Estonia wants a still stronger EU - PM

09.10.2007

TALLINN, Oct 09, BNS - The Estonian government is set to stay on its constructive course in Europe that is offering the best guarantees for the developmnent of the country's economy, common security, and building of a stronger EU, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Addressing the parliament on Estonia's EU policy, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said that Estonia has acquired the reputation of a pro-European and constructive member state in the EU.

As Estonia's biggest achievements of late he named the country's constructive contribution to the birth of the agreements that came into being after difficult debates, both in what regards the reform treaty and energy goals.

Of Estonia's recent initiatives, he mentioned proposals to introduce uniform legal provisions concerning cyberspace in the EU, arising from Estonia's own experience from recent past, as well as pointing of attention to the need to introduce uniform rules for cross-border use of digital signature.

Estonia is working consistently to keep the neighbors of the EU, particularly Georgia and Moldova, in the focus of attention, and is doing everything so that the process of EU enlargement would continue.

"All this, together with boldly pro-European constructiveness, makes a rather good balance in my view," he said.

Ansip was critical of Estonia's inability to always formulate its initial positions in due time.

"Too often we hear that let us wait until the outcome of European discussions, so we know the positions of others and can shape our own," he said, explaining that it was then too late to have a say.

At the core of Estonia's Europe-policy lies the wish to have a still stronger European Union, which would be based on the solidarity of member states, the prime minister said.

"The European Union needs member states which are able to see solutions from the European perspective," he said.

Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8810, sise@bns.ee