Address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristiina Ojuland to the Riigikogu on behalf of the Government of Estonia

Main Foreign Policy Guidelines of the Republic of Estonia

Honourable Ms. Chairwoman,
Respected Members of the Riigikogu,
Dear guests,

2003 is, from the Estonian foreign policy perspective, the year when our hopes are almost being fulfilled. Just a little over six months ago, when I presented to the previous Riigikogu the last overview of our main foreign policy guidelines, Estonia had, at the Prague Summit, just been invited to commence NATO accession negotiations, and we had just formalised the conclusion of our accession negotiations with the European Union at the Copenhagen European Council. By today, we have taken another very big step in the ongoing accession process with both international organisations -- this was convincingly confirmed on March 26, when the accession protocol of the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Brussels by the NATO Member States, and on April 16, in Athens, we signed the European Union Treaty of Accession. By about this time next year, we hope to be full members of both organisations.

At the same time, the last half a year has also been a period of challenges and trials in the foreign policy and security sphere not only for Estonia, but also for Europe and the whole world. Many security risks in the world have increased. Acts of violence continue to be committed despite the ongoing struggle against terrorism. The war in Iraq brought forth differences of opinion not only within the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, but even within Estonia itself. Discussions and debates, at the European Convention, concerning the European Union’s institutions and defence and security policies have been tense.

Today, in the course of my address, I would like to focus upon three basic themes. In addition to the already traditional subject matters of the EU and NATO, and the closely associated question of national security, I would also like to briefly deal with a matter also important for Estonia -- namely, regional cooperation with both the Baltic Sea countries and the Baltic states.

I

First of all, I would like to present an overview of the developments, which have taken place in connection with the European Union. The Treaty of Accession that was signed in Athens on April 16 becomes effective for Estonia on May 1, 2004, presuming, that both Member States and the Riigikogu have ratified it, and that the citizens of Estonia have supported EU accession at the September 14 referendum. The Government presented the Treaty ratification draft law along with the Treaty’s text to the Riigikogu on June 2.

It is worth noting that the European Parliament, with a large majority vote, approved the European Union accession of all ten states. To date, the EU referendums have produced positive results in all the acceding states in which they have been held: Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovakia. Upon joining the European Union, Estonia will be able to influence world politics, together with the other 24 Member States, in a manner, which would not be possible for a small state on its own. And, as a member of the European Union, we will be able to ensure Estonia’s speedy and stable development. A comprehension of these concepts is taking root in Estonian society as a whole. The people’s support for European Union accession has for more than a year already been over 50% and by the end of May it rose to 59%. Throughout all this, we must keep in mind that the people’s support is directly connected with how informed they are -- most analyses confirm, that the more knowledgeable people are about the European Union, the more likely they are to support accession. The EU information campaign in Estonia, directed by a seven member working group, is sponsored by the president, the prime minister, and the chairperson of the Riigikogu. The main aim of this neutral campaign, which respects the voters’ freedom of choice, is to not have a lower participation rate in the referendum than in the last Riigikogu elections.

And now, a few words about pre-accession activities. Till full membership, the European Commission is monitoring all Acceding States, including the commitments that Estonia obliged to fulfil in the process of the accession negotiations and our general developments. This upcoming fall, the Commission will issue an internal report, which will focus primarily upon economic and administrative capability criteria. The purpose of this report will be to draw attention to those fields of activity in which, due to inadequate accession preparedness, it might be necessary to adopt appropriate protective measures or additional reforms. This system of accounting for developments helps to prepare Acceding States for the annual Commission review of Member State implementation of EU legislation. It, of course, comes as no surprise to us, that in Estonia’s case, the Commission’s critical gaze will, firstly, fall upon the spheres of commercial fishing and social policy.

Estonia already has to, in many ways, think and act as a Member State. The previously segregating terms of “us” and “them” are losing their meaning. Making use of existing opportunities, and the participation, at all levels, of Estonia’s executive branch, as an active observer, in the discussions determining Europe’s strategic tangents of development and our practical activities is extremely important and in our own interests. Therefore, it is necessary, that our government’s various institutions be appropriately reformed and that the decision-making mechanisms function speedily.

Respected Members of the Riigikogu,

I would now like to move on to the draft Constitutional Treaty, which is being drawn up by the European Convention. The final decisions regarding this document will be made at the next European Union Inter-Governmental Conference. The Convention has intensively worked upon updating the various European Union basic treaties and merging them into a unified draft Constitutional Treaty. At this point, I would like to thank the Riigikogu Members for the substantial contribution, which they have made to the Convention debates.

It can be said, that by today, the Convention has fulfilled the main missions given to it at Nice and Laeken European Council sessions. But at the same time, it has been hard to find a consensus concerning institutional reform and the reinforcing of a common foreign and security policy.

