BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Metal rules in Estonia

* TALLINN - Estonia’s largest manufacturing industry is engineering and metalworking, comprising one-fifth of the country’s total industrial output and one-third of exports. Although the Baltic state is losing its price advantage to China, companies from Northern and Western Europe prefer Estonian producers for their flexibility and fast delivery.
The industry reported sales of 1.1 billion euros last year and employs over 30,000 people. Growing at an average rate of 10 – 12 percent per year, chance for future growth are good, say insiders.

Tallink ready to sign agreement

* Most probably, the agreement between the Estonian shipping company Tallink, the Freeport of Riga and the company Rigas Pasazieru Terminalis, will be signed in November. Public relations director of the Freeport of Riga, Karlis Leiskalns, said that negotiations between the Estonians and Latvians have been successful.

They did not speak about which ferries will sail the Riga-Stockholm route, however, in a letter to the Freeport, the Estonians mentioned that the ferry Fantaasia could start operating traffic there before the Ice-Hockey World Championship 2006. The Board of the Freeport of Riga is promising to examine the agreement prepared by the Estonians on November 14.

Tallink is planning to establish its daughter company in Latvia in November. Tourism specialists suggest that two months long interruption in ferry traffic will not have a serious effect upon tourism because the ferry Baltic Kristina was not highly demanded. At present the easiest way from Riga to Stockholm is with the low-fare airlines.

Hotell Meri gets extension

Saaremaa Spa hotel Meri will get an extension with 110 accommodation spots ; the initial cost of the project is EEK 25 million. Marketing manager of Saaremaa Spa Hotels Dajana Tiitsaar says that as a result of the extension, the hotel will become the biggest accommodation establishment in Saaremaa.

Occupancy of the Meri hotel was 97% in July and an average of 71% in the first nine months of this year.

Think about vaccination when making travel plans

The most common infections that you might get from a trip abroad are A-hepatitis and B-hepatitis, also malaria. A-hepatitis spreads by food and drinking water, B-hepatitis by direct contact between people, for example blood transfusion and tattooing. Mosquitoes spread malaria.

The Tallinn travel medicine office is located in the Merimetsa infection centre and everyone should visit it 3-6 weeks before going travelling. Travel agencies should also encourage people to be vaccinated before their trips.

Saaremaa Spa Hotels pleased with occupancy

The average occupancy for the first nine months of 2005 in Saaremaa Spa Hotels was 74% ; the average occupancy of the third quarter was 87%. During the first nine months this year, Saaremaa Spa Hotels serviced 25,631 accommodation customers. The number of overnight stays was 94,594.

Estonian ship with Latvian flag ?

The Estonian company Tallink is considering the option of registering its ships in Latvia under the national flag of Latvia and to recruit most of the crew in Latvia. Tallink’s ferry is scheduled to start sailing from Riga to Stockholm on January 10, 2006. It is planned that at first only one ship will sail in this route, but another one would be launched in May, before the Ice-Hockey World Championship 2006 starts.

Migrant workers exploited 'across Wales'

EXPLOITATION of migrant workers is happening under our noses, former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies will claim today.

Speaking at a TUC conference in Swansea, Mr Davies will aim to expose the "Dickensian" conditions in which workers from the newest EU member states are labouring.

Mr Davies, director of the Valleys Race Equality Council, will say, "The EU has to get its act together to iron out the huge regional inequalities driving workers to migrate in the first place and offer them decent protection if they do. The UK has to come to terms with the social consequences of a net annual inflow of some 250,000 working age migrants."

In 2004, Ireland had a minimum hourly wage of 7 an hour, compared with the equivalent of only 0.93 in Estonia. The prospect of better wages has encouraged many people to sign up with firms which promise them jobs in countries with a high minimum wage ; Mr Davies believes many of them end up being exploited.

He recently met a Portuguese man who had worked 12-hour shifts as a meat-packer in a refrigerated room for £3.20 an hour. The company was legally able to make deductions from his pay because it provided him and five other workers with a "substandard" property in which they lived.

