BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Publicity

Saaremaa dumps Estonian Air contract and seeks new partner

Saare county government has decided to terminate its contract with the national carrier Estonian Air, thus closing the Tallinn-Kuressaare air route, and to launch a new public procurement to find another company to service it.

Flights have become fewer and the fares higher than was initially agreed, reported ETV. Local officials assert that passenger numbers per flight have also been declining as a result.

Although the government subsidizes each one-way flight with 2,000 euros, Estonian Air has said that expenses are still not being covered.

"The frequency of flights is not satisfactory. There are currently seven flights per week, but we would like to see 11 flights. Furthermore, the cost of plane tickets has significantly increased. Those are the reasons that passenger numbers have fallen,” said County Governor Kaido Kaasik.

Before the changes in the flight schedule were made, the popularity of the route increased steadily, Kaasik said, as 49 percent of seats were filled in the first quarter, then 57 percent in the second quarter and 63 percent in the third quarter of 2011. But when the schedule became sparser and prices went up, Kaasik said, the figure fell down sharply to 36 percent.

Ott Tammik

"Living for Tomorrow" to blow whistle on Finnish employment scammers

The Tallinn-based human rights group Living for Tomorrow (LFT) is preparing a criminal complaint against several Finnish companies and individuals it says are involved in scamming Estonian construction workers out of their fair wages, Finnish public television revealed on January 25.

LFT is planning to submit information it has collected on the alleged crimes to the Finnish police.

The YLE2 report highlighted the widespread practice of intermediary companies, typically based in Estonia, "renting" out relatively cheap Estonian construction labor to Finnish contractors.

The workers, who are promised Finnish levels of pay, usually end up with far less, sometimes as low as the Estonian minimum wage. Often they are not paid for months on end, YLE said, citing the case of a worker in Kerava who said he was owed 24,000 euros in back wages.

The head of LFT, Sirje Blumberg, said that it was more difficult to tackle such cases under the Estonian legal system because, unlike in Finland, such labor abuse is not considered a form of human trafficking.

New laws recently introduced in Finland may shut down the practice, however. From next year, construction workers will need to wear a badge displaying their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to gain access to building sites.

Steve Roman

Narva + Ivangorod join hands to attract tourists

The two border towns, the Estonian town of Narva and the Russian town of Ivangorod on the two sides of Narva river have joined hands to bring its key tourist sights such as its historic castles in order so that they can jointly attract more tourists, writes Eesti Päevaleht daily.

“We want to offer tourists travelling between St Petersburg and Tallinn an opportunity to stay in Narva or Ivangorod for a day or two instead of passing by,” explained Anne Veevo from the development department of Narva City Government.

To finance the project, the city of Narva plans to borrow about 350,000 euros. Among others, the two towns plan to spend about 200,000 euros on advertising their tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

“The finance ministry has already approved our funding application and the works can now start,” says MP Mikhail Stalnuhhin who signed the funding applications a year ago as chairman of Narva City Council.

The joint project titled Est Rus Fort Tour aims to attract tourists to visit the two castles of Narva and Ivangorod and includes a tourist route.

The total cost of the project is 6.9 million euros and is scheduled to be largely funded from the European Union cross-border programme.

Toomas Hõbemägi

ACTA will have an impact on Estonian legislation

Representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs admit that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) that is set to be signed in Tokyo tomorrow will have an impact on Estonian legislation since it will be an international obligation for the state and must be considered when drafting legal acts, writes Eesti Päevaleht.

Indrek Niklus, head of the private law department of the justice ministry says that in addition to ACTA, lawmakers must, for instance, also take into consideration TRIPS treaties that regulate industrial property rights.

“All together we have 21 such international treaties that are relevant in this matter,” said Niklus, admitting that, unlike ACTA, these treaties usually do not regulate the digital world.

“The key is that ACTA will not regulate the contents of intellectual property, but the way it is protected and tells state what they must do to protect and enforce these rights,” added Niklus.

The way how Estonian authorities have handled the passage of ACTA has drawn criticism from various parties, in particular from the Estonian Internet Community group which says that the act is not in line with constitutional law and will hamper innovation.

Justice minister Kristen Michal has denied such accusations in public and says that adoption of ACTA in Estonian law will not restrict personal rights nor limit free speech. “The text of the agreement says so specifically, but the way,” added Michal.

Estonia has already put together a workgroup including representatives of independent observes that is tasked to develop draft a law on intellectual rights reflecting the new implications of adopting ACTA.  The drafting process is expected to take up to three years.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian builders trafficked to Finland

Some Estonian workers on Finnish construction sites are the victims of work-related trafficking, according to YLE's current affairs programme Silminnäkijä (Eyewitness). Investigative journalists found evidence that dozens of Estonian staffing agencies are defrauding workers they send to Finland.

Crooked agencies typically promise Estonian builders wages on par with those paid in Finland. But in reality, deals with Finnish employers are only for the Estonian minimum wage. Sometimes Estonian workers receive no pay for months.

