “.

This is the first resignation of the Minister in the Kallas government, which was formed at the end of January by the Reform Party and the Center Party.

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