Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis (Reform) told ERR that neighboring countries have similar policies, and on a significantly larger scale than Estonia. He said the support measure is written into the coalition agreement.

Leis said the funding is to attract shipping companies under the Estonian flag and to stop those under it from leaving. "Nowadays, changing a flag is very easy," Leis noted. 

This year's funding comes from within the Ministry of Climate, but Leis said 2026's support — €2 million per quarter, or €8 million in total — could already be included in the budget.

However, this will only be confirmed after the budget preparation process in the autumn.

The state initially introduced the measure in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to compensate Tallink for lost profits. The measure ended in the third quarter of 2023.

In the first quarter of this year, the number of Tallink passengers fell by 3.8 percent year-on-year.

Tallink's revenue was 7.1 percent lower compared to the previous year, totaling €344.2 million, and last year's half-year profit of €8.7 million was replaced by a loss of €35.7 million in the first half of this year.

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