Estonia, along with fifteen Member and Acceding States, has presented the Convention with a joint position, which is based upon the principle of Member State equality, as one of the cornerstones of the European Union. This declaration also expresses the desire to preserve the existing inter-institutional balance and every Member States’ clear connection with all levels of the European Union’s decision-making structure. There is no doubt that everyone who is encompassed by the project of creating a united Europe, share the same ideals -- peace, respect for human rights, and the principles of democracy. At the same time, it is understandable, that every state, both today’s and tomorrow’s EU Members, have their own viewpoint and approach to various aspects dealing with the further development and build-up of the European Union and the formulating of its joint policies. Especially when it comes to the changing of established and tried solutions.

The basis of the success of the European Union, till now, has been the capability of uniting very different states into a functioning mechanism, and to balance the interests of large and small states. Estonia’s representatives at the European Convention are definitely of the opinion that the development of the European Union must continue upon the basis of the community method.

The European Union, which we are about to join, is a constantly developing organisation. Both the enlargement of the EU and the ever closer integration of new ideas render it necessary to make many changes in previous operating procedures. For instance, a wider introduction of the qualified majority voting system. An ever greater consensus is being achieved in the matter of combining the positions of High Representative for CFSP and the Commissioner for External Relations. Concerning the matter of the size of the Commission and the European Parliament, I find that we should stick to the principles spelled out in the Nice Treaty in 2000. As we all know, those agreements were the result of long and difficult debates. So, before we start to make new changes, we should allow practical experience show us what, if at all, needs to be amended in the Nice agreements.

One of the more basic questions of principle is the matter of maintaining a Commissioner’s position for each Member State. Since the Commission drafts most European Union legislation, it is logical that all Member States should be represented in this body. This principle outweighs the increased efficiency that would be achieved by reducing the size of the Commission to, for instance, 15 members, or by making some Commissioners second rate members. We must not forget that the Commissioners are actually the “face” of the Commission in their own country, making the work and role of the Commission more apparent and understandable to the people.

Similarly, the equality of Member States should be maintained in the Council of the European Union. Estonia supports the continuation of the rotating six month chairmanship of the Council, and does not support the creation of the post of President of the European Council. We agree that the Council should function more efficiently, but find that this can, to a great extent, be achieved by the adoption of a working plan covering several years. This would ensure the uniform and continuous development of the EU throughout the changing six month chairmanships.

I hope that during the period that the Convention is still in session, it will be possible to formulate common positions concerning all the points being debated. If this is not achievable, clear alternatives should be formulated for those matters which a consensus has not been arrived at. These would be passed on to the inter-governmental conference along with the text of the Constitutional Treaty. Keeping in mind this possible development, it is essential that a consensus be achieved at the Thessalonika European Council session on June 20 concerning the mandate and time frame of the inter-governmental conference, since that is where the final agreements have to be made about the contents of the Constitutional Treaty. From the point of view of the ability of the conference to make decisions and the success of the event it is essential that Estonia and the other Acceding States be able to participate as full members whose positions will be considered on an equal footing with those of the present members when it comes to the formulating of the Treaty.

Estonia shares the opinion of the European Union’s Nordic members that it is not sensible to rush into the inter-governmental conference, and that from the viewpoint of parliamentary democracy, it is essential that the citizens and parliaments of all present and future Member States be given sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the Treaty being drafted. The starting of the conference not less than four months after the Convention concludes its work, and therefore after Estonia’s September 14 referendum, would give the Estonian Government a chance to present a much stronger mandate, and, in accordance with the Laeken Declaration, be able to more actively involve its citizens in the public debate concerning European matters. Therefore, we believe that the conference should not be convened before the end of October 2003, and that the new treaty be signed after Estonia and the other states become full members in May of 2004.

In connection with the European Union, I would also like to talk about Estonia’s position concerning Europe’s common foreign and security policy, and briefly about development cooperation. Estonia supports the further development and strengthening of the European security and defence policy (ESDP), and as a future member of the European Union, we are prepared to actively participate in the formulation of this policy. Estonia is already taking part in the peacekeeping operation in the Western Balkans -- we are participating in the European Union policing operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which began on January 1; and in the military operation in Macedonia, which began on March 31; and we are also part of the NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and Bosnia. We find that the European Union should formulate an effective engagement policy for its “new neighbours”, primarily aimed at Ukraine, Moldova, and Belorussia. And the European Union’s cooperation with Russia, including that, which is taking place within the framework of the Northern Dimension, is of major significance for Estonia.

