BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

L'Estonie votera sur la Constitution européenne quoi qu'il arrive en France

TALLINN
La Constitution de l'Union européenne sera discutée et soumise au vote au parlement estonien quel que soit le résultat du référendum en France le mois prochain, a déclaré vendredi le chef de la diplomatie estonienne Urmas Paet.
"La Constitution sera soumise au parlement en mai et nous allons poursuivre les procédures comme prévu", a indiqué M. Paet à l'AFP. "Nous espérons que le résultat en France sera un "oui", puisque les hommes politiques français ont encore un mois pour expliquer la constitution à leurs électeurs", a-t-il ajouté.
A cinq semaines du référendum en France sur le Traité européen, le 29 mai, le non reste majoritaire dans les sondages, atteignant selon les instituts entre 52% et 58%.
Pour sa part, le haut représentant pour la politique extérieure de l'UE Javier Solana a formulé l'espoir vendredi à Tallinn que les Français allaient démentir ces sondages.
"La France est dans l'UE un pays très important et j'espère que le résultat sera positif", a-t-il déclaré lors d'une conférence de presse.
M. Solana a qualifié de "purement hypothétique" un vote négatif en France, ajoutant que le débat avant le référendum dans ce pays portait "sur d'autres choses que la constitution".
La Constitution européenne a déjà été approuvée par les chefs d'Etat des 25, mais pour entrer dans les faits elle doit encore être adoptée dans tous les pays membres, soit par les parlements nationaux, soit par référendum.

Estonian Minister praises Finnish-Estonian relations during visit

*Estonia’s new Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, Edgar Savisaar, has a reputation for making occasional biting remarks about Finland. However, there was a different tone on Tuesday when he was Helsinki to give a lecture in which he spoke of past events.
      Savisaar, who was Estonia’s first Prime Minister after that country regained its independence, said that Estonia’s rapid economic growth is attributable in large measure to the good relations it has with Finland.
      "To my understanding, Estonia’s rapid economic growth is largely the result of its good surroundings. If we had Belarus or Poland as neighbours, our development would not have been this fast", he said in his speech at the annual meeting of the Finnish-Estonian Chamber of Commerce.
      "Relations with the Finns are important in the formation of an image of the world. Regular ship connections, television, and above all personal contacts, are valuable."
      
Savisaar sees the construction of the Viru Hotel in Tallinn by a Finnish construction company during the Soviet period to be an important event.
      "Estonians saw new machinery, a new culture of work, and new builders. After that came many other projects which changed the country."
     

Prison population : ESTONIA ahead

*The number of prison inmates has been rising steadily in Estonia. There are currently 339 prisoners incarcerated for every 100,000 of population, putting the country at the top of the per capita lists for the entire EU.
      According to a report in the newspaper Eesti Päevaleht at the weekend, Estonia's neighbours in the Baltic States - Latvia and Lithuania - come right behind the country in the per capita statistics.
   

French mission will train Estonian Airforce for OSCE Open Skies Treaty

*TALLINN - A French military plane will this week conduct observation flights in Estonia as part of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Open Skies Treaty, defence officials said Monday.
    "The French training mission gives us a good opportunity to train our personnel," Major Raivo-Albert Tilk, head of the group for weapons control at the Estonian defence forces, said in a statement.
    A French C-130 Hercules transport plane will take aerial photographs during the observation flight, Tilk said.
    The Estonian parliament ratified the Open Skies Treaty in February and it officially takes effect next month.
    The treaty allows any signatory state to conduct aerial observation flights over the territories of any other signatory state.
    Its aim is not only to monitor arms control agreements but to strengthen conflict prevention and crisis management. The observation flights can also be used to help protect the environment and provide support for natural disaster relief efforts.
    Currently, 32 states are party to the treaty.

