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Estonian Review: January 09-22, 2006
26.01.2006
TOP NEWS
FOREIGN NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
IN MEMORIUM
SPORTS NEWS
TOP NEWS
Baltics due to accede to Schengen space on 28 Oct. 2007
Jan 13 - The likely date for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to accede to the Schengen legal space is 28 October next year, officials have said.
Piret Lilleväli, the Schengen co-ordinator at the Estonian Interior Ministry, told reporters that usually new countries become part of the legal space on a date when the winter or summer air traffic schedule takes effect.
The Baltic States wish to join the Schengen Treaty together in 2007.
Lilleväli said the planned accession date for the Baltic countries was on 28 October next year, when the winter schedule of flights steps into effect. She emphasized that this was the planned date that was not endorsed yet.
The readiness of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to become part of the Schengen legal space will be evaluated by EU evaluation missions. The first evaluations will be conducted in May and June this year and the last ones in April-September 2007.
A progress report on Estonia will be submitted in December 2006, while in February-March 2007 additional visits to Estonia by missions from the member states are possible. Final decisions about the findings of the evaluations and abolition of checks on internal borders are to be made by fall 2007.
Estonia hopeful of Bulgaria's accession to EU in 2007
Jan 10 - Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Ivailo Kalfin visited Estonia from the 9-10 January. During the visit, he met with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Economics and Communications Minister Edgar Savisaar, Director of European Affairs, Gert Antsu and the Director General of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Siim Raie.
At the press conference held in the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Paet noted Estonia's firm backing of Bulgaria's accession to the European Union. "Estonia has very clearly expressed its political support for Bulgaria's membership of the EU by signing the accession agreement and being one of the first EU member countries to ratify it," said Paet.
Nevertheless, he said that the Balkan country needs to carry out a number of reforms to which the EU's executive Commission has drawn attention before achieving membership of the bloc. "I'm certain Bulgaria will manage to implement the necessary reforms in time. If the Bulgarian parliament can maintain the current pace of the legislative process the deadline of Jan. 1, 2007 should cause no problems," said Paet.
Kalfin voiced his hope that the opening of an Estonian embassy in the Bulgarian capital Sofia will lead to closer economic and cultural ties between the two countries. In his words, bilateral co-operation has good prospects in the sphere of tourism.
Paet added that Estonia and Bulgaria have traditionally got along well. "As an instance, the Estonian embassy in Helsinki, which during the years of Soviet occupation housed the Bulgarian embassy, can be mentioned. After Estonia regained its independence Bulgaria made a political gesture and put the embassy building at Estonia's disposal," he said.
Also, Foreign Minister Paet expressed Estonia's full support to settle the problem of Bulgarian nurses detained in Libya.
"Estonia can express its attitude both in the European Union framework and in bi-lateral contacts with Libya should they happen," the minister said.
Estonian Parliament to discuss endorsement of EU Constitutional Treaty in February
Jan 16 - The Constitutional Committee of the Estonian parliament has decided to schedule the first reading of the European Union's Constitutional Treaty for 8 February.
We will start ratification debates in parliament on that date, said Reinsalu, adding that he hoped for Estonia to ratify the treaty by this spring.
We wish to indicate to the 10 or so countries, which are still hesitating on the treaty to take positive action too, Reinsalu said. By fixing the start of parliamentary ratification in Estonia, we express our sincere solidarity with Austria, which as the holder of the EU presidency and has made the EU Constitution one of its priorities, he added.
FOREIGN NEWS
Estonian president visited the United States
Jan 21 - Estonian President Arnold Rüütel was on an official state visit to the USA, where he met with Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsome. Rüütel talked about Estonia's progress. The two also discussed social issues, in particular the accessibility of healthcare services and unemployment in both countries.
The President continued his trip to Silicon Valley, where he met with the mayor of Sunnyvale and members of the local chamber of commerce to talk about Estonia's business environment. He met with David Filo and Dan Rosensweig from the Internet Company, Yahoo, who gave the president an overview of the company's activities and expressed interest in co-operation with Estonia. Likewise, the president met with Bill Haerle, Director of Government relations for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
At the Ames Research Centre of NASA, the president was told primarily about NASA's Mars-related research, and about co-operation with Egyptologists.
