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Estonian Review: 4-10 June, 2008
13.06.2008
BELGIAN ROYALTY IN ESTONIA
FOREIGN NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
BELGIAN ROYALTY IN ESTONIA
President Ilves Thanks Belgium for Guarding Baltic Skies
June 10 - Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves thanked the Belgian royal couple who arrived in Tallinn on a state visit for their country's contribution to guarding the airspace of the Baltic States.
Ilves and his wife, Evelin, received King Albert II and Queen Paola at their Kadriorg residence.
"We are grateful to Belgium who opened the alliance's airspace guarding mission in the Baltic skies," Ilves told Albert II, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Belgian defence forces. Belgian military aircraft were the first to start patrolling the Baltic airspace on March 29, 2004 after NATO admitted seven new members including the three Baltic countries. "Estonia and Belgium are allies not only in Europe but also in Afghanistan where both our countries' military are serving on a very important mission," the president said.
Ilves underlined the historic significance of the royal couple's visit as this is the first ever visit to Estonia by a Belgian head of state. He said Estonia values highly good relations with Belgium as one of the founding members of the European Union and a reliable and staunch partner in both the EU and NATO. The president gave King Albert II an overview of Estonian developments over the last 17 years.
"It is significant that the Estonian people are increasingly perceptive of the positive effect of EU entry on the development of the society as evidenced by steadily growing support for the bloc," Ilves said.
He recalled that 80 percent of Estonians see benefits to the country in EU membership and 74 percent are optimistic about the future of the alliance.
The king's schedule also included meeting with Parliament Speaker Ene Ergma and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, attending a business forum, visiting the Open Air Museum at Rocca al Mare on the outskirts of Tallinn and the KUMU art museum, and sightseeing around the medieval Old Town.
FOREIGN NEWS
Heads of Baltic Sea States Believe in Region's Competitiveness
June 4 - At the Baltic Business Forum in Riga, the 11 heads of the governments of the Baltic Sea States confirmed that the success of the region depends on the cooperation of the countries. Prime Minister Andrus Ansip stressed the importance of competitive economy and environmental safety and the need to invest in people and knowledge.
When talking about the future prospects of the Baltic Sea region, the Estonian Prime Minister found that the region must become one of the most technologically developed regions in the world.
In the current situation, according to Andrus Ansip, the uniform development of the Baltic Sea States is hindered by deficient infrastructure in certain locations. The Prime Minister mainly referred to the isolation of the electricity market of the Baltic States. The creation of an integrated and open electricity market, together with a playing field for those who are interested in buying and selling electricity, would definitely boost the development of our region, he noted.
Andrus Ansip stated that several energy cooperation projects are already under discussion. He stressed that these must be launched before the countries find separate and less efficient solutions for covering their electricity needs.
In parallel with energy issues, the Prime Minister thinks greater attention must be paid to the environment as well, which in the context of the Baltic Sea mainly means marine safety. Ansip noted that deficient infrastructure and safety measures may provide a short-term solution, but in the long run pose the risk of permanently damaging the Baltic Sea.
In conclusion, the Prime Minister stated that the Baltic Sea region should not attempt to compete with regions that rely on low-cost labour. I believe the key to our success lies in investing into people and knowledge, Ansip said. He noted that in order to remain competitive in the globalising economy, the region needs a flexible labour force with good qualifications. Our goal would be to establish a favourable environment for open-minded, innovative and qualified people.
Foreign Minister Paet Participated in Meeting of OECD Candidate Countries
June 5 - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in a meeting of the candidate countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. The meeting was organised thanks to Estonia's initiative.
This was the first meeting among the countries that received invitations to begin accession negotiations with the OECD last year, and they used the opportunity to discuss the timeline and content of the negotiations. Although the OECD is handling each of the countries individually and many of the issues in question are different, it is necessary for us to consult with one another, said Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet stated that as an OECD member, Estonia will first and foremost be able to join in the discussion on many topics that directly affect the OECD's standards and regulations. For example, the OECD is working out development co-operation and development assistance principles that will also be followed by donor countries that do not belong to the OECD, Paet noted. In addition, being an OECD member will grant us access to world-standard knowledge and information, and we will be able to share our own experiences, said the foreign minister. Paet added that Estonia has already done a lot of preparation work prior to receiving its invitation, and hopefully Estonia can join the OECD by the end of next year.
In addition to Estonia, representatives from Israel, Slovenia, Chile and Russia were also present at the meeting.
OECD is an organization of developed economies founded by 19 countries in 1961. It currently has 30 members.
Paet: The Complicated Situation in Developing Countries Affects Estonia
June 7 - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet gave a speech about development co-operation during the World Day festivities in Tallinn.
