Estonian Finance Ministry: slower pay growth for top officials to save €32.3 million

Estonia's government has approved a state budget strategy extending, until the end of 2030, a measure that slows wage growth for some senior civil servants. The reduced indexation originally took effect in 2024 and had been set to run through 31 March 2028, but will now continue for several additional years.

Finance Ministry spokesperson Elo Ellermaa told ERR that over three years the measure will save a total of €32.3 million in the state budget. Senior officials affected by the reduced pay growth include government members, judges, the Prosecutor General, the Secretary of State, the Chancellor of Justice's conciliation body, and the Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner.

Judges question constitutionality

Judges believe the government's decision to slow salary growth could conflict with the Constitution. Several dozen judges had already challenged the original pay restriction in court, and this week the case reached the Supreme Court, which has accepted two complaints for review while others are still pending. Ivo Pilving, chairman of the Supreme Court's Administrative Law Chamber, said that due to his position he could not personally assess the merits of the complaints, but noted that under the Constitution, the parliament, government and courts should not be fully equal but should remain reasonably comparable — and the longer the indexation freeze continues, the wider that gap grows.

Pilving pointed out that judges hold a special constitutional status not granted to any other professional group, including rescuers or police officers, so that there would be no doubt about judges' willingness to intervene against government actions or exercise constitutional oversight of laws passed by parliament when necessary. He added that gradually eroding judges' guarantees harms the rule of law, and acknowledged the debate is uncomfortable since it looks poor publicly when courts assess judges' own pay — though he noted no Supreme Court member is among the complainants.

Rescue workers, who earn a gross salary of €1,600, had earlier publicly voiced concern over low wages.