Additionally, President Rüütel had dinner with a prominent local investor of Estonian extraction, Steve Jürvetson, as well as meeting with expatriates from the local Estonian community.
The President gave a speech at the non-profit organization, World Affairs Council of Northern California, where he underscored the role of values in world policy. He noted that the USA never abandoned its value-based recognition of the Baltic States, despite their small size.
At the Centre for Quantitative Biomedical Research, Head of the centre, Douglas Crawford, acquainted the president with recent developments in the treatment of cancer.
At Stanford University, the president expressed hope that the university could find common research topics with Estonian academics.
As head of state and a former rector of a university, I would of course also welcome an active movement of academics and students between Stanford University and Estonian universities, the president said.
Estonian MEP: EU should deal with energy policy risks
Jan 17 - Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament Toomas Hendrik Ilves, elected from Estonia, has launched an appeal to intensely deal with the grounding of risks accompanying the reliability of the supply of energy resources.
Ilves made a speech in the full house of the European Parliament, describing the utterly political nature of the recent Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute.
Speaking during a discussion devoted to the reliability of the supply of energy resources, particularly natural gas, Ilves said that the pressure put on Ukraine and Moldova, countries that had chosen a pro-European political course, by means of stopping gas supply to them, confirmed that lack of a clear energy security policy increased risks for the whole of Europe.
Estonian MEP cites Russia for measures of force against Moldova
Jan 13 - The head of the European Parliament's delegation for Moldova, Estonian MEP Marianne Mikko, has expressed concern over sufferings that the abrupt discontinuation of Russian gas supplies in the coldest time of the year is bringing on residents of Moldova.
Mikko said that based on human considerations alone Gazprom should not resort to such rude blackmail.
"Differences between countries must be solved on the political level and profit-seeking enterprises should be acting solely on economic grounds," Mikko said.
The head of the Europarliament delegation on Moldova emphasized in her official statement that she doesn't approve of indiscriminate use of economic and political tools of pressure to satisfy one's imperialistic ambitions.
Mikko expressed hope that the European Union will be able under the guidance of the Austrian presidency to make an effective contribution to solving the present conflict and avoiding similar incidents in the future.
Estonian Parliament sets up association in defence of democracy in Belarus
Jan 19 - An association in defence of democracy in Belarus was set up in the Estonian parliament.
Vladimir Velman became Chairman and Andres Herkel Deputy Chairman of the 26-member association.
Herkel said the Belarus issue was topical in connection with the presidential elections on 19 March and the antirevolutionary acts passed at the end of last year in Belarus. The latter significantly restricts political liberties.
The parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee is planning to hold a public session on Belarus, 7 February, where Ivan Czurylowicz, representative of the presidential candidate of the Belarusian united democratic opposition, Aleksander Milinkevich, is expected to take part. Milinkevich was elected presidential candidate last October by the oppositional congress in Minsk. He represents a wide oppositional coalition of ten parties and more than two hundred civic associations.
Herkel, head of the Belarus subcommittee in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said that if the motion is carried through, there will be an extraordinary debate on the Belarus issue at a full session of PACE on 26 January.
Estonian Ex-PM advises Georgian government
Jan 18 - Former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar,, is in Georgia from 19-24 January, advising the government and institutions on economic reform.
In addition to meetings with ministers and government officials, Laar is delivering two public lectures in Thbilisi.
Laar said he regarded the opportunity to help Georgia as a matter of honour.
"No one foreign adviser will certainly be able to bring the country out from its complicated situation," he said. "This can only be done by people of the country who must find the solutions suitable for their country, its history and traditions. At the same time other countries' experience is always useful in carrying out economic reforms, if only to learn from their mistakes."