ESTONIA Business : Week 16, 2005

WEEK 16. 2005

Tuesday, 19th of April, 2005

300 000 cruise tourists to visit Estonia
300 000 cruise tourists and 336 cruise ships will be visiting Estonia in forthcoming summer season. Last year, about 60 % of tourists were from the European Union and 30 % from USA. In all, there were about 120 nations represented last year.
Eesti Paevaleht

Sales of Domina World Travel in three months were EEK 28 mln
Executive director in Domina World Travel M Color arina Laikjoe states that on the basis of the results in first three months, Domina is leader of market and top courier in Estonia. During that time amount of permanent and temporary customers increased. Laikjoe also said that Tunisia would be their new destination.
Aripaev

Wednesday, 20th of April, 2005

If Eesti Kindlustus paid EEK 56 million of benefits in March
In March this year, If Eesti Kindlustus benefited 3096 damage cases in a total sum of EEK 56 million. Compared to 2004, the sum has increased by 31 percent.
Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Telekom General Meeting

*AS Eesti Telekom

25 April 2005

Annual General Meeting

Hereby we inform you that the Annual General Meeting of the shareholders of AS Eesti Telekom, registration no 10234957, located in Roosikrantsi 2, Tallinn, shall be held on May 18, 2005 at 2.00 p.m. at National Library of Estonia (Tõnismagi 2, Tallinn).

The following agenda is suggested for the meeting :

1. Approval of 2004 Annual Report and allocation of the profit.

2. Buy-back option of AS Eesti Telekom shares.

3. Recalling and election of the members of the Council.

4. Remuneration of the members of the Council.

5. Election and remuneration of the auditor.

The shareholders registered in the share register of AS Eesti Telekom on May 18, 2005 at 8.00 a.m. have the right to vote on the Meeting. Registration to the General Meeting starts on May 18, 2005 at 1.00 p.m. at National Library of Estonia. For registration to the Meeting :

·         A shareholder, being a natural person, must produce a passport or  identity card as an identity document, a representative must also produce a  duly executed power of attorney ;

·         A representative of a shareholder, being a legal person, must produce an  extract from the respective (commercial) register, where the legal person is  registered (for an Estonian legal person, a copy of the Commercial  Register's card B, which is not older than 15 days), proving the right of  the person to represent the shareholder (legal authorisation), and the  representative's identity document; if the person is not a legal  representative, a duly executed power of attorney (authorisation by  transaction) and the representative's identity document must be produced in  addition to the extract from the register ;

·         Documents of a legal person registered in a foreign country (except for  the power of attorney) must be legalised in the Republic of Estonia Ministry  of Foreign Affairs or in a foreign representation of the Republic of  Estonia, or confirmed with apostille.

The 2004 Annual Report and draft resolutions of the General Meeting are available for all shareholders on Internet page http://www.telekom.ee and in the office of AS Eesti Telekom at Roosikrantsi 2, Tallinn since April 25, 2005 on working days from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Any questions in regard of the General Meeting can be asked by phone (372) 6 311 212 or mailed to mailbox@telekom.ee.

FOOTBALL : N Ireland book date with Estonia

*Northern Ireland have agreed to play a friendly international match against Estonia at Windsor Park, Belfast, on 14 March, 2006.

Plans for the match were finalised this week by Irish FA President Jim Boyce during the Uefa Congress in Talinn.

Lawrie Sanchez's side face a busy schedule of fixtures this year, beginning with a home friendly against Germany on Saturday 4 June.

This will be followed by two World Cup qualifying games in September.

EWU's Roos leads the pack

By José Miguel Romero

In something of a surprise, Eastern Washington offensive tackle Michael Roos was the first Northwest player to be taken in the NFL draft. Roos, a 6-foot-7, 320-pound native of Estonia, went to the Tennessee Titans in the second round with the 41st overall pick.

Roos played only one year of high-school football at Mountain View in Vancouver, Wash., where he was a tight end and a defensive end. He didn't move to left tackle for EWU until 2002.

Former Washington Husky Khalif Barnes was expected to be the first local player chosen, but the left tackle wasn't taken until the 52nd overall pick in the second round by Jacksonville. Six offensive linemen were taken ahead of Barnes, who many thought was at least the third-best lineman in the draft.

A few media mock drafts had the 6-6, 305-pound Barnes going to the Jaguars in the first round, but perhaps a wrist injury that cost him six games last season caused his stock to drop.

Cornerback Karl Paymah from Washington State was the only other player with Northwest ties to be selected, going to the Denver Broncos in the third round with the 76th overall pick.

Russian aircraft over estonian airspace !

MOSCOW/TALLINN, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Air Force officials deny allegations of the Estonian authorities about violation of Estonian airspace by a Russian aircraft.

