In the next three years EUR 48 million will be spent on the construction of the Estonian-Russian border under the new budget.
In explanatory remarks accompanying the 2020 state budget EUR 15.5 million has been earmarked for the construction of infrastructure on the eastern border in 2020, followed by EUR 23.6 million in 2021, and EUR 9.7 million in 2022.
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said that altogether EUR 56.7 million was planned to be spent on the eastern border over the next three years. Of this money, investment spending is EUR 47.7 million and the cost of upkeep is EUR 9 million.
At present a tender for the contract to construct a 23.5-kilometer section on the land border is underway, with the tender offers still to be submitted before the end of the year.
Preparation of the designs for the border surveillance system is to start when construction is underway. The procurement of a surveillance system will start when the infrastructure – the fence, the patrol road, communication and power networks – is ready. (ERR/Business World Magazine)