BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Estonian school to be open in Helsinki

TALLINN - The coalition of Reform Party, Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) and Social Democrats that is forming the next Estonian government has pledged to open an Estonian school in Helsinki, the daily Postimees reported.
The outgoing minister of population, Paul-Eerik Rummo, said that an Estonian school in Helsinki was necessary and people there had already displayed spontaneous initiative.
However, Rummo wasn’t able to say how many pupils the school could expect to attract. There are thousands of Estonians living in Finland on a long-term basis.
Rummo also outlined that no more Estonian schools are going to be opened elsewhere.

August 23, 1989 across the Baltic

* In the eighties, disputes increased in the Eastern bloc.

Part of the long human chain which spread over 600km and crossed Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on August 23 1989 as a protest against Soviet occupation. Watch the video of the human chain

Growing economy in 2007

TALLINN -- Estonia will continue to be one of Europe's fastest growing economies with a 9.2 percent surge in gross domestic product this year, though rampant inflation will delay adoption of the euro beyond 2011, the government said Tuesday.

Citing its latest economic forecast, Estonia's Finance Ministry said GDP, boosted by strong domestic demand and exports, is expected to grow 8.3 percent and 7.7 percent in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

But the ministry expects inflation to continue rising and reach 4.9 percent this year and 5.2 percent in 2008. Finance Minster Aivar Soerd told reporters that inflation remains well above the level Estonia needs to join the euro-zone and that meeting this criteria was unlikely before 2011.

Work to dismantle soldier monument to be continued in Tallinn

TALLINN - Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said that the remains of Soviet soldiers could be removed from a common grave in downtown Tallinn and reburied, and that the monument to the Liberator Soldier could be relocated by May 9.

"The new government, to assume duties soon, will continue the work to pull down the Bronze Soldier," Ansip told the press on Wednesday.

The outgoing government has formed a commission for military graves which has made proposals. "Preparations for reburial are under way and this work will be continued," he said.

Ansip announced that a place is being prepared at Tallinn's military cemetery where the remains will be buried and the Bronze Soldier placed.

Inflation set to soar in Estonia, state content with budget surplus

TALLINN - Citing growth in wages and administered prices, the Finance Minister last week revised its inflation forecasts upward for this year and next, casting a long shadow over Estonia’s ambition to join the eurozone anytime soon. The ministry said the consumer price index would rise 4.9 percent this year and then 5.2 percent in 2008, up from earlier estimates, due to exceedingly intense wage pressure and the need to raise regulated prices. In 2009 inflation should slow to 4.4 percent, the ministry said, and then decline further in subsequent years.

Price increases would continue in 2010 – 2011 so that the Baltic state would be unable to meet the Maastricht criteria and begin preparing for adoption of the euro, the ministry said.
The dream of introducing the common currency, in fact, has become so elusive that Prime Minister Andrus Ansip was forced to admit last week that it was impossible to predict when Estonia might be able to become a member of the eurozone.
He went further and said the next coalition government wouldn’t make inflation control a priority. “We are not going to take any special steps to join the eurozone,” Ansip said March 20.
The prime minister said that the government would continue running a significant budget surplus, and for now this was enough to restrain excessive inflationary growth.

Tallinn-Goteborg by Embraer

* Tallinn now has a new air connection to the southwestern Swedish city Goteborg. The Swedish carrier City Airline opened the route on March 23, using small Embraer aircraft. The airline will operate the route on weekdays and Sundays. It is the only air connection between the two cities.

You can´t escape from Murru, lads !

* Prison officials foiled an escape attempt by inmates who had started digging a tunnel at the country’s largest penitentiary in Murru, 30 kilometers southwest of Tallinn.

Officials discovered the plot when they came across two dirt-covered prisoners in a little-used part of a cell block. The attempt was doomed to fail as there were dozens of meters between the cell block and the nearest boundary, a spokesman said.

War criminal loses appeal to halt deportation

By Joel Alas

TALLINN - One of the last living war criminals of the Soviet era could be forced to return to Russia after the Estonian Supreme Court dismissed his appeal to stay in the country. Vasily Beskov, an 88-year old Russian citizen, was convicted in 1999 of crimes against humanity for working as a secret service officer and carrying out the mass deportation of Estonians to Siberia in 1949.

Savisaar headed back to City Hall

TALLINN - With the Center Party relegated to the opposition benches, its leader Edgar Savisaar appears eager to find a key position to occupy his time. He is now set to return to the post of mayor of Tallinn, a role he held from 2001 until 2004. The Center Party holds outright power in the Tallinn City Council, and will install Savisaar as mayor through a simple vote at its April 5 meeting.