Estonia sent police expert to Kyrgystan
Jan 17 - Tarmo Viikmaa, leading constable of the Estonian Law Enforcement Police flew to Kyrgyzstan as part of a mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Viikmaa, leading constable of the analysis and surveillance service in the Law Enforcement Police, is employed as a community-centred police work expert at the OSCE centre in Kyrgyzstan; he will be in that country until January 2007.
Estonian Interior Minister discussed EU Internal Security with Colleagues in Austria
Jan 14 - Estonian Interior Minister Kalle Laanet attended the meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Vienna where discussions were held regarding improvements to the operative partnerships between institutions ensuring internal security for members states and co-ordination of the activities between them as well as the future of Europol. In the framework of the meeting, Laanet also met with British Interior Minister Charles Clark to reflect back upon Britain's European presidency, and the Interior Ministers of Latvia and Lithuania to discuss plans for a future meeting of the Baltic Ministers.
Estonia's Agricultural Minister met with several colleagues in Germany
Jan 14 - The Estonian Minister of Agriculture, Ester Tuiksoo, met with several of her foreign counterparts during the Grüne Woche food and agriculture fair in Berlin on Friday, 13 January.
Tuiksoo spoke about Baltic co-operation and joint activity in the Nordic Council of Ministers with her colleagues from Latvia and Lithuania.
She met with Danish Minister for Family and Consumer Affairs, Lars Barfoed where the two discussed co-operation between the two ministries
Tuiksoo also had a meeting with the Farm Minister of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Christian von Boetticher, with whom a memorandum on co-operation between the two ministries for the years 2006-2010 was signed.
A co-operation agreement was also signed with the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Estonian Legal Chancellor advises Jordan on Building up Ombudsman's institution
Jan 19 - Estonian Legal Chancellor Allar Jõks is in the Jordanian capital Amman from 20-23 January, advising the country in the building of the ombudsman's institution.
Jõks would take part as an expert in the creation of the legal basis and the ombudsman's law as part of a project launched by the Danish government. During the visit, the working group will meet with the Jordanian Justice Minister and Political Development Minister.
Jõks has earlier advised Jordan in 2004 when he took part in a conference on the possibility of the ombudsman's institution and made a report on the Estonian experience in building up the ombudsman's institution.
Estonia drops visa requirement to Bosnian diplomats
Jan 12 - The Estonian government ruled to lift visa requirements to holders of Bosnian diplomatic passports for stays of up to 90 days within a period of six months.
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled last summer to unilaterally drop the visa requirement to Estonian nationals visiting the country for up to 90 days.
Estonia appointed ambassador to Romania, Bulgaria
Jan 09 - President Arnold Rüütel signed a resolution to appoint Estonia's ambassador to Poland, Ants Frosch, also as non-resident ambassador to Romania and Bulgaria. Frosch will reside in Warsaw.
Frosch was appointed ambassador to Warsaw in July and presented his credentials at the beginning of September 2005.
DEFENCE NEWS
Finland plans to continue its support of BALTDEFCOL
Jan 09 - Estonian Defence Minister Jürgen Ligi met with his opposite number in Finland, Seppo Kääriäinen.
The purpose of this visit was primarily to get acquainted with Finland's agenda for the rotating presidency of the European Union, which it is scheduled to take over after Austria's term ends in June. The Ministers also discussed the development of European battle groups, regional co-operation and international operations.
In the area of regional co-operation, Finland has promised to support the Baltic Defence College BALTDEFCOL, based in Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city, for at least two more years by providing the college with teaching staff. Estonia's Defence Minister Jürgen Ligi and his Finnish counterpart, Seppo Kääräinen agreed that co-operation between the two countries' continues to follow a harmonious path and exhibits a spirit of mutual understanding and support.
Speaking about regional co-operation in the broader sense, the ministers noted the development of Nordic battle groups to which Sweden, Finland, Norway and Estonia contribute and which should be operational in the first half of 2008.
The ministers further spoke about questions relating to Ukraine. Both Ligi and Kääriäinen found that it is at present essential to support Ukraine's aspirations towards European integration.