According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, it is all of our moral duty to support those that are less secure economically and socially. The complicated situations in developing countries affect Estonia and Europe as a whole-for example, strong immigration pressure from poor countries into Europe, or violence stemming from poverty and hopelessness, or terrorism, Paet noted.
The foreign minister confirmed that Estonia helps countries that have been struck by natural or manmade disasters as much as it can. Paet named some examples of places where Estonia has sent its humanitarian aid-to refugees of Afghanistan and Sudan, to clean up the ruins left by the China earthquake, to alleviate the food shortage in Burma, and to improve the situation for citizens of post-war Iraq.
While talking about the primary problems that developing countries are currently facing, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet named famine as a great problem in addition to frequent humanitarian disasters.
Estonia's bilateral development aid is primarily aimed at four countries-Afghanistan, Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. The priority nations were chosen on the basis of the needs of the countries and the added value Estonian aid could give to their development.
In 2008, Estonia's development aid will total more than 200 million kroons, of which 60 million kroons is from the budget of the Foreign Ministry.
Economic Minister, Russia's Transport Minister Discuss Possibilities for Cooperation
Jun 8 - Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts and Russia's Transport Minister Igor Levitin found that the joint Estonian-Russian commission for transport should be restored.
One of the goals of the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum was to discuss how to improve cooperation between the two countries in the field of transport infrastructure.
The duties of the joint transport commission set up in 2006 included finding ways to increase the throughput capacity of the border checkpoint of Narva and preparing for the possible construction of a new road bridge. The work of the commission was interrupted last year.
Levitin outlined to the Estonian minister Russia's plans as regards developing of infrastructure, including repairs on the railway between the Russian cities of Ivangorod and St. Petersburg. The ministers also spoke about restoration of the air link between Tallinn and St. Petersburg.
Agriculture Minister Meets with Ukrainian President
June 10 - Agriculture Minister Helir-Valdor Seeder, on a visit to Ukraine, met with President Victor Yushchenko; both confirmed the necessity of continued cooperation between the two countries.
The Ukrainian head of state acknowledged and voiced appreciation of Estonian support and held up this Baltic state as an example to other countries.
The president stressed that moving towards NATO and the European Union is Ukraine's priority.
Seeder underlined the importance of fostering bilateral cooperation.
The Estonian minister also met with his colleague Yuri Melnik. The ministers signed a memorandum on cooperation between their ministries.
The document outlines plans for developing economic and scientific relations in the fields of agriculture and the food industry.
The Estonian delegation headed by the minister also attended the opening of Ukraine's largest agriculture fair Agro 2008 and a seminar on the Ukrainian business environment organized jointly by Enterprise Estonia and the embassy in Kiev.
Estonian and Latvian Emergency Services Ready to Cooperate
June 10 - Estonian and Latvian emergency medical services are ready for cross-border cooperation but this requires an intergovernmental agreement.
Medics in the South Estonian town of Valga recall a case where a person who needed urgent medical care died because the town's sole emergency medical crew was away, transporting a patient to Tartu. Information did not reach the two crews of the neighbouring Latvian town of Valka because the communications systems of the two countries' emergency aid centres are not interconnected.
Under existing laws the emergency medical services of both Valga and Valka have the right to give first aid only in the territories of their own countries. "We can give a hand in Estonia only if interior ministers have concluded a respective agreement in the event of some major emergency," Veneranda Rubene, a nurse with the Valka emergency medical service said.
Medics of both towns believe that if information about help being needed got there and laws did not stand in the way, language would not be an obstacle to giving aid in the other country.
The open borders of the Schengen zone offer at least one advantage to emergency medical services: a sick citizen of the neighbouring country can be taken to his or her home country without any hassle.
Estonian-Russian Fishery Body Agrees Harvesting Terms for Lake Peipsi
June 10 - The Estonian-Russian inter-governmental fishery commission has, at a meeting in the Russian town of Pskov, agreed harvesting conditions in the second half of this year for Lake Peipsi that straddles the boundary between the two countries and settled matters relating to joint raids.
The sides set harvesting quotas for different species and decided which types of nets can be used at different times.
The parties confirmed that it is expedient to jointly supervise commercial fishing near the international boundary with the participation of both sides' border services and agreed to start joint raids in September or October.
The state of fish stocks was also under discussion in the meeting. The sides noted that the Peipsi lavaret, whitefish and sparling populations are in the poorest condition, and that the pike perch population is on the decline.
The pike stocks have meanwhile grown and the perch and roach populations also are satisfactory. The bream population remains the largest of all fish species found in Lake Peipsi.