The current mayor Juri Ratas ran as a candidate in the recent parliamentary elections and collected a large number of votes.
Savisaar, meanwhile, is unlikely to be content serving as leader of the opposition party in parliament, and would rather wield power in City Hall, which controls development within the capital.
On March 23 Ratas announced he would follow his party orders and take his seat in Parliament to clear the way for Savisaar’s return.

Tallinn to get rail + air links with St. Petersburg

TALLINN - Despite the ominous warnings from Moscow over the fate of the Bronze Soldier monument, business relations between the two countries appear to be progressing relatively unscathed as the two sides finalize deals that will re-establish air and rail travel between Tallinn and St. Petersburg.

Travellers and Estonian Air

* Never in my life have I been on a plane with such an appalling lack of legroom. I'm a 5'7" tall woman but my knees were jammed into the back of the seat in front and it really was a very uncomfortable 3 hours to Tallinn. I don't know how men or taller people manage but it was shockingly cramped. On the way back I asked for an aisle seat so that at least one of my legs wasn't in danger of getting DVT.

Another thing which I found ridiculous in this day and age was that you can't get electronic tickets by e-mail with Estonian Air. I had to pay £15 to have my old-fashioned paper tickets sent by courier because I had booked at short notice. Apart from that, the staff were quite friendly and the check-in procedure very efficient. The perfect airline for short people and technophobes.

Estonian Air to expand its network and fleet by introducing Vienna and adding one more Boeing 737-500

* This summer Estonian Air will expand its network by launching a new service to Vienna and re-introducing Hamburg, which was operated until October 2006. Following last year’s success, the summer routes to Dubrovnik, Simferopol and Paris will all be operated also this year. To accommodate the increasing number of services, the company will in June put into use a 6th aircraft, a Boeing 737-500.

Starting from June, Estonian Air will fly four times a week between Tallinn and Vienna, the capital of Austria. The route will be operated on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday morning, using Boeing 737-aircraft.

Hamburg will be re-introduced to the Estonian Air route network as of the start of the summer traffic programme, with the first departure on 26 March. The route will be operated with three weekly flights - Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“With our new destination of Vienna and re-launched Hamburg, Estonian Air will be serving 16 non-stop regular routes throughout Europe, which is more than any other carrier in Estonia today. And we will continue to expand our business and to offer attractive destinations and prices, based on our successful one-way fare concept”, said Peter Arvidsson, Vice President Commercial at Estonian Air.

Ida Ranniku Eesti Küla Simman

April 28, 2007

St. Joseph Parish Hall
750 Peachtree Street
Herndon, VA 20170
[Map]

The Washington DC Estonian Folk Dancers, Pillerkaar, will be sponsoring IREKS 2007 (Ida Ranniku Eesti Küla Simman - or East Coast Estonian Folk Festival). Participants include: Kandali (Estonian Folk Dancers from Tallinn, Estonia), Pillerkaar (Estonian Folk Dancers from Washington, DC Metro Area), Kungla (Estonian Folk Dancers from Toronto, Canada), Saare Vikat (Estonian Folk Dancers from New York), Sügis (Estonian Folk Dancers from Lakewood, New Jersey), Baltimore Estonian Youth (Baltimore Estonian School), Melunas and Jore (Lithuanian Folk Dancers), Vasingtonas Namejs (Latvian Folk Dancers), Baltic String Band (Estonians, Lithuanians, Latvians), and Estonian Folk Singers (Pillerkaar).

Estonian Culture Days in New York

March 29-April 1, 2007

New York Estonian House
243 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016

Every year, Easter Weekend provides a unique opportunity to experience the annual Estonian Culture Days at the Estonian House in New York City. This year's Estonian Culture Days (ECD) 2007 include an extensive program, including exhibitions, lectures, exhibitions, book shows, films, church services and music. For more information, please visit the New York Estonian website at http://www.estonianhousenewyork.com

Estonia and Finland are fertile grounds for each other’s enterprise

* On Wednesday at a formal dinner organized in his honor by Finnish President Tarja Halonen, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves spoke about the strong ties connecting the two countries throughout history.

“Trust is born between people The cooperation between the Estonian and Finnish civil societies has been very close—it is difficult to find a choir, school, or congregation, who has not visited friends-from-across-the-bay,” said President Ilves in his remarks.
According to the Head of State, Estonia and Finland are also closely connected economically. “Finnish investments in Estonia form a fifth of the total investment volume and Estonian companies are increasingly interested in expanding their operations to Finland,” noted President Ilves, adding that in order to maintain the economic upturn in the Baltic Sea Region, all innovative efforts should be united.
“A good example is the research bridge between the Tallinn University of Technology and University of Helsinki for procuring and using laboratories and equipment.”
In closing the speech at the Presidential Palace, President Ilves said that as member states of the European Union, the efforts of both Estonia and Finland are directed at expanding the area of peace, well-being and security in the world.