Ligi also spoke with chairman of the Finnish parliament's national defence committee, Kauko Juhantalo, focusing on airspace security and questions related to NATO.
International exercises to take Estonian soldiers to Africa in 2006
Jan 08 - Estonian soldiers are going to take part in a number of major international exercises this year, including training in Africa.
NATO's key training in 2006, Steadfast Jackpot, is scheduled for May in the Cape Verde islands off West Africa.
Estonia will be sending about 10 staff officers and subordinate officers as well as several officers serving on NATO staff to the exercise.
About a dozen troops will take part also in the Combined Endeavor communications drills to be held in Germany in May in which communications units from 41 countries are going to test their equipment and preparedness for foreign missions.
In May an exercise codenamed, Spring Storm will take place in Estonia in which primarily soldiers whose military service is about to end will take part. Field training is planned also for the staff of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Scouts Battalion and mission units.
The navy's major event this year is the minesweeping exercise Open Spirit 2006 in September in which more than 20 vessels from over 10 countries are expected to participate.
The air force is going to host in July the Baltic Bikini sea survival exercise with participants coming from Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark.
Estonian Staff officer replaced in Bosnia
Jan 14 - 1st Ltn. Kersti Kelder of the Estonian defence forces flew to Bosnia and Herzegovina to serve for the next six months on a peacekeeping mission at NATO staff headquarters in Sarajevo. Kelder is serving as senior staff officer, responsible for personnel affairs.
Estonia has a 28-strong unit of Kaitseliit (Defence League) volunteers serving as guards and defence crew at the Tuzla air base, three staff officers and one staff NCO deployed with the EU military operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Estonia's Afghanistan Mission Unit to leave for training in UK
Jan 18 - Forty-five members of the Estonian defence forces, who will this year be dispatched to a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, flew to Great Britain.
The aim of the Herrick Eagle exercise, taking place in Great Britain until 3 February is to check readiness of the units for operation in Southern Afghanistan.
The Estonian units taking part in the exercises include: the infantry company ESTCOY-2, military observation team MOT-2, a logistics unit and one staff officer. According to the present plans the same units will be sent to serve in the Helmand province in Southern Afghanistan in the first half of this year.
Estonian army chief attended Nordic battle group meeting
Jan 20 - The commander of the Estonian defence forces, Vice Adm. Tarmo Kõuts, took part in a working meeting of EU Nordic battle group countries to review what has been accomplished so far and discuss plans for the future.
Battle groups are rapid reaction units of the European Union. The Nordic battle group developed under Swedish leadership will include troops from Estonia, Finland and non-EU member Norway.
Plans are for the unit to reach operational readiness by the beginning of 2008. Estonia is going to contribute staff officers and one light infantry platoon to the battle group.
Before the meeting in Stockholm, Kõuts took part in a meeting of army chiefs of the Nordic and Baltic countries in Denmark. His colleagues attended the two-day meeting in Copenhagen from Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
The participants briefed their colleagues about their plans for the coming years. "It is essential to be informed about what one's neighbours are doing," Kõuts said.
Other topics discussed in the meeting concerned participation in operations abroad, transformation of defence forces, and military structures of NATO and the EU.
Commanders of the Nordic and Baltic countries' defence forces met in Sweden last year and in Rakvere, Estonia in 2003.
DOMESTIC NEWS
Estonian president: revellers never got access to state secrets
Jan 22 - In a statement published Sunday evening, 22 January, President Arnold Rüütel and his wife Ingrid Rüütel assured the public that documents containing state secrets never got into the sight of unauthorized persons during the parties held by their two granddaughters at the presidential palace.
It is also certain that the young revellers were never able to enter the offices of employees of the president's office because after the end of each working day all doors are locked and the keys handed to police, the statement said.
The presidential couple said they had held an in-depth discussion with the grandchildren of what had happened.
"They understand what they have done wrong and greatly regret it. It was a painful lesson to learn and we hope that it will not accompany them for the rest of their lives," the president and his wife said, thanking everybody who had shown understanding and offered words of support at this difficult moment.