At the same time, we are of the opinion that the further development of the ESDP should not cause a weakening of the trans-Atlantic link, or duplicate NATO. Instead, it should actually reinforce the Alliance by becoming part of the trans-Atlantic security structure. Estonia totally supports the concluding of the EU and NATO agreement -- Berlin Plus -- which enables the European Union, within the framework of the so-called Petersberg Tasks, to also carry out military operations. But, at the same time, we currently do not see any reason for creating a European security and defence union (ESDU) and an autonomous operational staff headquarters. Presently, it also seems unlikely that the rest of the European Union’s Member and Acceding States would accept proposals in the Union’s defence and security policy sphere as radical as the so-called “proposal of the four”, which was presented by Belgium, Germany, France, and Luxembourg in Brussels on April 29.

To conclude the segment of my address dealing with the European Union, I would like to stress the fact that in connection with Estonia’s accession, our obligations in the sphere of development cooperation are increasing. We have pragmatic interests and a moral obligation to be involved in this activity. Development cooperation, primarily with our neighbouring areas, helps to increase regional security and commonweal. Therefore, it is an essential part of our foreign policy, and one of the components ensuring Estonia’s national security. Our contribution to development cooperation has remained constant since 1999, comprising 0.01% of Estonia’s annual GDP. But in conjunction with our improving standard of living and our increasing adherence to general European values, we must be ready to increase our contribution, so as to approach the minimum of 0.33% set by the EU, and in the long perspective, to eventually achieve 0.7%, the level established by the United Nations. In the course of developing our country, we have had the opportunity of utilising the aid offered by others. And now it is time for us to aid development elsewhere. Many states, primarily in South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are eager to learn from our experiences in developing democracy and a market economy, since they are presently facing problems, which Estonia has already successfully dealt with in the course of its development process.

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Respected Members of the Riigikogu,

I would now like to summarise the developments, which have taken place in our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation accession process.

Accession negotiations with NATO started right after Estonia was invited to accede. They did not last long since most of the preparatory work had been done previously, and many problems had been solved within the framework of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) process, which had been implemented for three years. During the first round of the negotiations, special attention was paid to political, economic, defence, and military matters. In other words, to the basic principles, which make NATO a unifying defensive union, to its jointly held values and joint defence planning. Among other things, Estonia’s contribution to the increasing of general security through international cooperation and by participating in peacekeeping operations, and the complete inclusion of Estonia into NATO’s consultation and decision making mechanisms were dealt with. Also, Estonia’s role in collective defence efforts, the principles by which Estonian officials and military officers will start to work in NATO structures, and Estonia’s participation in NATO defence planning were discussed in detail.

In the second round of the negotiations three general themes were under discussion: the financial resources necessary for NATO accession, matters pertaining to information security and security in general, and legal matters. Estonia confirmed that in the 2003 national budget, which has been approved by the Riigikogu, 2% of the GDP has been earmarked for national defence expenditures. The need for such a commitment was stressed by NATO’s Secretary General George Robertson during his visit to Tallinn on March 24. In the sphere of information and general security, Estonia promised to implement, as quickly as possible, appropriate legislation, which would be in accord with NATO regulations. In connection with legal matters, international treaties and other documents were analysed, which Estonia will be adhering to after joining NATO.

On March 11, Estonia’s ambassador to NATO handed over to the Secretary General a letter from the Estonian foreign minister, in which Estonia confirmed its willingness to join NATO, and to fulfil the obligations which it had accepted. In addition to this letter, there was a schedule of reforms, which would be implemented prior to and after accession. These reforms deal with various problems that Estonia has to cope with due to accession. The reform schedule encompasses all the subjects already mentioned in connection with the negotiations, but the main stress is on the developing of Estonia’s national defence capability, taking into consideration the direct and indirect obligations that come with NATO accession, and Estonia’s new national defence posture, which will be the result of NATO membership.

On March 26, in Brussels, the ambassadors of the Alliance’s Member States signed the Accession Protocols of the seven states that had concluded the accession negotiations. The signing of the Accession Protocols formally ended the negotiating phase and signalled the beginning of the ratification process. So far, five states -- Canada, Norway, the United States, Denmark, and Hungary -- have ratified the Accession Protocols. We are happy to note that the decisive ratification in the U.S. Senate was approved unanimously, without a single opposing vote. But it would be wrong to claim, at this point, that the ratification process has thereby been decided, since every individual Member State’s decision concerning this matter is important. Therefore, Estonian diplomacy is presently dedicated to promoting a problem free ratification process in all Member States. This process should be concluded by the beginning of 2004 at the latest. Thereafter, the parliaments of the invitee countries, including this very Riigikogu, have to ratify the Washington Treaty. If all goes according to plan, Estonia will become a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation before the Alliance summit in May 2004.