Mr Davies will say, "We've been busy creating a successful European economy, growing and competing on the international stage. Britain can claim to have led the way in pressing the case for greater competition, more .........

Sir Roger honorary consul for Wales 'twin'

* The Republic of Estonia has appointed as its first honorary consul in Wales an entrepreneur backing the use of maggots in modern medicine.

Sir Roger Jones, chairman of the Welsh Development Agency who is now one of the leading figures in the medical venture Zoobiotic, is charged with reviving links between Wales and the Baltic state.

Between the World Wars, Estonia's timber industry was a major supplier of pit props to the Welsh coal industry and the flow of imports through Cardiff created a substantial Estonian community in South Wales.

Sir Roger said, "The timber industry remains a very important part of Estonia's economy and the republic possesses some of the most advanced technology in the world for the exploitation of timber resources.

"If we can form the right connections with Estonian companies and organisations, their advanced technology could be of very significant advantage to our forestry economy in areas such as Mid and North Wales."

After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German and Russian rule, Estonia gained its independence in 1918. It was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 but regained its independence with the collapse of Communism in 1991.

Since then, Estonia and its 1.3 million citizens have emerged as a parliamentary democracy with a ..........

Dechy, Schiavone advance at Gaz de France

HASSELT, Belgium — Second-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France defeated Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-3, 6-1 Tuesday to move into the second round of the Gaz de France Stars.

Third-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy also advanced, beating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3, 6-4.

Also, Samantha Stosur of Australia took Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain 6-4, 6-0, and Jill Craybas of the United States topped Martina Sucha of Slovakia 7-6 (7-5), 6-1

SKYPE GIVES SMALL BUSINESSES MARKET ADVANTAGE

LUXEMBOURG - Skype, the pioneering Global Internet Communications Company which makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to make free high-quality phone calls, today announced Skype Groups, enabling one person to buy and distribute Skype's premium services to multiple Skype accounts.

Skype gives small businesses the market advantage against larger competitors by lowering operating costs and increasing productivity with voice calls, instant conference calling, group chat, file-transfer, free toll-free calling and Skype Toolbars, which lets callers make one-click calls to phone numbers directly from Outlook and Internet Explorer.

"From our research, we know that approximately 30% of our 61 million registered users rely on Skype for business purposes. We responded to their needs with Skype Groups, which will increase customer satisfaction by making it even simpler to purchase premium services," said Niklas Zennstrom, Skype CEO and co-founder.

"In particular, businesses that outsource or have distributed teams will find Skype's services incredibly valuable. No longer do managers have to juggle multiple communications plans among multiple providers; with Skype Groups, all employees are on one ...........

Prime Minister Ansip : The key to the European Union lies in diversity

Reykjavik — At the meeting of Prime Ministers from the Baltic and Nordic countries that closed late last night in Reykjavik, the heads of their respective governments expressed hope that the summit scheduled to take place in London next Thursday will enable discussion to take place in an open and unofficial atmosphere, which will allow for member states to better understand the choices Europe is facing. The Prime Ministers are of the opinion that such discussions will provide favourable ground for solving problems in the future, particularly for reaching an agreement on the financial perspective as soon as December of this year.

According to the Prime Ministers of the Nordic and Baltic region, which are characterised by strong and stable economies, reform of the economy and labour markets are required to ensure for all citizens a decent standard of living now and in the future. Europe is challenged by an aging population and globalisation — the solutions are openness, not isolation and protectionism. Thus, the Prime Ministers expressed their support for the Presidency’s call for the opening of internal markets and services, for a more open foreign trade policy and the development of a common energy policy.

However, the Prime Ministers did not agree with the opinion that a common social model can be established for the member states of the European Union. “Each European Union member state must develop a suitable model for themselves that takes into account its neighbours’ best experiences. It is useful to learn from each other; but it is diversity that characterises the European Union and has secured for the Community the support of its citizens,” said Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. The Prime Minister added that many of the reforms for developing the European Union in its entirety have to be implemented by each state itself.

Immigration boosts EU population-Eurostat

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's population grew by 2.3 million in 2004, mostly due to immigration which accounted for 1.9 million of the total, the bloc's statistical agency Eurostat said on Tuesday.