Estonians' support for EU Constitution grows - survey
Jan 20 - Estonians' support for the Constitutional Treaty of the European Union has significantly risen; it appears from a Eurobarometer survey published today.
Last autumn 51 percent, last spring 46 percent, and in fall 2004, 32 percent of the polled backed the EU charter.
Support has grown first and foremost on account of people who previously had no opinion on the EU Constitution. Numbers of opponents have increased slightly.
Some 59 percent of Estonians are for a revision of the Constitutional Treaty, 14 percent are of the opinion the ratification process should continue and 13 percent find the treaty should be dropped altogether.
Estonians' support for the EU charter is based on their belief it will make the functioning of European institutions more efficient. This opinion was expressed by 59 percent of the interviewed.
People in Estonia are less afraid of losing their job - survey
Jan 17 - Companies in Estonia are doing well and the optimism of employees has grown, with most working people having no fear of losing their job, it appears from a recent survey by Saar Poll.
Respondents in the poll mostly saw loss of their present job or transfer to different work as unlikely; only one-tenth of employees feared losing their job, which is two times less than in 1998.
Sixty-nine percent of respondents believe that they will definitely or probably get a new job corresponding to their skills and experience if they lose the present one. In 1998, only 55 percent of those interviewed thought so.
The pollster interviewed 1,002 employed persons for the survey.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Estonia to sign agreements on last Schengen Facility procurements this summer
Jan 13 - Estonia is planning to conclude the last agreements on acquisitions of equipment under the EU's Schengen Facility programme early this summer, said Merle Kungas, Deputy Secretary General for administration at the Estonian Interior Ministry.
Under the programme, the European Commission is giving Estonia 77 million Euros or approximately 1.2 billion kroons to upgrade facilities serving the country's external border and bring them into conformity with Schengen requirements.
Of the 87 projects to be financed from the Schengen Facility in Estonia, 59 are run by the Border Guard Board, 13 by the Citizenship and Migration Board, six by the Foreign Ministry, three by the national police authority, three by the central criminal police and one by the Interior Ministry.
Estonian transport, environmental projects to get 115 Million Euros financing from EU
Jan 16 - The European Commission has signed resolutions on financing four Estonian transport and environment projects in the sum of 1.8 billion kroons (EUR 115 mln) from the European Union's cohesion funds.
The projects concern reconstruction of the Tallinn airport's air traffic area, expansion of the airport's passenger terminal, repair of parts of the highway stretching from Tallinn through Tartu and Võru to Luhamaa on the southeastern border, and upgrading of the water and wastewater treatment systems of the catchment area of the Emajõgi and Võhandu rivers, the Finance Ministry reports.
Estonian Supreme Court to discuss adoption of Euro
Jan 16 - The Constitutional Committee and European Affairs Committees of the Estonian Parliament have introduced a bill to ask the position of the Supreme Court whether adoption of the euro in 2007 is in keeping with the Constitution.
In conditions of full membership in the European economic and monetary union the Estonian kroon will be withdrawn from circulation and the Bank of Estonia will start taking part in organizing circulation of the euro in accordance with Estonia's obligations to the European Union.
According to the Estonian Constitution, the Bank of Estonia has the sole right to issue Estonian currency. The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia Amendment Act specifies that as of Estonia's accession to the European Union, the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia apply taking account of the rights and obligations rising from the Accession Treaty.
The constitutional committee wishes to have the first reading of the bill, asking for the Supreme Court's position on 25 January and to pass the bill at its first reading.
Estonia ends fiscal year with estimated surplus of 153 million Euros
Jan 09 - Estonia achieved a budget surplus of 2.4 billion kroons (EUR 153 mln) in 2005, tentative estimates by the Finance Ministry show.
A total of 55.1 billion kroons was accumulated as budget revenue and payments worth 52.7 billion kroons were made out of the state budget during the fiscal year. A substantive amount of the extra money will be used to finance expenditure not financed in 2005 and carried over to the new year. The exact volume of such expenditure will become clear during January.