Russian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky told RIA Novosti that two AN-26 aircraft from the Russian Air Force conducted a regular flight strictly along the designated corridor and under constant monitoring from the ground.

"The Russian side is ready to present all necessary data on the flight," Drobyshevsky said.

Estonian Defense Forces Main Headquarters claim that of at 13:49 on Saturday, April 23, an AN-26 military transport plane heading toward Kaliningrad (the Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea coast), entered Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo to the distance of more than a nautical mile and spent less than a minute over the territory of the republic.

The official statement claims that the Estonian Airspace Monitoring Center in Emari has registered the violation.

The Estonian officials insist that similar incidents with Russian aircraft have happened in the past. The Main Headquarters of the Estonian Defense Forces mention some of such occasions :

• on December 3, 2004, Russian AN-26 plane violated the Estonian airspace also in the vicinity of the Vaindloo Island ;
• on November 24, 2004, a Russian Tu-154 violated the Estonian airspace twice near the islands of Naissaar and Osmussaar ;
• on November 19, 2004, Russian aircraft AN-72 and AN-26 violated the Estonian airspace in the vicinity of the Vaindloo Island.

To be checked in Viru Keskus ..

Bestseller : Imre Kose's place

I have good news for everyone shopping in Viru Keskus. On the third floor, there's a new bookstore Rahva Raamat and a little while ago, a cafe was also opened as a part of this store. The new cafe is called Bestseller and it's managed by one of the best and most famous chefs in Estonia, Imre Kose. The first positive thing I noticed was that the chef was actually there, unlike some of the other places hiding behind famous names. Some of the other features that I liked - it's completely smoke-free and the waitresses look really nice and stylish.
I tried mushroom soup (EEK 35.00) and espresso (EEK 20.00). Soup was good, although a little bit spicy. Espresso was good as well, (they use Illy coffee-beans) but they didn't bring a glass of water with it. By the way, they are using Villeroy & Boch dishes, which are beautiful, classy and funky at the same time.

Estonia spring travels

*The travel agency Kagureis has developed a three-day nature and culture trip in Southern Estonia for people who are tired of winter and need a short vacation. The trip costs EEK 1,590 (EUR 100.00).

The agency BonaReisid takes vacationers to Vooremaa this spring. This trip costs from EEK 240.00 and participants are taken to Endla Natural Park, Laiusecitadel, Palamuse, etc.

Great new game on Estonia Channel 2

*EstonianTV offers a new show. Two random people from the street are offered the chance to compete for a free holiday. The contestant has to decide in a moment, because the plane will be departing in two hours and the contestant who arrives at the airport first will go on a week's holiday arranged by tour operator Novatours. Before departing, contestants have to settle their work and family affairs. Camaramen will escort both contestants.

ENJOY  should you get the chance to participate !

Estonian Air ticket prices to rise !

Estonian Air may raise the price of tickets to compensate for fuel expenses. Public relations officer Epp Alatalu says that when oil prices refuse to fall, a decision has to be made about ticket prices. It is not certain when or how much prices may change.

Opponents of school reform in Latvia detained on Estonian border

*TALLINN (Itar-Tass) -- Estonian border guards have not let a group of Latvian residents across the Estonian border on Saturday. The Latvian delegation included opponents of the school reform in Latvia who intended to picket the Latvian embassy in Tallinn. The picket was to have been staged on Saturday, said Dmitry Linter, member of the Russian Party in Estonia and one of the picket organizers.

A bus carrying the Latvian group was detained on the Estonian border. Urmo Kohva, press secretary of the Estonian Border Guard Department, said that the bus was detained because of technical faults found by the Estonian border guards.

Estos in the News

Appearing in the March 16th issue of The Hill newspaper was this paid advertisement from The Seniors Coalition urging lawmakers to oppose the importation of prescription drugs from foreign countries such as Estonia. Based on a poll by The Luntz Research Companies, a nationwide poll of seniors revealed 71% of America's seniors oppose such importation...

While Estonia is not a major exporter of pharmaceuticals (at least not yet) we believe Estonia...with one of the oldest Universities in Europe, the implementation and use of technology which exceeds many Western countries, with a highly educated workforce...would be capable of meeting world standards should she and the market decide to do so !