Ambassadors of Andorra, Indonesia Present Credentials to President Ilves
June 5 - The new ambassador of Andorra, Jaume Gaytan Sansa, and the new Indonesian ambassador, Harry Purwati, presented their credentials to Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
In the meeting with the ambassador of Andorra, Ilves said he was glad that the principality had decided to appoint an ambassador to Estonia.
Ilves said that this will definitely intensify communication and cooperation between the two countries, which is very important in the case of small states.
Ilves suggested stepping up cooperation between the two countries in international organizations and bilaterally, in economy, culture and tourism alike.
Also talked about were possibilities to exchange experience in IT and telecommunications.
In the meeting with Ambassador Purwati, Ilves thanked Indonesia for scholarships within the framework of the Darmasiswa program which allow students from Estonia to get familiar with the local language, culture and arts in Indonesia.
Ilves invited Indonesian students to come to study in Estonian universities.
As regards the development of business ties between the countries, the ambassador and the president saw untapped opportunities first and foremost in the area of tourism and also described development of cooperation in the field of information technology as important.
DEFENCE NEWS
Chief of Nordic Battle Group Commends Estonian Soldiers
June 10 - Commander of the European Union's Nordic Battle Group Brig. Gen. Karl Engelbrektsson visited the Estonian Peace Operations Centre in Paldiski to pay tribute to Estonian soldiers serving in the group.
The Estonian military that, since the beginning of this year, has been on standby as part of the battle group was commended at an afternoon ceremony.
Estonia contributed 49 defence forces personnel including a staff defence unit formed of members of the Kaitseliit (Defence League) voluntary corps, a military police team and staff officers to the Swedish-led Nordic Battle Group. The contingent's six-month standby period ends on June 30.
The Nordic Battle Group is made up of units assigned by the lead country of the force, Sweden, as well as by Estonia, Finland, Ireland and Norway.
The EU battle groups are tactical rapid response units of about 1,500 members that must be ready for deployment to crisis areas up to 6,000 kilometres from Brussels within up to 15 days of a unanimous deployment decision of EU members.
Romania to Join NATO Cyber Defence Centre
June 9 - The commander of the Romanian defence forces, Adm. Georghe Marin, now on a visit to Estonia, announced his country's decision to join the Estonia-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and post a Romanian expert to it.
"I was deeply impressed by what I saw. Estonia has achieved much in a short time span by making a very thorough and methodical contribution to information technology. The domain of cyber defence, like information technology as a whole, is of extreme importance in the modern world, including the present-day field of battle," the admiral said.
Romania can benefit from the Estonian experience as the Baltic state is an e-state example deserving attention both within and outside NATO, Marin said.
After a formal reception ceremony in front of the General Staff headquarters in Tallinn, the Romanian army chief met with his colleague Lt. Gen. Ants Laaneots who gave him an overview of the plans for the future development of Estonian armed forces.
DOMESTIC NEWS
Participation Web Brings New Level of Political Participation
June 4 - From now on, the ideas and proposals of citizens to the government are expected via the participation web at the address www.osale.ee. The participation web will continue the traditions of the current citizen's portal Täna Otsustan Mina (Today, I Decide) or TOM.
The Minister for Regional Affairs Siim-Valmar Kiisler opened an idea contest in the participation web, where everyone can make suggestions to the state for simplifying public services.
I am very glad that I can open the idea contest, when talking about the participation web. It will tie together two very important topics for the future of Estonia's citizen initiative and development of the e-state, said Kiisler.
The participation web provides several opportunities for having a say in the state matters. First, everyone can express their ideas on any issues that need fixing in Estonia. It is possible to vote and comment on the idea in the web and after that, the Ministry will disclose its official viewpoint as well.
Second, the drafts being processed by the government can be accessed in the participation web. The Ministry will publish the drafts for public discussion and interested people can express their opinions. Finally, all opinions that have been received will be analysed and an official will provide feedback.
Considering the great international interest towards the Estonian experience in e-elections, a freeware platform has been established, which could be used outside Estonia as well. The software allows for public discussions to be held on public issues. We have created an e-product that has been established by analysing the experience with TOM. We added upgrades to increase user-friendliness, said Liia Hänni, Programme Manager of the eGovernance Academy.
The software was created by the e-Governance Academy in cooperation with the State Chancellery. Product development was funded by the European Union.
Through the portal TOM, which has been operating since 2001, more than 7000 users have presented their ideas to the government and discussed various topics concerning Estonian society.
The first part of the participation web was opened in July 2007. In ten months, 18 public consultations on several drafts have been held. The topics range from the general principles of the Estonian European Union policy to the Forestry Act. Every consultation is read 3000 times on average.