Final data about revenue and expenditures in 2005 will be presented in the fiscal year's consolidated report.
Estonian Ministry to help in integration of Russian minority children
Jan 16 - Cilja Laud, head of the ethnic minorities department recently set up at the Estonian Education Ministry, said she did not see her mission in the assimilation of Russian children, but wanted them to have free command of the official language after leaving secondary school, allowing them to be competitive on the labour market.
According to Laud the department has two big aims.
"The first of them is connected with transition of Russian schools to bilingualism. I don't like the term "transition to instruction in Estonian," as the expression is negatively charged," Laud said.
The other trend of activity, she said, was preservation of the culture and language of ethnic minorities.
Estonian Air to launch direct flights to Barcelona
Jan 11 - Estonian Air will on 14 May launch direct flights from Tallinn to Barcelona, Spain.
There will be four weekly flights, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, the national carrier reported.
Vice President Mart Relve said in a comment on the opening of the new service that Spain has become a popular destination among Estonians and that people go there for cultural tours as well as for holidays.
"The flight to Barcelona will at the same time be the longest regular one for Estonian Air, lasting nearly four hours," Relve observed.
Estonian Air offers regular flights to 14 destinations throughout Europe.
Estonia's economic growth ranks second in the EU
Jan 13 - According to Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union (EU), Estonia ranked second in the European Union for its economic growth of 10.4 percent in Q3.
Eurostat's economic growth results showed that Latvia's economy grew the fastest in the EU in Q3.
Following Estonia came Lithuania and Slovenia, whose gross domestic product grew in the same period by 8.5 percent and 6.2 percent respectively.
Currency Rates in Kroons
January 22, 2005
British pound - GBP - 22.766
Canadian dollar - CAD - 11.127
Swiss franc - CHF - 10.082
Danish krone - DKK - 2.097
Japanese yen - JPY - 0.112
Latvian lat - LVL - 22.480
Lithuanian lit - LTL - 4.532
Norwegian krone - NOK - 1.929
Russian rouble - RUB - 0.458
Swedish krona - SEK - 1.678
US dollar - USD - 12.951
Euro - EUR - 15.647
IN MEMORIUM
Prominent Estonian stage director Mikk Mikiver dies
Jan 09 - The Grand Old Man of Estonian theatre, the talented actor and director Mikk Mikiver passed away. He was 68.
Born in Tallinn on Sept. 4, 1937, Mikiver graduated in acting from the state conservatory of Tallinn in 1961.
During his career as an actor, he had played hundreds of roles.
He has worked as principal director at the Estonian Drama Theatre and the Estonian Youth Theatre.
Mikiver's rare charm as an actor was admired by several generations of theatregoers.
His life's work includes the directing of various plays.
In his great national dramas, Mikiver combined with staggering clarity, the stories of individuals and the nation, intertwining the fate, ethical choices and responsibility of an individual with one's nation. Mikiver's theatre managed to be both intimate and solemn at the same time.
Mikiver has received the Order of the White Star, 4th class, and the national lifetime achievement award for his outstanding accomplishments.
SPORTS NEWS
Estonia to send 27 athletes to Olympic Winter Games in Turin
Jan 18 - The Executive council of the Estonian Olympic Committee (EOC) has endorsed a list of 27 athletes to represent Estonia at the XX Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy; the whole Estonian delegation has 58 members.
The athletes competing in Nordic skiing events include: Salt Lake gold medallist Andrus Veerpalu, bronze medallist of the 2002 Olympics Jaak Mäe and seven other male skiers; among the women heading for the Winter Games is 2003 World Champion Kristina Šmigun, said Marti Raju, head of the EOC achievement sport division.
In addition, there will be six Biathlonists, three Figure Skaters, two Downhill Skiers and two Ski Jumpers representing the Estonian team.
The EOC is expected to present to the IOC the final list of sportsmen to be dispatched to Turin by January 30 at the latest.
EESTI RINGVAADE is compiled from local news services, including BNS, and is issued by the Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Eesti Ringvaade is also available through the Internet at http://www.vm.ee
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