The 25-nation EU's population was estimated at 459.5 million on Jan. 1, 2005, up from 457.2 million a year earlier, Eurostat said in a statement.

Only 400,000 of the growth came from natural increase, defined as the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths.

The EU's population is ageing, accounting for the slow rate of natural increase, and some of the largest member states saw their populations fall. Germany's population fell by around 30,000 in 2004, despite net immigration of over 80,000.

Estonia protests intrusion by Russian warplane

TALLINN - RIA Novosti - The Estonian Foreign Ministry expressed disapproval to the Russian Embassy Tuesday over the intrusion of a Russian military plane into the Baltic country's airspace, the ministry's spokesman said.

Estonian defense officials said a Russian An-26 cargo plane en route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad had crossed into Estonian airspace Monday near Vaindlo Island by 0.2 nautical miles (about 400 meters) for about a minute, adding that one of the plane's pilots had contacted a flight control center in the Estonian capital.

The incident did not affect commercial flights, they said.

Russian authorities have not yet commented on the incident.

Andrus Ansip met with Prime Minister of Iceland Halldor Ásgrimsson

Reykjavik, 24 October 2005 — At his meeting today with Prime Minister Halldor Ásgrimsson of Iceland, Andrus Ansip expressed his delight that relations between Estonia and Iceland are very good. The Prime Ministers discussed economic issues and also participation in NATO missions.

Throughout the period following the restoration of Estonia’s independence, Estonia has felt Iceland’s strong political support for our aspirations. In August of next year, 15 years will have passed from the day when Iceland recognised the Republic of Estonia, being the first of all foreign countries to do so.

“It was a day when the small country of Iceland set an example for the large countries. The year 2006 is symbolic for the relationship between Estonia and Iceland. To celebrate it, Estonia wishes to express its gratitude and host a high-level visit from Iceland,” said Ansip when handing over an invitation to his colleague.

Prime Minister Ansip also thanked Iceland for its support in the boundary agreements’ issue between Estonia and Russia. “It is very important that the European Union and NATO partners support us unanimously. Estonia has ...........

Un grand pas dans l'e-démocratie.

*L'instant est historique. Un à un, les sept membres de la commission électorale se lèvent, montrent avec solennité leur clé numérique à l'assistance puis l'introduisent dans le disque dur disposé au beau milieu du grand salon de réception du Parlement de Tallinn. Ils viennent de donner le feu vert au premier dépouillement électronique de l'histoire de cette République balte, membre de l'Union européenne depuis l'élargissement de 2004. Une première pour ce petit pays (1,33 million d'habitants), mais aussi à l'échelle mondiale. Jamais auparavant un pays n'avait accordé à ses citoyens le droit de voter par l'Internet depuis leur domicile, leur bureau ou quelque autre lieu connecté que ce soit. Y compris depuis l'étranger, et ce pour un scrutin national. Ce n'est plus de l'expérimentation, mais de la politique au quotidien.

Quelques minutes et une bonne dizaine de manipulations plus tard, retransmis sur un grand écran où défilent des lignes de code informatique, les résultats du vote d'un peu moins de 1 % du corps électoral estonien apparaissent. «C'est fait», lâche Heiki Sibul, président de la commission électorale, avec un gros soupir de soulagement. «L'Estonie a e-voté et ça a marché.» Présent au titre d'observateur, un fonctionnaire du bureau des élections suédois est moins convaincu : «On n'a rien compris à ce qui se passait, réagit-il, mais un dépouillement high-tech peut-il être autre chose qu'une affaire d'experts ?» Les suffrages exprimés en ligne seront envoyés par ligne sécurisée dans les bureaux de vote réservés aux e-électeurs pour être comptabilisés au niveau de chaque circonscription.

Carmen KASS pregnant ?

* CHRISTY TURLINGTON has revealed that she is expecting a baby boy. The American supermodel, who is six months pregnant, was overheard telling Naomi Campbell during a U2 concert in New York on Friday night that she and her husband, Ed Burns, are about to provide their two-year-old daughter Grace with a brother.

