Estonian Review 10-16 December 2010

FOREIGN NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS

Poland to Join NATO Cyber Defence Centre

10 December - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that during their meeting in Tallinn today, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski noted that Poland would like to become a full member of the NATO Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. “The more NATO members we have participating in the work of the centre, the more qualified the centre will be to offer high-level cyber-related advice to NATO member states,” said Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet said that one of Poland’s priority topics during its European Union presidency in the second half of next year will be Eastern Partnership, and Poland sees 2011 as being the year of Easter Partnership relations in the EU. “The sufficient and fair financing of Eastern Partnership, development of transport connections, facilitation of visa regimes and the conclusion of many kinds of agreements could be the keywords for the year of Eastern Partnership relations,” he added.
In talking about regional infrastructure projects, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet confirmed that Estonia has fulfilled the development works for the first stage of RailBaltica, and all of the renovation work should be completed by the end of 2011. “We would like to have close co-operation in opening train traffic on the tracks from Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas-Warsaw,” emphasised Paet at the meeting.
Paet said that Poland is a very important partner for Estonia in both the European Union and NATO. “Our relations are close and supportive. Evidence of this is the visa representation agreement between Poland and Estonia that came into effect in April 2010, which functions very well. On the basis of the representation agreement, Estonia has accepted 104 visa applications for Poland in Pskov,” he added.
“Poland’s participation in the air policing of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania’s skies is also vitally important. Poland has protected the Baltic airspace for three rotation periods, and it has promised to participate again,” acknowledged Foreign Minister Paet.
The foreign ministers also addressed matters related to energy policy, which is another priority of Poland’s European Union presidency. “In order to ensure Europe’s energy security, it is necessary to diversify suppliers and sources. In light of financing energy projects, the new European Union financial perspective for the years 2014-2020 is also very important,” Paet noted.
At their meeting the foreign ministers also discussed European Union enlargement, EU relations with Russia, and the results of the last NATO and OSCE summits.

Foreign Minister Paet Met with Pope Benedictus XVI

15 December - At his meeting today in the Vatican with Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Pope Benedictus XVI recognised Estonia’s successful development and congratulated Estonia on the upcoming 20th anniversary of the restoration of its independence. The Pope stated that Estonia has achieved a great deal.
Paet also spoke to Pope Benedictus XVI about the visible role of the Catholic community in Estonia and invited the Pope to visit Estonia.
Yesterday Foreign Minister Paet met with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States (Foreign Minister) Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. At their meeting, they discussed Estonia-Vatican bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Paet also gave an overview of Estonia’s transition to the euro zone and plans for Tallinn 2011 Capital of Culture. In addition, Foreign Minister Paet and Archbishop Mamberti talked about European Union enlargement.
Paet and Mamberti also discussed the situation in the world’s greatest conflict regions. “The humanitarian aid given by Estonia has grown tenfold over the past five years,” Foreign Minister Paet said during the meeting. “Estonia has helped Haiti and Pakistan, the two greatest disaster regions of 2010, with voluntary donations to international humanitarian aid organisations and by sending rescue team experts to those locations,” he added.
The two also discussed the world’s most severe humanitarian disaster, Sudan. To help alleviate the situation there, Estonia has every year made donations to UN humanitarian aid organisations.

Estonia Helps Haiti Manage Cholera Epidemic

12 December - Estonia is supporting the activities of UNICEF in alleviating the situation of residents of Haiti, particularly woman and children, during the cholera epidemic. To this end the Foreign Ministry is allocating nearly 60 000 euros to support UNICEF.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the complicated humanitarian situation in Haiti, which suffered an earthquake at the beginning of this year, has gotten even worse as a result of the vast cholera epidemic that began in October. “Over 2 100 people have already died due to the epidemic, and nearly 45 000 have been taken to hospitals. The situation is very critical in regions that suffered as a result of the earthquake, where the need for humanitarian aid is especially great,” Paet emphasised. “In order to prevent the further spread of the epidemic, the clean water issue must be resolved and sanitary and hygiene problems must be improved,” he added.
The goal of UNICEF’s activities in Haiti is to improve the situation for people, especially women and children, living in temporary camps by increasing the availability of clean water and ensuring hygienic conditions. In order to help the million resettled residents, including 420 000 children and 300 000 women, UNICEF will need 18.8 million EUR.
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake that took place on 12 January of this year caused extensive destruction in Haiti and left 1.5 million people without homes, clean water, and normal sanitary conditions.

