The Estonian government has approved a budget for 2025 that includes a 5% reduction in funding for the Estonian Competition Authority, amounting to approximately 191,000 euros. This budget cut is part of a broader plan that will see the authority's budget decrease by a total of 382,000 euros over the next three years, with additional cuts expected in 2026 and 2027.

As a result of these budget constraints, the authority will not be able to maintain its current staffing levels. The government has instructed the authority to optimize its operations and reduce personnel costs. This restructuring comes at a time when the authority is preparing to implement the ECN+ directive, which will significantly alter how it handles cases related to competition law.

A proposed legislative amendment will be presented to the government, which will change the way the authority processes crimes defined under Section 400 of the Penal Code. Under the new law, ongoing criminal proceedings related to these offenses will be terminated, and the evidence collected will be transferred to the competition authority for further investigation and decision-making regarding competition enforcement.

Given the elimination of pre-trial proceedings for these crimes, the authority has decided to reduce the personnel in its competition-specific procedures unit. Tasks that will continue will be redistributed among the remaining staff, reflecting the significant changes in the scope of work for this area.