While speculation is ongoing regarding the rumoured pregnancies of Carmen Kass and Karen Elson, Natalia Vodianova also confirmed this week that she and her husband, Justin Portman, are expecting a brother or sister for their son Lucas in March.

* CARMEN KASS is thought to have fainted backstage at the Prada show, prompting rumours that she might be expecting a baby with her chess-master boyfriend, Eric Lobron.

Skyping the Hype

* "Supermodels not wanted. We want your brain." This ad, in English, appeared in Estonian newspapers in 1999. At the time, the advertisement seemed ironic in a country where the biggest international breakthroughs had been achieved by skin-and-bones supermodels, such as Carmen Kass. Now the anti-supermodels irony is history. The result of the brains attracted by the ad -- the peer-to-peer (P2P) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) venture called Skype -- was sold to eBay in September for $2.6 billion.

The ad was placed by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, a Swede and a Dane, who later became known as the founders of Kazaa (a P2P filesharing program) and Skype. It seems to be about the only commercial message Zennstrom and Friis had to pay for. Despite their efforts to remain geeks, the Swedish-Danish tandem and the Estonian programmers behind Kazaa and Skype became supermodels in their own right. They were on the front page of the New York Times as early as 2002. When their new program, Skype, was still in its beta version, Fortune magazine ran a feature story, the lead of which opened with a scene in the trendy bohemian bar Noku in the Old Town of Tallinn. Now Skype is becoming a household name, with magazines ranging from the Economist to Vanity Fair fawning over the venture -- which has yet to make a profit and had a turnover of $7 million last year and expects to earn $60 million this year.

American expert : EU would support forces in Estonia that ready to make concessions to Moscow

* Simon Araloff, analyst of Axis Information and Analysis European section, notes that if until recently EU leaders understood the cool relations of Estonia and Russia, now the active anti-Putin policy has started to irritate the EU leadership, reports Estonian DELFI online news service.

Anti-Russian policy does not correspond with interests of the European Union, notes Araloff, stressing that the outcome of parliamentary elections in Germany and nomination of the socialist Frank Walter Steinmeyer as Germany’s foreign minister would strengthen the strategic partnership of Russia and Germany. And Great Britain, France and Belgium would like to join to the Russian-German gas pipeline.

According to Araloff, Brussels is going to use the results of local elections in Estonia by supporting forces that are ready to make concessions to Moscow and are not so radical on the issue of local Russians.

L'hélicoptère qui s'est abîmé en mer Baltique avait un système de commande défaillant

* TALLINN - Les experts américains ont découvert une défaillance du système de commande de l'hélicoptère Sikorsky S-76C qui s'est abîmé dans le golfe de Finlande le 10 août dernier, a annoncé vendredi aux journalistes un membre de la commission d'enquête auprès du ministère estonien de l'Economie, Tonu Ader.

La défaillance a été constatée dans une des quatre servocommandes hydrauliques mais l'enquête n'est pas encore achevée et on ne peut pas dire que c'est elle qui a causé la catastrophe, a-t-il indiqué.

ESTONIA about Russia : 2nd decade, October 2005

* Events in Nalchik have generated a considerable response, with both Russian sources and the Kavkaz-tsentr web site of Chechen separatists quoted extensively. "It is just as well that yesterday's clash in the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria between Chechen rebels and Russian security forces did not repeat the Beslan hostage drama. On the one hand, human lives were spared, and on the other, seizure of innocent hostages would not have benefited Chechen independence fighters, in the sense of the world's understanding, sympathy and support for separatists." (Eesti Paevaleht, October 14.)

Some Estonian politicians have expressed outrage about the statement made by Prime Minister Andrus Ansip that Estonia would not demand compensation from Russia for the damage caused by the Soviet "occupation." The Fatherland Union has sent an inquiry to parliament concerning Ansip's statement. Union members want to know why Ansip decided to go back on his former decision and not to demand Russia's apologies for half a century of subjugation. The party also wonders why the premier has abandoned his intention of claiming compensation for deported persons and their descendents." (Delfi, October 13.)