Europe Sets Course for Free Trade and Visa Freedom with Eastern Partners

13 December - At the meeting of European Union and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers in Brussels today, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that very rapid and practical steps towards free trade and visa freedom are needed in the European Union’s relations with Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. Paet stated that the European Union must first and foremost be successful in its own neighbourhood. “It is clear that the EU’s relations with its neighbours must predominantly be based on real developments in those nations. The speed of progress in free trade and visa freedom is dependent on these developments,” he added. Paet stated that it is also of utmost importance to create new energy and transport connections between EU members and Eastern Partner states.
Foreign Minister Paet acknowledged that although steps have been taken to kick off Eastern Partnership, there is still a great deal to be done. “Strengthening Eastern Partnership is the shared obligation of the European Union and its partners. The European Union must be more open and helpful, while the partners must develop more vigorously,” noted Foreign Minister Paet.
During the meeting Foreign Minister Paet also gave an overview of the Eastern Partnership training centre being established in Tallinn, the goal of which is to increase the administrative capability of the public sector and to share experiences.

Estonia Expresses Support for Continued EU Enlargement

14 December - Today in Brussels the European Union foreign ministers confirmed that accession negotiations with Turkey, Croatia and Iceland would continue and relations would be intensified with Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, keeping in mind that the future of those nations can also be in the European Union.
“We would like for the European Union to be strongly committed to continuing the enlargement process and to be objective in terms of candidate states,” Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said. Paet also noted that accession negotiations with Croatia have reached a crucial stage and that negotiations could be completed in 2011.
Paet said that Estonia supports European Union prospects for Western Balkans states. “We recognise the steps taken during the last year by nations in the region and encourage the Western Balkans to carry out necessary reforms,” said Paet.
Estonia supports giving candidate nation status to Montenegro and starting accession negotiations when Montenegro has fulfilled the recommendations of the European Commission. “The recommendations primarily address increasing the transparency of the public sector, the autonomy of judicial power and the media, and the fight against corruption and organised crime,” he explained.
The European Commission has recommended starting accession negotiations with Macedonia and Albania as well, if the latter fulfils accession requirements and the recommendations of the European Commission to the necessary extent. The Estonian foreign minister expressed hope that through fulfilling the recommendations, Albania would show its desire and readiness to do everything necessary to become an EU candidate country. “First and foremost we expect Albania to promise political dialogue, elections in correspondence with international standards, a reduction in corruption and organised crime, and the protection of ownership and human rights. In Iceland’s case, the country’s readiness to join the EU is already very good. We hope that the EU will soon also enlarge in the direction of Northern Europe,” Paet added.

Afghanistan, Fight Against Piracy Important Topics for EU

14 December - During the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, the European Union foreign ministers addressed the battle against piracy off the coast of Somalia. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the fight against piracy is part of the comprehensive strategy to stabilise Somalia.
“Estonia was one of the first nations who called for starting an organised fight against piracy, and we are pleased that the EU military mission Atalanta is now completely and successfully in force,” said Foreign Minister Paet. Starting in December a ten-member ship defence team of the Estonian navy has been participating in Atalanta; their first mission was carried out on 3 December, protecting a ship sailing under the Somalian flag that was carrying humanitarian aid within the framework of the World Food Programme. The Estonian soldiers will remain in the operation region for half a year, and if they fulfil their responsibilities successfully their tour will be extended. The Estonian foreign minister feels that solutions must be found to ensure effective justice against the pirates.
The ministers also discussed how the year 2010 has brought many important developments to Afghanistan in both domestic policy and in the Afghanistan-related activities of the international community. “What is especially important is the Afghans leading their own state, particularly on the local level,” Paet noted. In accordance with the Action Plan, over the next six months the EU’s priorities are reforming the election system in Afghanistan, the reconciliation and reintegration process, police reform, improving administrative capabilities, and regional co-operation. The Estonian foreign minister reminded his colleagues that extensive reforms in the security, governing and development sectors and in the reintegration and reconciliation process must not be carried out at the expense of the rights of women.
At the council the EU foreign ministers also discussed the post-election situation in Moldova. Taking into consideration the ongoing political stalemate, Estonia calls on the political powers in Moldova to enter negotiations that would provide an opportunity to elect a president and continue Moldova’s democratic development and reform.

Estonian and Latvian Prime Ministers Agree on Areas of Co-operation for 2011

10 December - Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis opened an Estonian-Latvian future co-operation conference where implementation of the proposals in the Wise Men’s Report was discussed and the two countries’ priority fields of co-operation for 2011 were determined.
The prime ministers of both countries stated that the discussion on co-operation between the two countries had been productive and showed that bilateral dialogue is actively taking place. Prime Minister Ansip noted that the 66 proposals in the Wise Men’s Report were not a closed list and that the report was still open to all relevant suggestions. Ansip added to the proposals by calling for the establishment of a joint digital market of Internet-based e-services between the two countries. “Estonia and Latvia could be the pilot countries for introducing a joint digital market, showing the way for other EU member states,” he said.
The jointly approved fields of co-operation for the next year were the following: people-to-people relations, including co-operation in the fields of education and culture and between the countries’ public broadcasting organisations; planning business and cross-border infrastructure, including in the field of energy and transport; and closer integration of border regions, including co-operative activity in the tourism sector.
The prime ministers stressed that the government agencies of both countries have already started implementing more than ten specific joint projects in these priority fields. They also encouraged all related groups to intensify their bilateral contacts and adopt new joint initiatives. Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis and Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip agreed in 2009 upon the need to prepare a co-operation report for the two countries. The goal of the document was to evaluate the existing relations between the countries and to provide recommendations for developing co-operation in future. The rapporteurs – Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs political director Andris Razans and Baltic News Service director Anvar Samost – presented the co-operation report to the prime ministers on 11 June 2010.

House of Representatives of US Congress Recognised Success of Estonia and Other Baltic States

11 December - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet thanked chairman of the Baltic friendship group of the House of Representatives of the US Congress John Shimkus for the US House of Representatives accepting the resolution on the occasion of 20 years since the restoration of independence in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
In its resolution, the US House of Representatives congratulates the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on the 20th anniversary of the acceptance of their independence declarations and highlights the success of the Baltic states, including their accession to NATO and the European Union.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the USA’s non-recognition policy during the Soviet occupation was a great support to Estonia in the restoration of its independence and that the legal continuity of the Estonian nation has been the basis of relations between Estonia and the USA.

Estonia Opened Honorary Consulate in Bolivia

9 December - Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Legal and Consular Affairs Lauri Bambus opened Estonia’s first honorary consulate in Bolivia in La Paz. The Estonian honorary consul in La Paz is Ramiro Moreno Baldivieso.
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Lauri Bambus expressed hope that the opening of the honorary consulate in Bolivia would help to advance bilateral relations, including business contacts and economic ties. “Our new honorary consul can help to export Estonia’s IT experiences to Bolivia and to create contacts that are of interest, for example in the energy sector,” said Undersecretary Bambus.
In his speech to the guests of the opening ceremony, the new honorary consul confirmed that as a practicing jurist he would like to advance bilateral relations in the international law sector. “The opening of an Estonian Honorary Consulate in Bolivia will allow countries that are geographically distant to grow closer to one another through culture, education, technology, and economic affairs,” he added.
The honorary consulate is located at the address Capitan Ravelo Street No 2366, La Paz Bolivia. You can reach the honorary consul by phone at + 5912 244 1600 or send a fax to the number +5912 244 1550or email to morenob@emba.com.bo.
Honorary Consul Ramiro Moreno Baldivieso was born in Tarija, Bolivia. Moreno Baldivieso earned his master’s degree in law from Harvard University. The honorary consul heads his own law firm specialising in trade law, which has branches in many cities in Bolivia. Honorary Consul Moreno Baldivieso speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

DOMESTIC NEWS

Snow Cover Hits New Records in Many Parts of Estonia

10 December – The thickness of the snow cover set new records for December in many places across Estonia on Friday morning, after more than 20 centimeters of fresh snow fell overnight.
New all-time highs for December were recorded at the weather stations of Väike-Maarja, Alajõe, Johvi, Viljandi, Kuusiku, Türi and Triikoja, where the snow cover was respectively 60, 54, 52, 52, 51, 50 and 44 centimeters thick. The previous records for these stations were 55, 50, 49, 47, 40, 45 and 43 centimeters, according to the Estonian Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.
The highest wind speed, 26.1 meters per second, was recorded at Dirham, a coastal station in the country's northwest, between 6 and 7 in the morning. Wind speeds of more than 15 meters per second were measured in 24 places across Estonia early on Friday.

DEFENCE NEWS

Parliament Extends Defence Forces Mission in Afghanistan by One Year

15 December (BNS) - The Estonian parliament Wednesday decided to extend by one year the Defence Forces mission in Afghanistan as well as in the Middle East and in Iraq.
The decision passed with 55 votes in favour will extend until 31 December 2011 the use of up to 170 members of the Estonian Defence Forces in the composition of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. Next year the expenditure connected with the operation has been planned at 274 million kroons (EUR 17.5 mln).
Decisions made with 61 votes in favour allow for the use of up to three members of the Defence Forces in the NATO training mission in Iraq and in the UN-led peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Syria. Nearly 77 thousand euros will be spent on the Defence Forces' operation in Iraq and about 102 thousand euros in the Middle East.

Estonian Chief of Staff Discusses Co-operation Plans with US Army Planners

10 December (BNS) - The chief of staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, Brig. Gen. Neeme Väli, discussed co-operation plans in the United States with leaders of the NATO development and transformation command and planners of the US Army.
Brig. Gen. Väli met in the Pentagon with strategic planners of the US Army, with whom both bilateral and multilateral co-operation projects were discussed, military spokespeople in Tallinn told BNS. In the words of the Estonian chief of staff, the decisions adopted in Lisbon must be followed by a series of operational documents that would help the allies to carry out the summit's decisions.
The chief of staff received an overview of the plans of the US Army in Europe and of the situation in the region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. "For Estonia it's important to know what the plans of the United States as our strategic ally in Europe are, so that we are able to plan our co-operation based on that," Brig. Gen. Väli said.
The Estonian chief of staff and planners of the US Army discussed bilateral co-operation projects of Estonia and the United States primarily in the field of cyber defence, increasing the visibility of NATO in Estonia, and the continuation of the air policing project, as well as matters related to the handover of responsibility to the Afghan security forces and civilian structures.
With the chief of the NATO development and transformation command, Gen. Stephane Abrail, Brig. Gen. Väli spoke about the participation of Estonian officers in the activities of the NATO command and matters related to the NATO training conference to take place in Tallinn in February.
The Estonian chief of staff also visited the Maryland National Guard and the Walter Reed Hospital, where he was given an overview of the US Army medical rehabilitation and care system.

Estonia and Great Britain Sign Joint Defence Procurement Agreement

15 December (BNS) - Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo and British Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence Nick Harvey Wednesday in Tallinn signed a framework agreement of joint defence procurements that will provide the opportunity of making joint armaments and supplies procurements in the future. On the basis of the framework agreement, Estonian and British officials will regularly exchange information concerning planned supplies and armaments procurements, a spokesman for the Defence Ministry told BNS. In case of similar procurements it will become possible to procure armaments, equipment or ammunition jointly. A separate joint project agreement will be signed for each concrete joint procurement.
Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo said that the joint procurement framework agreement would further develop defence relations between Estonia and Great Britain. "Joint procurements make it possible to save both Estonian and British taxpayers' money and to use both countries' procurement expertise in a thriftier way. I will therefore remain hopeful that the paper signed today will become reality in the near future," the minister said.
Nick Harvey, the British Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, thanked both Estonia’s people and its Defence Forces for their contribution to the war in Afghanistan. "We have a very high opinion of the Estonian soldiers' activity in Helmand Province and for their contribution to the common struggle," Harvey said.
Thanks to the framework agreement of joint defence procurements, both Estonia and Great Britain will get new information and experience concerning procurements. In addition, the co-operability of the Estonian and British Defence Forces will improve since the same type of equipment will be used by both groups. The Defence Ministry has earlier signed similar agreements with Sweden and Germany.
British Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence Nick Harvey today also met with Clyde Kull, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for political affairs, and head of the parliament's national defence committee Mati Raidma. This evening he will also meet with Lt. Gen. Ants Laaneots, commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, and will visit the NATO Cyber Defence Centre.

ECONOMIC NEWS

Ryanair Starts Flights From Tallinn

13 December (ERR) - The Irish airline, Ryanair, which on 13 December launched its first routes from Tallinn, will soon offer flights to eight destinations.
This week the airline will begin flights to Düsseldorf, Oslo, Stockholm, Dublin and Milano. On 10 January, Ryanair will expand its Tallinn flights to London and Edinburgh. Another UK flight to East-Midland will begin operating in the summer.
Ryanair has said that its expansion to Tallinn was motivated by the Estonian government's decision to allocate extra money to Tallinn Airport as well as the capital's position next year as the European Culture Capital.

First 4G Commercial Network in Estonia Opened

16 December (BNS) - On Thursday the telecommunications operator EMT opened the first ever commercial fourth generation mobile communications (4G) network in Estonia. EMT said Estonia was the 11th country in the world where a 4G network was open to customers.
The CEO of EMT, Valdo Kalm, said that EMT opened the first 4G test network in Estonia back in February and success of the tests enabled it to launch the 4G commercial network immediately after receiving the frequency license.
The Technical Surveillance Authority issued EMT a 4G frequency license on Thursday. 4G, or fourth generation of cellular wireless standards, enables high speed data transmission up to five times faster than the current 3G network and is comparable with the broadband network.
With 4G, many new services become possible, for example, mobile TV in high definition, mobile conference calls and high-tech virtual reality applications.
In EMT's 4G network the maximum data transmission speed is 100 Mbps and average speeds range from 20 to 80 Mbps.

Current Account Surplus for October 106 Mln EUR

13 December (BNS) - Estonia's current account had a surplus of 1.662 billion kroons (EUR 106 mln) in October, according to a flash estimate by the Bank of Estonia.
In September Estonia had a current account surplus of 1.166 billion kroons and in August the size of the surplus was 693 million kroons.
In October the surplus of the services account was 1.848 billion kroons, with export of services reaching 4.681 billion kroons and import 2.834 billion kroons. The trade balance had a surplus of 271 million kroons. Export of goods totalled 13.223 billion kroons and import 12.952 billion kroons.
In the income account a net outflow of 1.235 billion kroons took place during October.
Incoming direct investments totalled 5.977 billion kroons and outgoing direct investments almost 485 million kroons, producing a net inflow of 5.492 billion kroons.

Estonian Air Carries 12.3 Percent More Passengers in November Year-on-Year

13 December (BNS) - Estonian Air carried 45,737 passengers in November, 12.3% more than in the same month a year ago. Passengers of regular flights numbered 45 450, marking a year-on-year increase of 25%, the airline said on Monday.
In the first 11 months of the year Estonian Air carried 539 507 passengers, of them 490 313 on regular flights. Passengers flying out of Tallinn numbered 503 248.
The total number of passengers in the 11 months increased 1.9% year on year. On regular flights the rate of increase was 2.4%.
"Estonian Air's passenger numbers have been growing for seven months in a row, with the strongest increases recorded in September, October and November," said Rauno Parras, Estonian Air Vice President Commercial. "In addition to the growth in the aviation market, the November passenger growth has been positively influenced by increasing flight capacities and greater focus on sales and marketing," said Parras.
In 11 months the market share of Estonian Air in the regular flights segment at Tallinn Airport was 41.8%, 4.2 percentage points lower than a year ago. The total market share, including both regular and charter flights, was 39.2%, down 2.6 percentage points from January-November 2009.
Estonian Air operated 9 559 flights during the period, 0.9% more than a year ago. In November Estonian Air operated 881 flights, which corresponds to an annual increase of 5.5%.

Port of Tallinn’s Jan-Nov Earnings Up 57 Percent

15 December (BNS) - The state-owned company Port of Tallinn made a net profit of 610 million kroons (EUR 39 mln) in the first 11 months of this year, which is 57 percent more than during the same period a year ago, chairman of the company's supervisory board Neinar Seli said. "The result was influenced by bigger operating profit and smaller dividend and income tax costs," Seli told BNS. The operating profit in the 11 months was 636 million kroons.
Revenues in the 11 months were up 8% year on year at 1.243 billion kroons.
The budget for 2011, approved by the Port of Tallinn supervisory board on Tuesday, sets out revenues at 1.37 billion kroons and an operating profit similar to the forecast for this year. The company expects its ports to handle 34 million tons of cargoes, two million tons less than the projection for this year. The number of passengers is seen to reach 7.4 million, 0.4 million less than the projection for 2010.
During the first 11 months of this year Port of Tallinn served 7.3 million passengers, 8.4 percent more than in the corresponding period a year ago. During 2009, 7.26 million passengers passed through the ports run by the company, marking a new all-time high.
Cargoes from January to the end of November totalled 33.187 million tons, 16.5% more than in the same period in 2009.

CULTURAL NEWS

Foreign Minister Paet Presented Ernesaks Piano to Theatre and Music Museum

10 December - Today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet presented the “Ernesaks piano” from the Estonian Embassy in Moscow to the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum. “Gustav Ernesaks has symbolic importance in Estonia’s musical history, and now his piano has found a distinguished place among the displays of the Theatre and Music Museum,” said the foreign minister.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the Schröder upright piano being presented today has been in the Estonian Embassy in Moscow since 1930. “In 1944 the famous Estonian composer and choir director Gustav Ernesaks composed many of his works on this piano, most likely including the song ‘Mu isamaa on minu arm’,” said Paet. The foreign minister added that the piece that Ernesaks wrote at the Estonian Embassy’s piano after Estonia had already lost its independence became a symbol of the national movement during the Soviet occupation. “Even today the melody that Gustav Ernesaks wrote for Lydia Koidula’s words is one of the most beloved Estonian choir songs, which the joined choir performs at the end of every Song Festival,” he stated.

About 7 000 Cultural Events to Take Place Within Framework of Tallinn 2011

13 December (BNS) - The Foundation Tallinn 2011 presented the full programme of Tallinn, European Capital of Culture, entitled Stories of the Seashore. There will be a total of about 7 000 cultural events taking place in the capital of culture next year.
The aim of the Foundation Tallinn 2011 is to offer a special Capital of Culture programme in addition to Tallinn's already lively cultural life, the Tallinn 2011 head of communications told BNS. Of the nearly 900 applications and ideas submitted in a public competition, 251 projects were picked that now make up the official Capital of Culture programme.
Projects that take into consideration Tallinn's different communities and ethnic groups, involve young people, offer an opportunity for international co-operation, prefer creation to consumption, and that were innovative were mainly the ones chosen.
The projects include performance art, audiovisual arts, literature, sports, heritage culture, art, city space and design, music, and intersphere projects. Many of the brightest figures in Estonian culture will be involved.
The European Capital of Culture programme also includes co-operation with other counties in Estonia. The county programme has 36 cultural events, including the Jõhvi Ballet Festival, the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, and the Järvakandi Rabarock.
In addition, the programme of the European Capital of Culture year embraces close co-operation with foreign countries, as well as embassies and cultural representations. Foreign partners include the German Goethe Institute, the British Council and the French and Danish Cultural Institutes.