The Swiss-Estonian Cooperation Programme focuses on two areas: social inclusion and the promotion of biological diversity.
- The main focus of the social inclusion program is integration. It will provide better opportunities for Ukrainian war refugees to participate in local social life. The program’s budget is divided between four ministries, with the Ministry of Culture taking the main responsibility.
- The bioldiversity program aims to systematize environmental databases and improve the efficiency of protection management. This facilitates fieldwork and provides a better overview of both valid restricted areas and areas in need of protection. The program is managed by the Ministry of Climate.
Biodiversity Programme
The purpose of biodiversity programme is to contribute to the improvement and preservation of the condition of species and habitats; through decision-making based on high-quality data, including innovative monitoring solutions.
In addition, the program complements the development of existing systems to ensure data transfer between different systems and to make environmental data more accessible. The project creates and validates digital tools for managing the system and evaluates the effectiveness of management of protected areas. The intervention builds on the results of various past and ongoing initiative projects, such as applied research projects on nature conservation in relation to climate change and existing national monitoring and planning systems for protected areas.
The program is implemented through two projects:
- development of innovative monitoring technologies/solutions and improvement of environmental databases and systems, implemented by the Environmental Agency;
- evaluation of nature protection effectiveness, nature protection planning and species protection, implemented by the Environmental Board.
- Security Police (Kaitsepolitseiamet): +372 612 1500
- Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet): [email protected] or +372 612 3657
- Ministry of Finance: [email protected]
- State Shared Service Centre notification email: [email protected]
The State Shared Service Center (SSSC) is responsible for achieving the goals of the Swiss-Estonian Cooperation Programme. SSSC implements the program and provides support to project implementers in carrying out their components.
Helena Musthallik
Programme expert
[email protected]
Liisa Liivamets
Communiction expert
[email protected]
Last updated: 28.05.2026
Social inclusion programme
Social inclusion programme
The purpose of the Swiss-Estonian support measure is to improve the opportunities of people living in Estonia, especially people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, to participate more actively in Estonian society, focusing on improving the availability and quality of integration, including adaptation, education, social welfare services, and promoting social innovation.
Nearly 19.2 million euros, plus state co-financing of 3.5 million euros, will be directed to the implementation of the social inclusion support measure. The social inclusion program will be implemented under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture by the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Research, and the Ministry of the Interior.
The activities in the support measure concern cultural and linguistic integration, e.g. digital solution, involving volunteers, consulting services for adaption. Estonian cultural space will be introduced and a media literacy program will be created.
Expected results of the support measure: