Estonian Review 14 - 20 January 2011

FOREIGN MINISTER PAET VISITS USA
FOREIGN NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS

FOREIGN MINISTER PAET VISITS USA

Paet and Clinton Discuss Afghanistan, Belarus

20 January - At his meeting with Secretary of State of the United States of America Hillary Clinton in Washington, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Estonia highly values bilateral Estonia-USA co-operation, for example joint military trainings, co-operation in the cyber sector, increasing energy security, serving together in Afghanistan, and the USA’s participation in Baltic air policing.
Secretary of State Clinton said she is grateful that Estonia is a dependable, creative and close ally of the United States. “In the 20 years since Estonia’s independence, the country has become a successful model for others, with its internet voting, cyber innovations, commitment to good governance, the rule of law, and fiscal responsibility,” said Secretary of State Clinton.
Paet gave an overview of his recent visit to Afghanistan. He stated that Estonia will continue its military and civil contribution on the same level and without limits until the security situation in the country is such that the international mission can begin to depart. “It is important to reach a situation in which Afghanistan can manage on its own and does not pose a threat to other nations. We highly value the co-operation between Estonian and American soldiers and the implementation of joint development co-operation projects,” said Paet. Secretary of State Clinton thanked Estonia for its co-operation in building up the state and helping the people in Afghanistan. Clinton highlighted Estonia’s contributions to ISAF and to development co-operation and development aid.
Foreign Minister Paet and Secretary of State Clinton also spoke about new opportunities for co-operation in Afghanistan. “In Helmand this could take the form of increasing the accessibility of health care for women,” said Paet. He added that Estonia’s priority is projects that advance the situation of women. “In general we feel it is important to include the gender aspect in international peace and security activities,” he added.
In talking about NATO, Clinton thanked Estonia for successfully organising the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in April of last year.
Foreign Minister Paet stated that it’s positive that the USA is joining the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn. “Cyber security must become a vital topic for NATO—on that receives attention on a daily basis and on the cyber security planning level,” Paet said at the meeting.
Clinton stated that Estonia’s activities in supporting Europe’s new democracies is important, including the opening of the European Union Eastern Partnership Training Centre in Tallinn next week.
Paet and Clinton also discussed the situation in Belarus. The Estonian foreign minister emphasised that it is necessary to re-institute sanctions against Belarus, but these should not restrict the country’s civil society. “Civil society and other democratic forces in Belarus should be supported more than before. People-to-people contacts, youth exchange, and research and cultural contacts should be developed, and opportunities for university students to study in European institutes of higher education should be expanded,” said Paet. Clinton recognised Estonia for its decision to continue supporting civil society in Belarus and providing educational opportunities.

Security is Reinforced by Europe-USA Co-operation

20 January - In Washington at a meeting with Republican chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the natural and multi-faceted co-operation between Europe and the USA is essential for ensuring the security of Europe. “The USA’s visibility through training exercises carried out in Europe or visits by naval ships plays an important role,” said Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet stated that it is also very important for European nations to not reduce defence spending. “Estonia is striving to allocate 2% of its GDP for defence spending in 2012,” said Paet.
Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Ros-Lehtinen recognised Estonia’s activities as an ally in NATO and thanked Estonia for its contribution in Afghanistan. Ros-Lehtinen also said that Estonia’s development since the restoration of its independence has been impressive. Foreign Minister Paet invited Ros-Lehtinen and other members of Congress to Estonia on 20 August to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Estonia’s restored independence.
While talking about supporting new democracies in Europe and about Eastern Partnership as one of Estonia’s foreign policy priorities in the EU, Foreign Minister Paet emphasised that Eastern Partners must be presented with sufficient demands but also given aid in carrying out reforms. “The support of the United States is undoubtedly important to our Eastern Partners. In addition, the goals of Eastern Partnership are stability, the establishment of democratic values, economic development and energy security, which are also very important to the USA,” said Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet also visited and placed a commemorative wreath on the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. Foreign Minister Paet said that we must not forget all those who died and suffered under communist regimes.
The Victims of Communism Memorial was opened in June 2007 by President George W. Bush. There is also a virtual Global Museum on Communism that contains data and histories of people who suffered under communist regimes. The virtual museum includes a gallery dedicated to Estonia.
The Victims of Communism Memorial and the virtual museum are international initiatives that have been supported by the governments of Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, and Poland, among others.

FOREIGN NEWS

President Ilves Emphasises Friendship of Sweden and Estonia During State Visit

19 January - Sweden has left a permanent and visible mark on Estonian history that is often recalled with happiness, said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves at a banquet that took place in the royal palace of Stockholm to honour His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia.
The Swedish times brought about a major change in the mentality of the Estonian people over a one hundred and fifty year period, said President Ilves.
The Estonian head of state acknowledged the assistance that Sweden gave to the Estonians who built new homes in Sweden after escaping across the Baltic Sea at the end of World War II, as well as the Swedish support for the Baltic states upon restoring their independence and rebuilding their statehood.
“Whether we look from the eastern or western shores of the Baltic Sea, today we are living through the safest and most peaceful time in our history. For Estonia, the chance to enter this era became a reality thanks to very powerful support and the well-considered actions of our friends both near and far away,” President Ilves stated.
“The support of Sweden for Estonia’s integration with the EU was outstanding in all spheres, but political and moral support were the most important: this support has given us a sense of security about the future, a future we can control ourselves, and we have used this security to rebuild our strong, secure, and free homes,” said the Estonian head of state.
President Ilves emphasised that today Estonia and Sweden are good partners in the European Union, and together they promote the Baltic Sea Strategy and support the enlargement of the EU and the integration of Eastern Partners. Sweden has also helped Estonia to build up its national defence, and the soldiers and civilian experts of both our nations are participating in military operations in Afghanistan.
“Mr. Carl Bildt, the minister of foreign affairs and one of my best friends in Sweden, has called Estonia the economic tiger of Europe. Major investments made by Sweden into the Estonian economy have played a highly important role and have supported the credibility of Estonian decisions in the eyes of the rest of the world, particularly during the beginning of the period of regaining independence. Estonia has confirmed, by the good condition of its public finances, the traditional understanding of responsibility and sustainable ways of thinking that are characteristic of the Nordic people,” said the Estonian head of state.

Ilves: Preventing Use of Internet as a Weapon is Our Shared Responsibility

19 January - “Contemporary Internet solutions and an e-lifestyle definitely contribute to social involvement and transparency; however, the defence of cyber space and cyber security have become important issues on our political agenda,” said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves at the cyber defence seminar organised at the initiative of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt at the Swedish Defence College, the Försvarshögskolan.
“Individuals, groups, and states are attempting to make the most of the fact that there are no uniform regulations applicable to cyber space. The Stuxnet virus that appeared recently demonstrated once again how vulnerable cyber space can be,” said the Estonian head of state. “I assume that web-based attack weapons will be perfected and become more complicated in the coming years. We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg today.”
According to President Ilves, “we have successfully progressed towards the de-mystification of the ‘black hole’ and have, among other things, developed national cyber security strategies.”
The Estonian head of state described the open-minded dialogue in the sphere of cyber security that is taking place between Sweden and Estonia as positive. For example, the NATO Centre of Excellence for Co-operative Cyber Defence in Tallinn and the Swedish Defence College organised an international cyber defence exercise last May, with some support from various Swedish institutions and the Estonian Cyber Defence Association.
“Cyber space is global; therefore, our response should also be global,” stated President Ilves, as he assured that Estonia is committed to the promotion of wide-ranging international co-operation in the sphere of cyber defence between countries with similar ways of thinking, which is as important for the purposes of cyber threats as it is for any other cross-border threats.
The Estonian head of state expressed his satisfaction that a number of international organisations have recently focused on cyber security. NATO, for example, has begun to develop a detailed cyber defence policy for the alliance and the issue has gained considerable attention in relation to the new strategic concept. The EU has imposed a common cyber security policy and has conducted the first information infrastructure protection training, which covers the EU as whole.
According to President Ilves, the legal framework of cyber security needs to be studied. He expressed his support for the cyber crime convention of the European Council, inviting all states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the convention.
It is our shared responsibility to prevent irresponsible people from using the Internet as a weapon, the Estonian head of state emphasised.

British and Northern European Leaders Focus on Economy in Meeting in UK

20 January (BNS) - The prime ministers of Britain, the Nordic countries and Baltic states met in London on Thursday to find ways to boost trade, economic growth and jobs, the government said.
The summit was the idea of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who believes Britain can learn from Nordic high-tech innovation and environmentally friendly policies. Cameron's government is also seeking to bolster Britain's economic recovery through trade and to expand its diplomatic relationships beyond the traditional pillars of the United States and the European Union.
The summit discussed "how best to boost economic growth, enterprise and job creation while improving people's well-being," Cameron said. "At a time when much of Europe is in desperate need of fundamental economic reform, it makes sense for us to come together for the benefit of all our economies."
From the Estonian government, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Social Affairs Minister Hanno Pevkur took part in the meeting.
The main part of the programme in an expanded format took place Thursday. Delegations from nine countries that included academics, entrepreneurs and visionaries participated in the summit. The aim of the event was to bring together politicians and top experts from northern European countries so politicians can gather fresh experiences with innovative solutions in countries of the region and practitioners could get feedback on the implementation of their ideas.
The topics were divided into three groups - technology and innovation; labour and family policies and equality; and green economy. Presentations were followed by a plenary session of prime ministers to sum up what they heard and single out the most interesting ideas.
Among the Estonian speakers were IT visionary Linnar Viik, who spoke about the digital single market as the new European growth engine, and MP Hannes Astok, whose presentation dealt with democracy and civic engagement through e-voting.

Estonian Aid Mission to Flooded Pakistan Extended

14 January - The Foreign Ministry is supporting a two-month extension of the mission of Estonian rescue workers in Pakistan, which is still struggling in the aftermath of extreme flooding.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that in August of last year Pakistan was struck by the most severe humanitarian and natural disaster in the country’s recent history, as a result of which millions of residents have suffered and thousands have died. “The areas affected by the flooding are the poorest in the whole nation,” stated Foreign Minister Paet. “Estonian rescue experts are helping to make sure that aid reaches those in need,” added the foreign minister.
The area around the city of Sukkur is one of the regions that was hardest hit by the flooding in Pakistan, and there are a large number of UN humanitarian aid workers co-ordinating the distribution of aid there. The construction and maintenance of a base camp for UN humanitarian aid workers was the joint project of International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP), which sees the participation of not only Estonian rescue experts but also Swedish, Danish, German, Norwegian, and Finnish specialists.
Shortly after the disaster occurred, Estonia supported victims of the heavy flooding caused by monsoon rains in Pakistan with 63 900 euros’ worth of food aid donated through the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Estonian humanitarian aid for helping improve the situation of the people in Pakistan is allocated from the Foreign Ministry’s budget for development and humanitarian aid.

Estonia Supports Civil Society of Belarus

17 January - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the European Union, including Estonia, has been considering its further steps regarding Belarus in light of the presidential elections that took place there and the violent events that followed. “We feel it is regrettable that the presidential elections in Belarus were followed by force being used against demonstrators as well as the opposition candidates and their followers, and also the arrest of human rights activists and journalists. These developments do not correspond to democratic values and the Belarusian authorities must promptly release all those arrested who were not connected to the violence,” he added.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that Estonia will continue to support civil society in Belarus. “We plan to increase our support for civil society in Belarus through development co-operation, utilising the opportunities offered by the Eastern Partnership Centre and continuing to support the studies of Belarusian university students,” stated Paet.
“We want for young Belarusians to be guaranteed experiences in an open society. Estonia offers scholarship programmes for students whose studies at Belarusian universities have been cut short for political reasons to study in Estonian universities. It is also essential for contacts between Estonian and Belarusian universities to continue,” Paet stated. “We also wish to continue helping young Belarusians study at the Belarusian Humanitarian University,” Paet added.
Estonia supports more dynamic progress in the visa facilitation process going on between the European Union and Belarus. “In order to facilitate people-to-people contacts, we would like to simplify travel to Estonia for citizens of Belarus. We are preparing a waiver of the visa fee for Estonian national visas,” said Paet.
Paet stated that Estonia is weighing opportunities to offer training on the protection and management of websites to the technical workers in charge of the websites of the Belarusian opposition.

DOMESTIC NEWS

More Births Than Deaths Registered in Estonia Last Year

19 January (BNS) - Last year 15 881 births and 15 847 deaths were registered in Estonia, thus births outnumbered deaths by 34, data supplied by the population facts department of the Interior Ministry show.
Male births numbered 8 198 and female births 7 683, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said.
Of the 5 095 marriages contracted last year, 449 were church marriages and 136 were registered by notaries public. Divorces numbered 2 655. The figure includes 96 marriages dissolved by notaries public. In 2009 the vital statistics offices registered 15 884 births, 16 201 deaths, 5 409 marriages and 2 657 divorces.
The spokesperson underlined that the ministry's population facts department keeps track of registered vital records whereas population statistics and changes in the demographic situation can be commented on and explained by the national statistics office. Statistics Estonia has not yet published population growth figures for the past year.
According to data of Statistics Estonia, 15 763 births and 16 081 deaths were registered in 2009, making a negative population growth of 318. In 2008 births numbered 16 028 and deaths 16 675, and natural population growth was negative by 647 persons.
Natural population growth in Estonia was last positive in 1990, with 22 304 births and 19 531 deaths registered.

Estonia 14th in World Economic Freedom Rankings

14 January - In the Index of Economic Freedom, published each year by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, Estonia is up two places from last year's position.
The overall score, comprising 10 freedoms from property rights to corruption, is 75.2 for Estonia, surpassing last year's score by 0.5.
The Index cites significant improvements in monetary and labour freedom as reasons for progress. On the other hand, its authors note relatively high government expenditure. "Public finance management would benefit from longer-term budget balancing goals, clearer coordination between central and local governments, and better targeting of social benefits," the publication says.
Hong Kong came through with the best results among the 183 countries covered, with a score of 89.7, followed by Singapore and Australia.

DEFENCE NEWS

Government Formed Cyber Defence Unit of the Defence League

20 January - The Estonian Government approved an amendment to a regulation whereby a separate Cyber Defence Unit will be created under the Defence League, incorporating volunteer IT protection specialists. With the amendment to the regulation, the Cyber Defence Unit was formed in addition to the existing structural units of the Defence League – the headquarters and regional units.
According to Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo, the Cyber Defence Unit initiative has received significant international attention. “The subordinate units of our Cyber Defence League form the first horizontal cyber co-operation network of its kind, involving co-operation between the state-, private- and third sectors in the aspect of national defence,” Aaviksoo said.
“One of the most significant facts about the science of warfare is that the most important aspect is the training of soldiers and their ability to operate as a unit, not the number of men in formation. Consequently, it is difficult to underestimate the introduction of the Cyber Defence Unit of the Defence League across Estonia,” the minister of defence said.
“Ensuring and improving the ability to prevent, combat and eliminate the attacks against our cyber-space is one of our on-going priorities,” Aaviksoo added.
The formation of a non-formal co-operation network on cyber defence under the Defence League began following the cyber-attacks of 2007. The Cyber Defence Unit of the Defence League (Cyber Defence League) will be the co-ordinator and supervisor of the activities of volunteer cyber protection specialists.
The unit will incorporate volunteer information technology protection specialists in order to employ their initiative and know-how in the protection of the constitutional order of our state. It will also organise trainings and seminars for the specialists in this field to enable the acquiring and sharing of practical cyber defence skills and the organising of exercises.
In the event of possible cyber-attacks against Estonia, the Cyber Defence Unit of the Defence League would not provide counterforce itself, but would instead act only in an advisory capacity.

President Ilves Visits European Union Nordic Battle Group

20 January - President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is currently on a state visit to Sweden, Prince Carl Philip, and Swedish Minister of Defence Sten Tolgfors paid a visit to the European Union Nordic Battle Group today. Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Ireland are participating in this formation, which is under the command of Sweden.
According to the battle group concept of the European Union, the battle groups – which are tactical rapid response units consisting of an average of 1 500 men – must be ready to respond within 15 days, five days spent to adopt a political decision and ten days to dispatch the units to the area of operation. The conflict area may be located 6 000 kilometres from Brussels and the battle group must be capable of remaining operable there for up to four months. The battle groups are primarily intended to carry out various humanitarian, rescue and peace securing tasks at the UN’s request, and participate in the anticipation and prevention of crisis. Estonia’s contribution to the Nordic Battle Group is a staff defence unit, reconnaissance team, staff officers, and a military police investigator – in total up to 55 Defence Forces members.
President Ilves said that although the European Union battle groups have not been engaged in action to date, they have made a considerable contribution to defence-related co-operation, interoperability, and the rapid response capabilities of the member states of the EU. He also acknowledged the good co-operation between Estonia and Sweden in the sphere of defence: “For us, the Nordic Battle Group stands to serve as an importance experience, not just for the purpose of the European Union’s common security and defence policies but also for Nordic co-operation.”
This afternoon, President Ilves will visit the laboratories of Uppsala University and give a lecture at the university.

Aaviksoo: Service of Estonian Vessel Protectors Highly Valued by Germany

18 January - Yesterday Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo met in Berlin with his German colleague Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, with whom the issues of cyber security and defence co-operation between Estonia and Germany were discussed. Aaviksoo also visited the Bundeswehr Operations Command in Potsdam, where he took part in a video conversation with the Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment serving aboard the German frigate Hamburg in the Gulf of Aden.
The meeting with German Minister of Defence zu Guttenberg focused on the issues of cyber security and defence co-operation projects between Estonia and Germany, including the Baltic Air Policing operation and the anti-piracy co-operation of Estonia and Germany in operation ATALANTA.
According to Minister of Defence Aaviksoo, Germany is one of the strongest contributors to the work of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn. “The Germans are following the achievements we have made in this field with great interest,” Aaviksoo said.
He also visited the Bundeswehr Operations Command (Einsatzführungskommando) in Potsdam, where he familiarised himself with the work of the command and talked with the commander, Lieutenant General Rainer Glatz, about the operations in Afghanistan and off the coast of Somalia.
Aaviksoo also took part in a video conversation with the members of the Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment serving aboard the German frigate Hamburg. “Your professional activity and training so far has received high commendation from the Germans, and Estonia can be proud of you. I hope that the experience you have obtained will not be lost for the Estonian Navy, and I wish you a safe and speedy return home,” Aaviksoo said to the vessel protectors serving in the Gulf of Aden.
Estonia and Germany are connected by close defence co-operation. Germany has made an important contribution to the air policing operation of the Baltic states, and German fighters are also currently protecting the air space of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment is participating in the anti-piracy operation ATALANTA aboard the German frigate Hamburg. Germany is also taking part in the work of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre and the Baltic Defence College. A majority of the modern vehicles, artillery and anti-tank systems of the Estonian Defence Forces have been acquired from Germany.

ECONOMIC NEWS

Tallink Makes Profit in Q1

17 January (BNS) - The listed Estonian shipper Tallink Grupp earned a net profit of 1.1 million euros in the first quarter of the financial year starting 1 September, compared with a loss of 1.2 million euros made in the same three months a year ago. The group's unaudited consolidated revenue in the first quarter of the 2010/2011 financial year was 203 million euros, which is nearly 22 million euros or 12% more than in the first quarter of the previous financial year.
The management of Tallink Grupp said the result for the first quarter met its expectations. It said that several planned activities and structural changes between the routes influenced the earnings.
In the management's opinion the 2010/2011 financial year has started off well and the group is on the right track to improve the results in the current financial year.
The number of passengers transported by the group's vessels in the first quarter increased by 10% compared with the first quarter of the previous financial year to 1.99 million. The number of transported cargo units was up more than 12% at 76 908.
The noticeable increase in revenues resulted from increased passenger and cargo volumes. Tallink was able to increase passenger-related revenues, or revenues from ticket, shop and restaurants sales, by 17 million euros compared with the first quarter of the previous financial year. The rate of revenue increase per passenger was 1.6%.
Tallink noted that the volume and revenue growth were higher on the Estonia-Finland, Estonia-Sweden and Latvia-Sweden routes. On these routes the margins on onboard spending are not as high as on the Finland-Sweden routes, where volume growth in the first quarter was 2% and revenue growth 5%.
Investments by Tallink in the three-month period amounted to 3.6 million euros and were mainly related to the upgrading of the cruise ferries Romantika, Silja Festival, and Silja Serenade, which were in scheduled dry dock during the period.

Estonian Air Sees Passenger Numbers Increase by More Than 3 Percent in 2010

18 January (BNS) - Estonian Air had a total of 582 320 passengers last year, 3.4% more than in 2009.
Of the total, 533 011 passengers flew on regular flights and 490 116 of them flew from Tallinn. The number of passengers on regular flights grew 4.5% against 2009, it appears from a press release of the company.
In December Estonian Air had 42 813 passengers, including 42 688 on regular flights. Compared with December 2009 the total number of passengers grew by 28.4%, and on regular flights the growth was by 38.7%.
From January to December 2010 the market share of Estonian Air at Tallinn Airport on regular routes was 41.6%, 3.9 percentage points lower than in the previous year. The market share on regular and charter flights totalled 38.9%, 2.5 percentage points lower than the year before.
"The fall in the market share during last year was due to the contraction of chartered flights and entry of new airlines to the Estonian market. The same factors will influence our market share also in the first months of this year, but growth in the number of flights in the summer period should improve our position," Vice-President of Estonian Air for commerce Rauno Parras said.
Last year Estonian Air carried out 10 316 flights, 1.8% more than the year before. There were 757 flights in December, 15,1% more on year.
The routes with the biggest growth in the number of passengers were St. Petersburg and Amsterdam, where the number of passengers more than doubled. Moscow and Kuressaare followed, with the number of passengers on those routes increasing by respectively 19.9 and 9.4%.

Cargo Handling at Estonian Ports Increases Last Year

18 January (BNS) - A total of 34.5 million tons were loaded on ships and 11.3 million tons unloaded at Estonian ports in 2010.
According to Statistics Estonia 3.11 million tons of goods were loaded on ships in December 2010 and 1.11 million tons of goods were unloaded; loading increased by 17% and unloading by 28%.
Last November 23% more were loaded and 17% more goods were unloaded.
In 2008 28.1 million tons of goods were loaded on ships at Estonian ports and 8.06 million tons were unloaded; in 2007 the respective figures were 36.84 million tons and 8.02 million tons.

Premia Foods Reports 12.6 Percent Increase in Sales Year-on-Year

17 January (BNS) - The total sales of the listed Estonian food holding AS Premia Foods in the final quarter of 2010 grew 12.6% year on year to 17.8 million euros.
The unaudited consolidated whole-year figure was 77.3 million euros, marking an increase of 8.6 million euros or 12.5% over 2009.
The Finnish market accounted for the largest part, or 45%, of the sales of Premia Foods in the fourth quarter, with sales there growing by 0.6 million euros over the same period of the previous year. In 12 months, sales on the Finnish market amounted to 26.2 million euros, which exceeds the 12-month figure of 2009 by 1.4 million euros.
In the Estonian market the result of the fourth quarter was approximately on a par with the result of the final quarter of 2009. Estonia continues to be the second most important market for Premia Foods, and the sales of 21.5 million euros and the positive results of the last two quarters of 2010 give reasons for satisfaction. Premia said it continues to be the leader of the ice cream market in Estonia, having a 40% market share by revenue.
In Latvia sales continued to increase both in the third and fourth quarter compared to the corresponding periods of 2009. The 2010 annual sales figure of 10.9 million euros puts Latvia in third position among the markets of Premia Foods. In each quarter of 2010 sales on the Lithuanian market exceeded the result for the corresponding period of 2009. Year on year, a 6.2% increase in sales took place on that market.
The product portfolio of the Russian holding Khladokombinat No 1 in St. Petersburg consists almost entirely of ice cream and the goal for 2010 was to optimise the portfolio by discontinuing ineffective products and concentrating on the development of existing brands and their distribution. Russian business results have been consolidated into the turnover of Premia Foods since May 2010 and the sales of 8.2 million euros meant a market share of 22-25% and a strong second position on the market of the St. Petersburg region, Premia said.

Two Offers in Tender for Operation of New Container Terminal at Muuga

17 January (BNS) - The state-owned Estonian port company Port of Tallinn has received two offers in a tender for the right to operate a new container terminal in the eastern part of the port of Muuga just outside Tallinn. Spokesman Sven Ratassepp told BNS that the company has until the end January to examine the offers, and the partner with whom negotiations will be started would be chosen at the end of the month. The winner will be picked by the end of February.
In earlier communication the port company has named the Chinese as the best prospective partners in the project. Port of Tallinn has also been in contact with companies from Japan and Kazakhstan, as well as with the operator of Muuga Port's existing container terminal AS Muuga CT, a subsidiary of AS Transiidikeskus.
In July the infrastructure for the additional container terminal with an annual capacity of 350 000 TEU was completed at Muuga for a cost of 64 million euros with the help of an EU subsidy.