Sirje Blumberg of Estonian human rights group Living for Tomorrow says Estonia lacks legislation on work-related trafficking, making it difficult for perpetrators to be held accountable.

“In Estonia, only prostitution is understood as human trafficking,” says Blumberg.

“Last month’s salary for boss”

According to Blumberg, the situation has been deteriorating since Estonia’s economy tanked in 2008. The problem is likely to be widespread, as only a fraction of forced labour cases reach officials.

“A common practice is that the final month’s salary goes to the boss,” says Matti Venela, who says he is still owed 24,000 euros from a construction job in Kerava, some 30 kilometres north of Helsinki.

To help combat abuse in the construction sector, Finland is introducing a new tax number system. From next year, construction workers will need to wear a badge featuring their own personal Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to gain access to building sites.

New Tallinn apartments attract large Finnish investors

Finnish investors still find the price of new apartments in Tallinn attractive, with some of them having bought ten vacant apartments in new apartment buildings at once, reports Äripäev.

Christian Ayter who is consulting Finnish customers in 1Partner Kinnisvara, a real estate company, said that one reason is that rents in Tallinn are higher than in Helsinki and the property value is actually increasing.

Ayter says that one Finnish investment fund has bought four apartments and is looking for another 16, with average calculated purchase price of 130,000 euros.

„The company is looking in expensive central districts mainly two-room apartments,” said the consultant, but added that there are very few such apartments on offer.

Ayter adds that another private investors has bought five apartments and wants to buy another 15.

At present 1Partner Kinnisvara has 25 Finnish customers who are ready to buy a total of 100 apartments in central Tallinn. „I think I will be able to meet their demands,” he added.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Tallinn airport to reroute taxi + bus traffic

In a move to cut down on the number of taxis illegally operating on its territory, Tallinn Airport will completely overhaul its auto traffic system next month.

From February 15, the upper concourse, which has traditionally served as the pick-up and drop-off points for all buses, cars and taxis, will be closed to all traffic except taxis whose companies have a contract with the airport and private cars intending to pay for parking.  

All other traffic, including city buses, will be rerouted to the lower concourse. Passengers will have to take an escalator ride to connect to the airport's main arrival and departure halls, Õhtuleht reported.

The change is meant to prevent taxis whose companies do not have a contract with the airport from mingling with those that do, namely Tallink, Tulika and Tallinna Taksopark.

Erik Sakkov, a member of the airport authority's management board, said that passengers who want to order their own taxis will still be able to do so, but must wait for them in the parking area.

Steve Roman

Karmen Pedaru for Michael Kors Spring 2012 campaign by Mario Testino

On the Safari – Karmen Pedaru and Simon Nessman play nature lovers for Michael Kors’ spring 2012 campaign. Joined by a tour guide and male model Armando Cabral, the duo soak in the sights with Kors’ safari inspired creations featuring animal prints, satchel bags and tawny jumpsuits styled by Brana Wolf.

Police nabs group suspected of stealing trailers

A group of four Lithuanian nationals, suspected of stealing a truck trailer in Harju County, were detained by the police this month.

The authorities also suspect that the same group is behind the theft of two refrigerator trailers in Pärnu County, along with 62,000 euros worth of goods.

During a last week's search operation, Estonian police together with their Lithuanian colleagues found 27,000 euros worth of products stolen from Pärnu in a hangar located in the Lithuanian town of Klaipeda.

The police is also investigating whether the men are involved in the serial theft of four trailers in Harju County last fall, the Western District Prosecutors' Office said.

Ingrid Teesalu

Electric cars support program still unpopular in Estonia

The government's program to subsidize electric car purchases has attracted 17 applications in Estonia, while having enough funds to support 500 buyers, the Estonian national broadcasting corporation ERR reports.

The program, which gives buyers a discount of up to 50% on the total cost of a fully electric car, is financed by the government's sale of 10 million carbon dioxide credits to Mitsubishi last year, writes LETA.

However, it seems unlikely that the funds for the grant scheme, up to 18,000 euros per purchase, will be spent by November 2012 deadline.

As reported, in the framework of the electric car project, individuals and legal persons are eligible for up to 18,000 euros of support for the purchase, made possible by SA KredEx. In addition, up to 1,000 euros support is being provided for charger purchases and related installation. The support is being provided for purchasing an electric car from a country in the EEA or Switzerland and bearing a European Union type approval. The car must have at least a two-year warranty, the battery, a five-year warranty, and the applicant must be the first owner of the car.

2012 kicks off with a bang for Baruto

Before the New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament, most fans would have predicted that Hakuho, the reigning yokozuna, would claim his third successive Emperor's Cup, and 22nd title overall.

It was not to be.

In what was perhaps the most interesting basho for sumo fans for some years, four of the five ozeki finally stepped up to the plate and did their job properly — they ran neck and neck for much of the basho, gaps only appearing in Week No. 2 as the men in the uppermost ranks went against each other, and in the end, one of them walked off with his first Emperor's Cup.

That man was Baruto, an Estonian who first arrived on the dohyo in early 2004. At the time entering professional sumo with another young Estonian called Kitaoji who was to return to Estonia homesick before the year was out, Baruto won his first 14 bouts straight in those early years, in the process picking up the jonokuchi and jonidan division titles.

He tore through the four lower divisions, and was promoted to the foot of juryo a little over a year after he entered the sport. Injuries took their toll in his first years as a sekitori, but the past two years have seen him promoted to ozeki, winning 129 bouts compared to just 51 losses, for a basho average of almost 11-4 in that time. Even with a couple of slip-ups in mid-2010, this is an excellent figure, more than worthy of the rank when held up alongside his fellow ozeki, and second only to the yokozuna over the same period.

Petrol + diesel prices record high in Estonia

Fuel retailers in Estonia have been increasing fuel prices this week to record high. A litre of petrol 95 costs 1.34 euros while a litre of diesel costs 1.425 euros.

Jaanus Pauts, press spokesperson of Statoil, says that Statoil has never been purchasing fuel at such high price as global oil prices continue to grow.

Prices are record high also because the US dollar has been appreciating against the euro and EU and other countries have imposed import restrictions on oil imported from Iran.

Pauts said that one should not forget that excise duties and VAT make up 49 percent of the retail price and 45 percent is purchase price. In other words, the retailer accounts for only 5 percent of the retail price of fuel.

Finance director of fuel retailer Olerex said that in 2008 the company asked customers about the fuel price that they consider unacceptable. “At that time it was 20 kroons a litre. Today’s price is getting near 22 kroons so the customers seem to have adapted to new prices,” said the representative.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Port of Tallinn wants to erect a Ferris wheel

State-owned Port of Tallinn plans to build a 60-metre-high Ferris wheel for tourists near the Tallinn Passenger Port offering great views on the Old Town.

The company’s press spokesperson Sven Ratassepp said that the plan is only a concept and that no decisions have been made yet.

One authority that may block the plan is the municipal heritage authority. Its head Boris Dubovik said that the company’s representatives have been sounding him out about the Ferris wheel plan.

"This cannot be allowed since it would block the view to the Old Town from the direction of Pirita or Russalka. At 60 metres it would be as high as the stone part of the St. Olai’s Church and would distort the view to the Old Town,” said Dubovik.

Speaking about the company’s plans with the port area, Ratassepp said: “We want to develop the area into an entertainment complex. There are tourists who prefer to remain in the port and spend time there.”

Toomas Hõbemägi

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo moves level with Trans Narva star Aleksandrs Cekulajevs ..

... in the race for the Golden Shoe

The Portuguese netted two penalties as his team swept Athletic Bilbao aside to move to the summit of the rankings, with Lionel Messi hot on his heels,

Two penalties in Real Madrid's 4-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao saw Cristiano Ronaldo draw level with Trans Narva star Aleksandrs Cekalujevs in the race for the Golden Shoe.

The Latvian, plying his trade in the Estonian league, has scored an incredible 46 goals this season, and led the table until the Portuguese star's double.

A Lionel Messi hat-trick in Barcelona's thrashing of Malaga ensured that the Argentine remained hot on the heels of his nemesis, and saw the 24-year-old pull away from Robin van Persie, who managed a solitary strike in Arsenal's 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United.

CSKA Moscow's Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia finished the Russian season with 24 goals, and currently sits in fifth place, while Trabzonspor's Burak Yilmaz scored his 22nd goal during his side's shock defeat to Karabukspor.

Bundesliga duo Mario Gomez and Klaas Jan Huntelaar have taken their battle for the domestic Golden Boot to the European stage, and the Bayern Munich man sits two points ahead of his Schalke counterpart, with the Dutchman level on points with Newcastle's Demba Ba.

Russia’s growing economy provides jobs for Russians living in Estonia

While at present about a thousand Estonian residents are working in the area of St. Petersburg, their number is likely to grow five times in the near future, writes Eesti Päevaleht daily.

Official unemployment in the Leningrad oblast that is bordering with Estonia is only 0.5 percent and companies are desperately looking to hire people. By one report, there are about 10,000 vacant jobs in the area or about as much as there are unemployed in Northeast Estonia.

By some experts, the number of vacancies in the area is expected to grow five times in the next few years.

"This is underexaggeration. Actual demand is much higher. There are seven million people in St. Petersburg, but it is difficult to find young and skilled workers,” says Mart Luts who has security services business in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

According to Luts, more experienced senior specialists in the security services market can earn up to 5,000 euros a month. The problem is that only citizens of Russia can be employed, but since many Estonian residents are also citizens of Russia, they don’t need a work permit and are in a preferred situation.

Toomas Hõbemägi