The Estonian Owners Association notes in its latest statement that the state favors the wealthy and influential when it comes to the payment of grants for culturally significant buildings.
In a press release dated Oct. 16, 2023, titled “Culture Minister’s Heritage Protection Grants Shadowed by Corruption Suspicions,” the Estonian Owners Association said that the 2024 heritage protection grant recipients are effectively already known. Now, owners note that they were not mistaken. As in the past, the selected recipients are well-known multiple grant recipients, influential organizations, municipalities, and wealthy entrepreneurs, often fronts for millionaires, influential politicians, and well-known public figures, the association says.
It argues that the distribution of public subsidies must aim to ensure the preservation of the most valuable part of the cultural heritage and can only be needs-based, with the motivation and financial capacity of the owner as key criteria. The association wants the subsidies for monument owners to be transparent, needs-based, proportionate and effective.
“Unfortunately, there are shortcomings on all these points. We can safely consider the main building of Malla Manor as one of the most ironic examples, which, despite its outstanding architectural value, is about to perish. The owner wanted to save the building that lost its roof in a fire a few years ago and applied for a grant from the state for this. According to the criteria of the grant program, the building should have received funding as a matter of priority, and the owner does not understand why they didn’t receive it. Unfortunately, it seems that the distribution of money in heritage conservation is different, and the small amount that is distributed publicly goes to local governments and owners who have good relations with officials and an influential place in society, among whom, unfortunately, the owner of Malla Manor does not belong. The hopeless situation has now resulted in the owner giving up on Malla Manor,” the association noted.
The Ministry of Culture, which oversees the heritage sector, has always cited the lack of money as the reason for not supporting owners.
“However, if you look at the recent 70,000 euro cash injection to the Athena cinema in Tartu, you cannot agree. The manager and beneficiary of the Athena property is the chairman of the Tartu city council, Kaspar Kokk,” the association said.
The Owners Association has offered to help the Ministry of Culture to develop an effective and needs-based funding model, which would result in grants reaching the owners of buildings of cultural value who actually need it. According to the association, we need to acknowledge that Estonian society is not economically capable of protecting such a large number of buildings at national level, and that the number of eligible buildings must be reduced many times over in cooperation with the owners.
Source: BNS
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