CULTURAL NEWS
Man with Estonian Roots Wins Indigenous Literature Prize in Alaska
Jun 7 - Walter Johnson, a man with Estonian roots, won one of five HAIL (Honouring Alaska's Indigenous Literature) awards for 2007-2008.
According to Juneau Empire Johnson was honoured for his publication "Sukdu Nel Nuhghelnek: I'll Tell you a Story." The book contains 14 stories that give a vivid sense of mid 20th-century life on Iliamna Lake.
The stories are a colourful portrait of Dena'ina life and language, with both the book and its CD function useable as language learning tools.
Johnson was born on June 14, 1922 in Alaska of Alf Johnson, of Estonia, and Annie Rickteroff.
Walter Johnson was the youngest of 12 children and spent much of his early life as an only child on Iliamna Lake. His fluency in his native language, making him a rarity among the Dena'ina people of Old Iliamna Village, is due to his mother only speaking Dena'ina at home. His mother also passed on to him much of the oral history and literature of the Dena'ina people of the area.
The Dena'ina people now number about 1,400 and less than a hundred of them are fluent in Dena'ina.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Currency Rates in Kroons
(Bank of Estonia)
Microsoft Plans to Open Development Centre in Autumn
June 6 - The software giant Microsoft is setting up a development centre in Estonia which it hopes together with partners to open in the fall and which could enable local information technology companies to earn billions of kroons.
A year should show whether the project is viable, Microsoft believes.
The development centre is supposed to gather the best of local e-solutions, help fine-tune them into final products and make them available to Microsoft's partners across the world, including other governments.
"We have the reputation of e-stonia but we have not been able to cash in on it," Regional Affairs Minister Siim Kiisler said.
The head of Microsoft Eesti, Rain Laane, said the first step that needs to be taken is to put together a so-to-say telephone directory, gather the best e-state experience and then identify the solutions that could be taken to foreign markets.
Clones of Online Meeting Place Rate.ee Operating in 20 European Countries
June 5 - The founder of the popular Estonian social networking site Rate.ee, Andrei Korobeinik, has to date launched clones of the site in 20 European countries and is eyeing North Africa and South America as prospective markets.
"We're doing the best in the Balkans: Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. There's not much competition and the markets are expanding fast.
"We're also present but not very viable in West Europe. It's hard to make a start in Asia because of the mentality differences, but North Africa appears interesting," Korobeinik explained Rate's world map.
A Rate analogue had been launched in Azerbaijan, the company's map will soon feature also countries like Kazakhstan, Georgia and Brazil where Korobeinik said both Internet use and social networking are growing at a fast pace.
According to Korobeinik, Rate Solutions sites have around two million users a month, excluding the Estonian site Rate.ee.
In each country the same business model and technological platform are used, revenue is earned from the same services and even the site design is the same.
Fish Yield Increases 11.5% on year to 783.6 Tons
June 9 - The commercial catch of fish grown in Estonia reached 783.6 tons in 2007, an increase of 11.5 percent over 2006.
The catch of rainbow trout, the leading species, grew 18.8 percent to 618 tons.
The catch of commercially grown eel increased from 40 tons in 2006 to 45 tons last year, whereas the catch of carp dropped 65.4 percent to 27.6 tons.
At 11.3 Percent, May Inflation in Estonia Still Lowest in Baltics
June 9 - Of the three Baltic countries, Estonia boasted the lowest annual inflation in May.
Estonia's annual GDP growth rate, 11.3 percent, was just below that of Lithuania (12 percent) and less than two-thirds of the Latvian rate of 17.9 percent.
In comparison with April, prices grew 0.6 percent in Estonia, 0.8 percent in Lithuania and 0.9 percent in Latvia in May.
Estonian Banks Have Almost 1.55 Mln Internet Customers
June 5 - Commercial banks in Estonia had 1,548,426 customers using their online banking services at the end of May, 8,679 more than a month earlier.
The number telephone banking services users increased by 10,325 during the month to 600,599.
The online bank of Hansapank had the most customers at the end of May - 799,859.
Estonian shipper Tallink posts 9.6 pct annual rise in passengers for May
Jun 4 - Ships of the listed Estonian shipper Tallink Grupp carried 591,400 passengers during May, which marks a 9.6 percent increase over the same month a year ago.
The biggest rise was recorded on the Tallinn-Helsinki route where the number of passengers grew 26.8 percent, aided by the full-month operation of Tallink's two new Shuttle vessels, Star and Superstar, Tallink told the stock exchange.
The number of passengers travelling between the Estonian and Finnish capitals was 267,278.
In the third quarter of the financial year, 1.627 million passengers travelled on the ships of Tallink, which is 4.2 percent more than in the same quarter a year ago. The number of cargo units declined 10.8 percent to 84,761.
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