In recent weeks, partners in Tallinn's ruling coalition have been seeking a solution for the city's monthly kindergarten fees, as the Reform Party has consistently pushed to eliminate it this fall already.

On Tuesday, two working groups were established to explore how to cover the costs of eliminating the fee and handle related issues. The two groups were expected to present their proposals on Friday.

On Friday, Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) announced that the SDE, Isamaa and Eesti 200 had offered a compromise to Reform, proposing to reduce the monthly fee to €35 starting September 1. He noted that this would mark the second fee reduction by the current city government, which had already lowered the fee from €70 to €50 in April.

"This means that by decision of the current city government, starting in September, the fee would be twice as low as it was last year," he noted.

According to the mayor, the city government's working group explored both cutting expenses and increasing revenues in order to cover the cost of the reduction, with possible funding sources identified including optimizing administrative costs, adjusting the timing of investments as well as structural reforms.

The city's coalition partners worked effectively this week to reach its proposal, Ossinovski said, adding, "Through our combined efforts, we have found the necessary funding to lower the kindergarten fee to €35."

Pere: Nothing's going up in smoke on a Friday night

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere, head of the Tallinn chapter of the Reform Party, told ERR that their three coalition partners still aren't on the same page, as Reform's aim has been to eliminate kindergarten fees entirely — not just reduce them.

He said that this perspective is fundamentally different, which is why the proposal to just shave a bit more money off the monthly fees came as a surprise.

"That's not what we've wanted," he noted.

Pere said Reform's Tallinn chapter board would discuss the situation and the other three parties' proposal on Friday afternoon, describing the situation as serious.

"We don't seem to be getting any closer on this issue, even though we've met and discussed the budget," the deputy mayor said. "But we don't have an agreement yet. So we're gonna get together and discuss it. We'll keep our cool and try to deal with it rationally."

Asked whether the local chapter board would seek a compromise with the other three parties or if a coalition breakup was likely, Pere said they are still looking for a solution, and to give it a couple more hours.

"No, we're not about to declare on a Friday night that everything's gone up in smoke," the Reform deputy mayor emphasized. "Let's stay calm — really, just stay calm. We want to solve this problem, not play political games."

The dispute within Tallinn's ruling coalition came to a public head two weeks ago, when coalition members SDE, Isamaa and Eesti 200 issued a joint statement accusing the Reform Party of undermining trust among the city's coalition partners.

Ossinovski: Coalition would collapse for other reasons

Following Friday's meetings, however, Pere admitted that continued cooperation is becoming increasingly difficult, as they still haven't managed to reach an agreement on eliminating kindergarten fees.

"We're basically right where we were three weeks ago — no deal," the Reform deputy mayor said. "A half-baked measure won't cut it if we want to make early childhood education a real part of the education system, where primary, secondary and higher education are all free."

Right now, he said, more obstacles are being raised than joint solutions found.

Pere said the city's other coalition partners don't seem genuinely interested in eliminating the fee, and are focused instead on explaining why free kindergarten supposedly isn't feasible.

He argued that ensuring access to early childhood education and supporting population growth should be higher priorities than, for example, planting trees or snow removal, and that Tallinn's budget could cover universal free kindergarten if politicians had the will to follow through.

The deputy mayor stressed that the coalition is no longer working toward a shared goal, and that trust between its partners has reached a breaking point.

He said the Reform Party's Tallinn leadership would take the holiday period to step back and reassess before continuing discussions rationally.

"Our clear goal is to give families the confidence to have and raise more children right here in the capital," Pere added.

The mayor, meanwhile, reaffirmed that Tallinn's ruling coalition would not fall apart over the kindergarten fee issue.

"I'll admit there's still room to push and find some additional funding," Ossinovski said. "The coalition definitely won't collapse over kindergarten fees — we'll reach an agreement on that. If it does collapse, it'll be for entirely different reasons on the Reform Party's part."

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