„Kui oleksime Soome jäänud, poleks meil last“ – soomlased kiidavad Eesti toetusi

Ettevõtjatest abielupaar Mikael ja Maria Hugg kolisid Tallinnasse viis aastat tagasi, kirjutab Helsingin Sanomat. Nad lükkasid käima perefirma Growthland, mis keskendub tehisintellekti kasutamisele turunduses. Paar soovis last ning vajas selleks munarakkude viljastamist. Nende tütar Emilia Alexandra Hugg sündis Tallinnas 17. oktoobril 2025. „Kui me oleksime Soome jäänud, poleks meil praegu last,“ ütles Mikael. „Täiesti 100% kindel."

Põhjus on selles, et nad poleks suutnud tuhandetesse eurodesse küündivat viljakusravi Soomes maksta, aga Eestis on see tasuta.

Lisaks üllatas neid see, et ematoetus on põhjanaabrite omast pikem ja suurem. Kui Soomes makstakse emapuhkuse ajal 70% eelnevast sissetulekust, siis Eestis 100% ning periood on pikem.

Nüüd mõtlevad Mikael ja Maria juba teise lapse saamise peale. Ühiskonnas suurenenud ebakindlus (majandus, kliimamuutused, Venemaa oht) neid ei mõjuta. „Et me paneme oma elu pausile või lõpetame pere jätkamise, sest Putin on jobu! See tundub tõesti naljaka põhjusena,“ ütles Mikael.

• Finnish entrepreneurial couple Mikael and Maria Hugg had their baby in Estonia with the help of free fertility treatments.

• Estonia fully reimburses in vitro fertilization treatments and pays the mother maternity or parental allowance in full for 575 days.

• The couple says they could not have afforded to pay thousands of euros for fertility treatments in Finland.

• In Finland, Kela began to reimburse approximately 40 percent of the costs of fertility treatments and medications in private clinics as of May.

Mikael and Maria Hugg, who are entrepreneurs , had moved from Helsinki to Tallinn and fell in love with the entrepreneurial atmosphere. However, one dream had not come true despite their efforts. They wanted a baby.

The family doctor suggested IVF treatment, or in vitro fertilization. The couple was hesitant because they had heard about the skyrocketing costs and waiting times in Finland.

The doctor said that treatment and medication are free for those covered by Estonian health insurance.

“That was the first time I felt like, ‘Wow, this is great,’” says Maria Hugg.

Later, the couple was surprised again and again when they learned about the Estonian family support system. State funding is higher than in Finland. The principle is that the birth of a baby should not lead to a decrease in the family's standard of living.

Emilia Alexandra Hugg was born in Tallinn on October 17, 2025.

The baby is sleeping. He has a fiery stroller that can propel itself electrically when needed. The home is in a new terraced house on the border of Tallinn in the municipality of Loo. There is coffee and Napoleon cake on the table.

The Huggs moved to Estonia about five years ago. Initially, they were attracted by the proximity to Helsinki, the lower cost of living, and the opportunity to start a new business. Mikael Hugg's Finnish start-up was struggling.

When the company collapsed in Helsinki, a new family business was already up and running in Tallinn. It's called Growthland, and it specializes in using artificial intelligence in marketing.

The vibe in Tallinn was different. In Helsinki, Mikael Hugg was used to complaining about the difficulties of entrepreneurship. Now he rented a workspace at Lift99 in Telliskivi center. The people around him praised the freedom of entrepreneurship and the opportunity to realize dreams.

It was soon possible to think about expanding the family. The decisive factor was that the foundation of one's own life was now in place. There was a home and a business.

"It's better to just live your own life and then move to places where things rock. For example, if we had stayed in Finland, we wouldn't have a child now," says Mikael Hugg.

"Absolutely 100% sure," he assures and explains:

The couple could not afford to invest thousands of euros in fertility treatments. They estimated the costs of several IVF treatment rounds and medications in Finland to be so high.

In Finland, infertility treatments are covered by public healthcare. In that case, the costs are determined by outpatient clinic visits and medications. According to Jenni Huhtala, a specialist at the Simpukka Association for the Infertile, the costs incurred on the public side are case-specific. They can be thousands of euros, but at best, you can get by on less than a thousand euros.

In Finland, fertility treatments at private health centers would not have been reimbursed almost three years ago when Maria Hugg's Tallinn doctor suggested in vitro fertilization.

"We wouldn't have had the opportunity to pay for IVF treatments. That's why I don't think we would have a baby now. And I don't think we would be very happy," says Mikael Hugg.

In Finland, the situation changed last May Day. Since then, Kela has reimbursed approximately 40 percent of the costs of fertility treatments and medications at private clinics. The solution is always case-specific.

After Emilia Huggi was born, the new father raved about the Estonian system on social media. Over two years of IVF treatments and childbirth cost the family zero euros.

"And in addition, we received a maternity package from the city of Tallinn and 350 euros from the Estonian state. The mother will be paid maternity benefit for another 550 days, equal to one hundred percent of the monthly salary she earned before conception," Mikael Hugg wrote.

Huggie's luck had turned in Tallinn. Estonia's benefits caused astonishment on social media. In fact, the mother receives benefits for a little longer, 575 days.

Increasing subsidies has occasionally resulted in baby booms in Estonia. In the longer term, the effect of the subsidy is at most a slowdown in the decline in the birth rate.

For Estonia, birth rate was a question of survival for a long time. In the Finnish discussion, the emphasis is on concern for future pension payers, while in Estonia, there is fear of the nation's decline. Estonia has not increased any subsidies as much.

The first weakening of the system was made in this decade, when benefits for families with many children were cut. At the beginning of the year, the maximum amount of parental allowance was reduced. At the same time, the limit on earnings during parental leave was removed,

Last year, Estonia's fertility rate plummeted to a record low. The average number of babies born per woman in Estonia was 1.18 , compared to 1.25 in Finland.

''People need a broader sense of security than individual supports, the weekly newspaper Eesti Ekspress analyzed in an extensive article at the turn of the year.

The Huggs were not aware of Estonian family support when they decided to start fertility treatments. It is clear that they have made life easier for the baby family.

“It's a huge help not to have to think about where to get the money for the next round,” says Maria Hugg.

Support alone would not have encouraged the Huggs to have a child either. It was essential for both of them that their studies at the School of Economics were behind them and their business operations were in full swing.

The uncertainties of the surrounding society no longer swayed the decision.

Not the economy, not climate change, not even the Russian threat.

"That we would put our own lives on hold or stop continuing our own family because Putin sucks! That seems like a really weird reason," says Mikael Hugg.

The hope is also to have a second child. The hope is that after the first birth, the hormonal balance would have changed and there would be no need to try in vitro fertilization, says Maria Hugg.

The new mother is 34 years old and is wondering about her age.

"If you want a child, you have to do it now. It would have been a shame if you had waited later."