When dealing with Estonia’s NATO accession and our national security policy in general, we cannot bypass the matter of international terrorism and Iraq. Constantly, we can acknowledge the fact that the differences between national and global security are disappearing. The recent acts of terror in Casablanca and El-Riyadh prove once again that the efforts of individual states to combat terrorism, a worldwide phenomenon, are insufficient. From the standpoint of international security, of primary importance is the building up of post-war Iraq, and the implementation of an all-encompassing solution -- a so-called roadmap -- for the Middle East problem. In connection with this, Estonia in every way supports the efforts of the “quartet” consisting of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia. Estonia joined the coalition seeking the disarmament of Iraq, since we were convinced that Iraq must adhere to the UN Security Council’s resolutions, and must not pose a threat to international security and stability.

In connection with the building up of post war Iraq, we believe that it is important to preserve the integrity of that state. We find it to be natural that the coalition, which bore the burden and responsibility of eliminating Iraq’s regime, has assumed responsibility for establishing and maintaining post war stability. At the same time, we agree with the position that the United Nations must have a vital roll to play in the reconstruction process. Estonia fully supports the UN Security Council’s resolution of May 22 ending the sanctions, which had been in effect against Iraq for 13 years, and calls for a special UN representative to be assigned to Iraq. We are also prepared to participate in the post war building up process, and the operation for ensuring the security of the region. In this very hall, the Riigikogu decided on May 7 to approve the Government’s proposal to send up to 55 Estonian military personnel to participate in the security operations in the Persian Gulf area. In addition to that, the Government has set aside 500,000 EEKs for both the UN bureau coordinating humanitarian aid and the International Red Cross Committee.

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Respected Members of the Riigikogu,

I would like to dedicate the concluding part of my address to regional cooperation in the sphere of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and the three Baltic states.

Estonia will chair the Council of Baltic Sea States from June 2003 to June 2004, taking over that responsibility from Finland at the CBSS foreign ministers’ conference in Pori on June 10 – 11. We have already drawn up preliminary proposals for a chairing program and for priorities, which were presented for the first time at the May 26 – 27 session of the CBSS Committee of Senior Officials. The presentation of the final agreed upon list of priorities will take place at the aforementioned ministers’ meeting on June 11, and the final document should be drawn up in the course of the summer. The CBSS’ priorities during the Estonian chairmanship will be the development of the region’s economic environment, the ensuring of the security of the region’s civilian population, cooperation in the field of environmental protection, the defining of regional cooperation within a new international context, and the rationalisation and further development of the Council. From Estonia’s point of view, it is essential that at the beginning of our chairmanship we also assume the chairmanship of the CBSS Working Group on Economic Cooperation, which would give us an especially good opportunity to achieve our economic priorities.

And now, a few words about Baltic cooperation. Estonia, having chaired the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM) in 2002 from July to December, initiated the reforming of the Council. At this point, I would like to acknowledge the very active and substantive participation of the Riigikogu in the endeavours to reorganise the activities of the Baltic Assembly. It is important to successfully conclude the ongoing reforms during the present Lithuanian chairmanship of the BCM so as to ensure our effective and contemporised cooperation in the new environment, in which Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are members of both the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance. I believe that from now on Baltic cooperation should be given even more concrete substance. Many opportunities are available within the framework of cooperation with Nordic countries, where eight equal partners cooperate on the basis of the so-called Northern-Baltic 8 format. But this requires that the Baltic states gradually adopt a system of co-financing, especially within the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Adjacent Areas Cooperation Programme. Estonia has undertaken to present, by June 20, to the Nordic Council Secretariat, concrete proposals along with a co-financing schedule within those spheres of activity, which are of importance to us.

Respected Riigikogu!

Acceding with the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation marks both the end of one foreign policy phase and the beginning of another. The present Riigikogu is witnessing a unique historical event – Estonia will become a full member of two essential international organisations while all of you are elected Members of the Riigikogu. This is both a privilege and a responsibility. By becoming members, we will have greater opportunities than ever before, but also greater obligations. Although we have achieved the foreign policy goals that we established for ourselves a dozen years ago, we still cannot rest on our laurels and hope that our workload will become lighter. Quite the opposite -- thanks to accession, our foreign policy will become even more complex and substantive, and I must stress, also more expensive. We will be participating in more working groups and committees, decision-making mechanisms will be speeded up, and we will have more protocol commitments.

We are one of the smallest states in a uniting Europe, in an enlarging NATO, and even in our region of the world. Our success in establishing democracy and a market economy is based upon the conviction that smallness is not an obstacle to progress and development, but rather, an advantage. A small state can react more quickly to the changes taking place in a globalising world, finding it easier to adopt new ideas and new technologies. Let us take this progressive spirit along with us into a uniting Europe and into Euro-Atlantic security zone!

I wish you all the best in your endeavours for the good of our common foreign policy, and thank you for your attention!