Estonia employs five writers and five artists

06.11.2015 |

A heated debate about a recently introduced cultural policy is currently led in Estonia. Estonia's minister for culture, Indrek Saar announced last week, that from 2016 onwards the Republic of Estonia will employ five writers and five artists for three years.

Estonia will provide the chosen artists and writers with a contract of employment and a monthly salary of 1005 € (without taxes). The whole project will cost 160000 € p.a.

Indrek Saar explained in the media, that working in literature and art is a job like any other. However, artists and writers often lack the social security that people have in permanent employment, and thus artists and writers often need to earn money elsewhere. The initiative starts right there and wants to guarantee a safe income and thus a certain stability. The writers and artists will be chosen by specialised committees and the decision will be based on the achievements of the past five years. Currently there are no conditions for a result of the three-year employment. Upon application the writers need to introduce what they want to focus on in the three year period. Once a year the artists need to present what they are currently working on to the committee.

Estonian writer and head of the Estonian Association of Writers Karl-Martin Sinijärv welcomes the initiative, as it is a strong step forward for Estonia. He argues, that practically all European countries have similar mechanisms already. Vano Allsalu from the Estonian Association of Artists argues, that professional artists need some kind of security. Accordingly it's a very logical step for the government to support them, he says.

On the other side the initiative is criticized because of the selection process and the fact that no conditions are introduced. Maris Lauri, head of the Economy-committee of the Estonian Parliament, argues that the salary could cause legal issues, as the recipients basically just receive the salary for who they are and not what they do.

Applications can be handed in until the 30th November.

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