Upcoming... Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad

  4-8 July Lääneranniku Eesti Päevad will be held at Harrison Hot Springs in Vancouver, British Columbia from July 4-8th, 2005.

Along with its more traditional offerings, LEP 2005 will provide true family activities and an English and Estonian language program of events including the Opening Ceremonies, folk dancing, concerts, picnics, lectures, parties and more.

Mihkelson booted from committee chairmanship

TALLINN – The foreign affairs committee on Friday removed its long-standing chairman, Marko Mihkelson, of the Res Publica party, in place of a MP from the Center Party.

The proposal made by deputies from coalition parties Center, Reform and People's Union was carried by a vote of 5-3.

The panel is going to elect a new chairman on May 2, and Centrist Enn Eesmaa is tipped as the new chair.

Cabinet rejects two budget proposals

TALLINN – The government has rejected two drafts for the 2006 state budget put forward by Finance Minister Aivar Soerd, since they both called for a deficit.

Both of the drafts handed to the Cabinet showed revenues at EEK 57.1 billion (EUR 3.65 billion), with one of them setting out expenditures at EEK 57.2 billion and the other at EEK 58.6 billion. The shortfall was expanded further by a gap in the budgets of the medical insurance fund and local government budgets in the amount of nearly EEK 250 million.

Government spokesperson Inga Jagomagi said the state budget has to be in balance. “The Cabinet didn't discuss either option yesterday, having considered them unprepared,” Jagomagi was quoted as saying by the daily Postimees.

“A new blueprint of the budget will be submitted to the government next week that will be contain the budget’s potential breakdown,” she said.

In the more conservative blueprint, expenditures arising from the three-party coalition agreement amounted to EEK 2.1 billion, while in the more lavishing draft they amounted to EEK 3.5 billion.

Officials at the Finance Ministry on Thursday refused to say what expenditures provided for by the coalition agreement were to be put off under the more conservative plan.

Estonian visitors build on special links with Scotland

A PARTY of delegates from Estonia visited West Lothian recently to build on the special relationship the country has with Scotland.

Mr Ago Silde, the new Governor for the Ida-Viru county in the north-east of Estonia, has been seeing the work of the local economic partnership at Livingston’s Enterprise Centre.

*He also stopped-off at the Alba Centre and the Almond Valley Heritage Centre.

Willie Dunn, convener of West Lothian Council’s Enterprise and Development Committee, said the authority was looking forward to working with its Estonian counterparts in the future.

"Our Estonian colleagues found much that they could relate to in West Lothian’s recent economic history and are enthusiastic to learn how we have been able to turn around and grow our economy,” he said.

Impressions of present day Estonia

Arved Plaks

Estonian population is not growing and at the same time people are seeking employment outside the country where salaries are higher. The greatest unemployment rate is in the east part of the country. Teams of construction workers come from there to Tallinn, where they work as masons, roofers, or carpenters in the suburbs. The flow of Mexican workers into the United States is somewhat analogous. In Texas, Mexican immigrants are known to be hard workers, and do the jobs that native Texans do not want.

The majority of ethnic Russians who came with the occupation clearly will stay in Estonia. Although the number of people who came originally from the East has not diminished significantly, over the years they have become less noticeable. In the past one could identify non-Estonians by their clothes, but no more. However, on the buses to Lasnamäe, a Tallinn high-rise suburb built during the Soviet occupation with a high concentration of ethnic Russians, lively conversations in Russian are the rule. When a bus driver or a Lasnamäe pedestrian is asked for directions, inevitably the response is in Russian.

Native Estonians feel that Russians can never become Estonians, because the Russian character is different. Yet two of my schoolteachers in a refugee school were daughters of Russian émigrés from the Czarist times, and I cannot thank them enough for their positive influence on me. To me, the ethnic Russians seem very warmhearted. Although I was a stranger to her, an elderly Russian lady, who now lives in the house in which my mother was born, showed her home to me graciously. When I left she repeatedly blessed my family and me. I was told of an instance in which a man had fallen and injured himself on a street in Tallinn. Most people passed by him in a distance, but a lady with a Russian accent knelt down to help him. At the same time I was told that although ethnic Russians are warmer, they are quicker to give up on work, and are less focused and less tenacious than Estonians.