Estonian Review 1-18 August 2010

FOREIGN NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS

Estonia to help in relief effort in Pakistan

4 August - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contribute 64,000 euros through the UN World Food Programme toward easing the plight of the victims of flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet noted that more than 3 million people have been affected by the floods. “Very many inhabitants of Pakistan have been left homeless, and in the worst cases they have lost loved ones. For these victims, survival and continued coping will depend greatly the relief efforts,” said Paet. “For the next three months, Estonia will be supplying food to residents of regions affected by the disaster.”
The United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) has asked donor countries for assistance in supporting the flood victims. The WFP has been central to relief efforts since the crisis began. On 1 August, the first deliveries of food arrived to 3000 families in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda. Delivery has been hampered by damage to key transport routes and bridges.
The humanitarian aid for Pakistan will come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs budget for development and humanitarian assistance.

Estonia helping Russia to put out wildfires and providing assistance to families left homeless

11 August - Estonia will be sending Russia equipment to help put out the extensive wildfires in the country after Russia decided to accept the offer from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet says it is only natural for neighbours to assist one another in a crisis. "Russia is facing an extensive disaster and the primary issue here is not whether or not the countries have signed a rescue treaty. Estonia offered to assist Russia to the best of its ability in efforts to extinguish the forest fires and Russia has accepted the assistance. Paet expressed the hope that the forest fires can be put as soon as possible and no further people would have to lose their lives or their homes.
Estonia is sending Russia four pumps and 10 kilometers of fire hoses, including connectors and other fittings to allow water to be supplied to the fire zone. Two Rescue Board instructors will accompany the delivery of the aid, providing instructions for the use of the equipment and formally handing it over to the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to provide 100,000 euros of assistance to people who have lost homes and property in Russia in the wake of wildfires in Russia.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet noted that over 3,500 people have lost their homes due to extensive wildfires and 53 people had been killed.
"In many cases, entire villages have burned. We want to do what we can to help ease the situation for these people in their severe plight and help them go on with their lives,“ said Paet.

Estonia to help build sport facilities and playgrounds for displaced young Georgians

11 August - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is helping improve the living conditions of displaced young people in Georgia by building play and sports grounds in their villages.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet said that many families lost their homes in the aftermath of the armed conflict in Georgia in August 2008 and the younger members of these displaced families often lack opportunities for healthful recreational and sports activities. “Most domestic refugee settlements lack recreational opportunities for children and young adults. Building playgrounds and sports facilities offers a safe and positive opportunity for spending free time and helps them return to everyday life,“ said Paet.
The project is being implemented by the Estonian Embassy in Georgia. Five playgrounds and four athletic fields are being built in villages in the regions of Shida-Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti, which will give the opportunity of practicing sports and games for more than 800 young people and children.
The playground and sports facility program is being supported by 840 046 kroons (53,800 Euros) from the Foreign Ministry’s development cooperation and humanitarian assistance funds.

Estonia to send first diplomat to Sub-Saharan Africa

13 August - On Friday, 13 August, in Helsinki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General Marten Kokk and his Finnish counterpart, Foreign Ministry Secretary of State Pertti Torstila, signed an agreement between the foreign ministries of the two countries under which an Estonian diplomat will be stationed in the Finnish embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, starting in January 2011.
Kokk said the exchange diplomat will give Estonia a good opportunity to gain experience in the particularities of African social customs. "It will also be important for us for developing future diplomatic activities in African countries,“ said Kokk. He expressed hope that it could develop into a good model for cooperation in other parts of the world.

Youth mobility agreement between Estonia and Canada to enter force

1 August - 1 August marks the entry into force of a youth mobility agreement between Estonia and Canada, which gives Estonian and Canadian citizens aged 18-35 an opportunity to live and work in each other’s country for a short term (up to 1 year).
The agreement gives people more opportunities to pursue academic or vocational education, gain work experience and develop a better understanding of the other country’s languages, cultures and society.
Under the agreement, young adults age 18-35 will be able to work and pursue in-service studies in the host country on the basis of a previously agreed employment contract. Registered students and enrolled university students will be able to undertake a pre-approved internship or studies in the respective host countries. The agreement also affords the opportunity for the participants to travel in the host country and accept short-term employment.
The agreement sets forth the precise conditions for entering Canada. Estonian participants in the programme must meet the requirements of Canadian immigration acts, substantiate sufficient funds to cover the initial costs in Canada, and have health insurance. For more information on the permits necessary to enter Canada on the basis of the agreement and on the application process and fees payable, please contact the Canadian Embassy’s Tallinn office. Canadian citizens wishing to travel to Estonia can obtain more details from the Estonian Embassy in Ottawa.

DOMESTIC NEWS

Estonian Public Broadcasting launches English-language site

12 August - Estonian Public Broadcasting has launched an English-language news site at http://news.err.ee to present objective information from Estonia to an international audience. The newsdesk was established to help increase interest in Estonia from the international public as well as wire services by providing a source of trustworthy and balanced news coverage.
Daily news headings include Politics, Economy, Sci-Tech, Culture and Sports. The site will cover the major headlines and news that could be of interest to people abroad and will also feature subtitled video segments from the country's best-known evening news program, Aktuaalne Kaamera, and other ETV and ETV2 programming.
The newsdesk is staffed by a multinational team consisting of Erkki Sivonen, Ott Tammik, Kristopher Rikken and Steven Roman. The portal launch and development is being led by longtime Estonian resident Scott Diel, who contributes a wealth of experience in the international media, and ERR portals editor Aivar Pau.

Newsweek ranks Estonia 32nd best country in world

17 August (BNS) - Estonia ranks 32nd in the Newsweek list of the best countries in the world in terms of national well-being with Finland rated as the best of 100.
The magazine chose five categories of well-being - education, health, quality of life, economic competitiveness and political environment - using data from international studies for the survey. Estonia scored 93.32 points out of a maximum 100 for education, 75.85 for health, 71.50 for quality of life, 51.27 for the economy, and 73.23 for political environment.
By Newsweek's rankings, the overall level of well-being is highest in Finland, followed by Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Luxembourg, Norway, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan and Denmark.
Out of the 100 countries listed, Burkina Faso has the lowest level of well-being, preceded by Nigeria and Cameroon.
Lithuania placed 34th, Latvia 36th and Russia 51st. Ahead of Estonia was Slovakia in 31st and Hungary followed in 33rd. More than half of the world's countries were not included in the list
The education scores were based on the results of international PISA tests and CIA Factbook literacy data. Health was evaluated by the World Health Organization's data of life expectancy, years of healthy life, and levels of sickness and injuries. Quality of life was judged by data on income levels, gender gap in earnings, poverty, standard of life, number of suicides, crime levels, state of the environment, and level of unemployment provided by the United Nations and its organizations, the World Bank, CIA Factbook, and other international organizations. In assessing economic development, international organizations' data on gross domestic product, utilization of resources, innovation, economic reforms and stock market were taken into consideration. Political environment was measured on the basis of Freedom House and other international organizations' data on political and civic freedoms.

Estonia: more than 30,000 clients left without electricity after thunderstorm

9 August (BNS) - There were 30,000 Eesti Energia power utility clients with no electricity supply in Estonia at 9 Monday morning and 2,500 Eesti Energia substations out of service after a heavy thunderstorm late on Sunday and in the early hours of Monday.
The number of power failures was the highest in the West-Viru, Tartu and Viljandi Counties. All field work teams of Eesti Energia and its partners were busy restoring the power supply, with internal capacities of the grid company also involved in the work, a spokesman for Eesti Energia said.
Failures in densely populated areas will get the electricians' attention first and repair teams will then go out to areas where the number of clients is smaller.
Eesti Energia has brought in additional staff to receive power failure reports and all reports to the power failure telephone number have been recorded. To avoid overloads Eesti Energia has asked not to repeatedly call the power failure number.
Eesti Energia has warned people of getting against close to power lines lying on the ground.

DEFENCE NEWS

Estonia, Sweden sign joint defense procurements treaty

10 August (BNS) - Martin Hurt, deputy secretary general of the Defense Ministry for defense investments, Tuesday in Stockholm signed a framework agreement on joint defense procurements, which will establish the cooperation format and procedures as well as formation of joint working groups.
The Defense Ministry said that the working groups would study both the countries' procurement plans in order to find points of contact on the basis of which it would be possible to carry out joint procurements of armaments, equipment and ammunition. Separate agreements will be signed in case of each concrete joint procurement.
The deputy secretary general said that the military defense development plan for the years 2009-2018 foresees several new major procurements. "Because of that the Defense Ministry is looking for opportunities to carry out joint armaments and equipment procurements," Hurt said.
A good example of such cooperation is the procurement of medium-range radars as a joint Finnish and Estonian project, which saved tens of millions of euros for Estonian taxpayers," the secretary general added.
Joint procurements of equipment and armaments lower the price of equipment by unit, as well as repair and maintenance costs. Besides, joint procurements would also improve Estonian and Swedish defense forces' cooperability as equipment of the same type would be used more frequently than before.
Sweden and Estonia have close defense contacts already since the first half of the 1990s. The main spheres of cooperation are soldiers' training, development of the Baltic Defense College, information exchange on maritime monitoring, defense aid in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Georgia. Besides, Sweden has given to Estonia equipment.
In the first half of 2011 Estonia is planning to take part in the Swedish-led Nordic Battle Group of the European Union with up to 55 men.

More than 200 Estonian soldiers to take part in foreign missions in 2011

9 August - The Estonian Defense Ministry sent to their round of endorsements bills on the participation of an average of more than 200 soldiers in international military operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, the Middle East and in the Nordic battle group of the European Union in 2011.
The ministry said that participation in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan would still remain the biggest foreign mission for Estonian soldiers and according to the bill there would still be constantly from 160 to 165 soldiers serving there. At present there is an infantry company, a logistics support element, a fire support team, a team of fighting against improvised explosive devices and staff officers and non-commissioned officers serving in Southern Afghanistan and a military police close protection team in Kabul.
According to the bill Estonia would continue with up to three staff officers and non-coms in the composition of the NATO led Kosovo Force.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina Estonia's participation in 2011 would still be limited to three staff officers and noncoms at the staff of the European Union's military contingent EUFOR (European Military Force) in Sarajevo. As the present security ensuring mission may be turned into a consultancy and training mission, the Estonian staff officers could be replaced by the same number of instructors next year.
In Iraq the defense forces would continue taking part in the NATO Training Mission-Iraq, NTM-I, with up to three staff officers. The main duties of NTM are observation and consultancy to Iraqi training institutions and the staff officers there will not be involved in immediate security provision operations.
At the United Nations military observation mission in the Middle East, UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organization), Estonia would continue with up to three soldiers. It is the duty of UNTSO observers to watch over the keeping of the peace agreements in the Middle East, prevent the escalation of conflicts and to help other UN missions in the area.
In addition to the usual mandates a bill for the participation of the Estonian defense forces' Nordic Battle group of the European Union with a staff defense team and staff officers, a total of up to 55 soldiers was also sent on its round of endorsement. The Nordic battle group, built up of Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Irish and Estonian units, will be in readiness in the first half of 2011.
In accordance with the International Military Cooperation act the parliament decides use of the Estonian defense forces in international military operations. A majority of votes in parliament is required to pass the bills sent on their round of endorsements on Monday.
The military defense development plan for the years 2009-2018 stipulates continued contribution of Estonia's military capabilities and units in international operations carried out by NATO, the European Union and other coalitions.

Defense League Polva team wins Erna Retk trek

7 August (BNS) - The Polva Company team of the Defense League won the Erna Retk trek that began on Wednesday, the team of the Scouts Battalion finished second.
Urmas Reitelmann, spokesman of the event, said that the 2nd Tartu Company team of the Defense League were third in the finish. The women's team of the Alutaguse company finished 21st and the Lithuanian team, the best foreign entry, was 15th. All the 24 teams that crossed the starting line on Wednesday finished the trek.
The Erna Retk 2010 military competition began with a festive line-up Wednesday morning in St George's Night Park in Tallinn. As an annual tradition wreaths were laid at the Kautla memorial in memory of the villagers and fugitives killed by the Red Army there in 1941. The trek started with a landing from the Estonian Navy ship Tasuja and the Border Guard ship Valvas to the Salmistu beach and ended with a final race on Saturday. The festive closing ceremony of the competition will take place at the Erna Retk base camp at Lasna Saturday evening.
In all there were 24 teams from six countries competing. The Harju company of the Defense League entered the competition with three teams; the Tallinn and Jarva companies of the Defense League and of the Military Academy had two teams each competing. Of foreign competitors Finland and Sweden were also represented by two teams.
Belgium and Lithuania took part with one team in the in the military competition that is regarded as one of the most difficult ones in the world. China and Georgia took part in the event as observers this year.

Estonian defense minister, army chief discuss NATO reforms with Ramms

5 August (BNS) – Estonian Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo and commander of the defense forces Lt. Gen. Ants Laaneots discussed the NATO operation in Afghanistan and the alliance's transformation in meetings with Gen. Egon Ramms, chief of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, who was in Estonia on a farewell visit.
At Ramms' meeting with Aaviksoo the Afghanistan operation, changes in NATO's military command structure and the alliance's new strategic concept were under discussion, the Defense Ministry said.
Aaviksoo acknowledged the work done by the general and his team that has promoted Estonia's cooperation with NATO and increased the security of Estonia as a member of the alliance. "The work done in the last two years and the developments that have taken place are an example of excellent cooperation," he said.
The NATO general met also with Estonia's chief of defense, Lt. Gen. Ants Laaneots.
"I last visited Estonia in 2008 and I am pleased to say that the cooperation plans we made then have developed in a very positive direction," the General Staff quoted Ramms as saying.
Ramms reaffirmed the importance of the Afghanistan mission in coming years and praised the Estonian contribution.
The general and the Joint Force Command delegation accompanying him familiarized themselves with Estonia's NATO-related development plans and host nation support, and visited the Tallinn-based Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence.

ECONOMIC NEWS

Estonian economy expands 3.5 pct on year in Q2

11 August (BNS) - Estonia's gross domestic product grew by 3.5 percent in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2009, flash estimates of the national statistics office show.
The GDP grew last in the fourth quarter of 2007.
In the first quarter of this year a decrease of 2.3 percent was recorded.
The second-quarter GDP was above all influenced by the 10 percent growth of value added in the industrial sector, Statistics Estonia said. The growth was supported by the strong exports of manufacturing production and electricity.
The value added generated by the mining of oil shale used for producing electricity grew fast as well. Due to small domestic demand, sales of manufacturing production on the domestic market decreased, the statistics office noted. The value added generated in construction whose output mainly targets the domestic market showed a continued downtrend.
In the wholesale and retail trade the value added increased under the impact of the growth of value added in wholesale. The value added generated in retail trade kept decreasing due to insufficient demand. In financial intermediation the growth of value added was primarily influenced by the growth of banks' income from service charges and by the growth of net premiums of insurance companies.
The seasonally and working day-adjusted GDP increased by 2 percent in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter, preliminary figures show.

Registered unemployment in Estonia drops by fifth in four months

10 August (BNS) − The number of registered unemployed in Estonia declined in July for the fourth month running and registered joblessness dropped by a fifth in the last four months.
In July the decrease in the number of registered jobless exceeded the figure recorded in June but was more modest than in May. At the end of the month registered jobless numbered 75,780, making up 11.7 percent of the population aged 16 years to pension age, the Unemployment Insurance Fund reports.
During last month 6,465 new unemployed were registered and 9,869 persons were struck from the register; both figures more or less match the previous month's numbers. Nearly half of the persons delisted in July were removed from the register because they found a new job.
Going by previous months' data of the inflow of unemployment insurance tax, it can be concluded that the actual number of newly employed people is bigger as all people do not inform the Unemployment Insurance Fund about having found work.
During July 84,458 people altogether were registered as out of work and the number of registered jobless stood at 75,780 at the end of the month.

Number of foreign tourists in H1 up 13 percent on year

10 August (BNS) − In the first half of this year 365,000 domestic and 656,000 foreign tourists used the services of accommodation establishments in Estonia, an increase of respectively 5 percent and 13 percent in comparison with the same period of 2009,data of the national statistics office show.
Domestic tourists preferred accommodation establishments of southern and western Estonia where more than half of accommodated domestic tourists stayed. Services of accommodation establishments of the capital Tallinn were used by 18 percent of domestic tourists, which is 7 percent more than in the first half of last year.
Compared with the first half of 2009, more foreign tourists arrived from Finland, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom and Latvia. The number of tourists from Sweden and Norway declined.
The average cost of a guest night was 421 kroons (EUR 27) or 5 percent less than a year earlier. An overnight stay cost the most in Tallinn - 505 kroons on the average -, but here too the average cost of a guest night was 37 kroons cheaper than in June 2009.

Number of passengers passing through Tallinn aiport increases also in July

3 August (BNS) – The number of passengers passing through Tallinn Airport (AS Tallinna Lennujaam) grew for the third month running with the airport serving 135,772 passengers during the month, 5.8 percent more than in the same period last year.
Compared with June the number of passengers contracted by 2.6 percent in July.
The number of passengers on international flights increased by 5.4 percent to 132,386 passengers, it appears from statistics of AS Tallinna Lennujaam.
Overall in the period from January to July 770,553 passengers passed through Tallinn Airport, 2 percent fewer than in the same period last year.
In July 463 tons of goods passed through Tallinn Airport in July, 60.4 percent less than in the same month in 2009.
In all there were 3,145 flights via Tallinn Airport, 12.7 percent more than in July 2009.

Estonia: sale of Balbiino icecreams up 34 pct

3 August (BNS) - Estonia's Balbiino sold 852 tons of ice cream this July: compared with last July Balbiino increased its sale of ice cream by 34 percent.
Balbiino said that it was an absolute ice cream sale record during its 15 years experience.
This July Balbiino sold 23.5 tons of its own products more than in the previous record month, in July 2006, the ice cream producer said.
"We are now working in three shifts and round the clock in order to meet the increased demand for ice cream," said Hindrek Mannik, sales director and business manager of AS Balbiino.
The day with the biggest sale of ice cream was July 13 this year when Balbiino ice creams were sold for nearly two million kroons (EUR 128,000).
AS Balbiino was established in 1995. The company is based 100 percent on Estonian capital; it belongs to NG Investeeringud and employes 158 people.
In addition to ice cream production Balbiino also deals in frozen and refrigerated products. Balbiino imports and mediates frozen vegetables, berries, semi-prepared foods, fish and meat.

CULTURAL NEWS

Sofi Oksanen's 'Purge' Wins Fnac Prize

18 August - The Finnish author's novel, Purge, has won the Fnac prize in France. This is the first time the award has gone to a foreigner, according to ERR's radio news.
Oksanen said she felt the award would help spread Finnish literature throughout the world. Fnac is a French chain of bookstores with locations in eight countries.
Purge was selected from 300 works published in France in the past year. The decision to award the prize to Oksanen was made before the novel began attracting positive reviews from French critics.
Oksanen's novel has also won the prestigious Finlandia prize in her home country. Purge, mostly set in Estonia, is based in part on stories from Oksanen's family that are connected to events in Estonian and Finnish history during the end of the 1930s and the beginning of the 1990s. Of Oksanen's three novels, Purge is the only one to have been translated to English.