Office of the President, Public Relations Department

Flat tax and Estonia ... and the others .. !

* Ilmar Mikiver writes about Estonia as a post-socialist icon.

Estonia is commonly used as an example of a country that quickly shook off the yoke of socialism/communism and became a model of free-market success. Mr. Mikiver makes comparisons, asking why Estonia succeeded in its democracy, while Russia continues in its post-socialist woes.

One of the strongest arguments for Estonia’s success its flat tax, which has also brought prosperity to other Eastern and Central European countries. Why Western European nations like Germany and France, which continue to have economic woes, won’t adopt the same approach, is questioned.

Ce que l=Estonie pense de la Russie : 2eme decade de mars 2007

* La presse débat du projet de séparation de l'Estonie du Système d'interconnexion unique de Russie, mesure qui, d'après les analystes locaux, garantira la sécurité énergétique au pays. "Reste à savoir si nous devons ou non faire à jamais partie du système russe (...). Si nous entrons dans le système polono-lituanien de courant alternatif et si nous construisons encore des lignes HT partant de Tabasalu (près de Tallinn), nous feront partie du Grand cercle et fonctionnerons à un rythme unique avec l'Europe centrale" ("Eesti ekspress", 16.03).

L'absence d'accord officiel du gouvernement russe quant à l'ouverture d'une nouvelle ligne aérienne Tallinn - Saint-Pétersbourg est liée, de l'avis des journalistes, aux problèmes qui marquent les rapports politiques estono-russes. "Etant donné les relations délicates entre nos deux pays ces derniers temps, obtenir un tel accord pourrait s'avérer une tâche ardue (...). Alors qu'une ligne aérienne entre la capitale estonienne et la deuxième ville de Russie est depuis longtemps une nécessité. De nombreux hommes d'affaires estoniens ont déjà pris pied à Saint-Pétersbourg (...). Et, pour les Russes, Tallinn est toujours une ville attrayante" ("Postimees", 14.03).

MOSCOW ASSAILS ESTONIA ON DEPORTATIONS ANNIVERSARY DATE

By Vladimir Socor

* On March 25 Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania commemorated the mass deportations to Siberia that were carried out on that date in 1949 by Soviet Russian authorities. Some 95,000 people were deported that day from the Baltic states, including more than 20,000 from Estonia alone, a decimated nation of less than one million at that time. All the arrests were carried out at night and the deportations were ordered without any judicial procedure or appeal in the framework of the Priboy operation.

In the lead-up to the commemorations and afterward, Russia’s government and Duma chose to assail Estonia for its intention to remove the bronze monument to the “Liberating” Red Army Soldier from downtown Tallinn.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip confirmed that intention on March 22, along with recommendations by the Defense Ministry’s War Graves Commission to excavate around the base of the monument and transfer any remains of Red Army soldiers that might be found there to a war cemetery for re-burial with military honors.

“Such actions would seriously affect Russia-Estonia relations,” Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov warns. He is calling on the European Union and NATO to “raise their voice against such steps in Estonia.” Those are clearly the wrong addresses for such recriminations, but Moscow is using this tactic constantly against the Baltic states on a variety of issues in attempting to portray them as hindrances to West-Russia relations.

Swedish banks must curb Baltic’s “casino economy”

BNS

The Swedish banks that have brought Baltic economies to the brink of overheating must choose between pushing them into an economic catastrophe as greedy commercial banks or acting responsibly, the Swedish business daily Dagens Industri said.

In an editorial published on March 23, the newspaper said that SEB and Swedbank, the owners of the Hansabank group, are facing a tough choice. If they continue acting as greedy commercial banks they will send the Baltic states tumbling into an economic abyss. Yet they also have the alternative of assuming the role of a responsible central bank and tightening the money supply.

In regards to Estonia, the paper said plans to lower taxes and raise public sector wages and pensions are economically irresponsible. It called on the Swedish banks to ease the overheating pressures.

If they were to increase interest rates or toughen loan requirements, the two banks could lose customers to smaller banks with looser borrowing policies, the paper acknowledges.

Economic developments in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania increasingly resemble Sweden's "casino economy" in the second half of the 1980s with galloping inflation and ballooning foreign trade deficit, Dagens Industri said. Banks are issuing loans too generously which in turn is pushing up real estate prices.

Savisaar back in City Hall

Joel Alas and BNS

* With the Center Party likely to be relegated to the opposition benches, party leader Edgar Savisaar appears eager to find a key position to occupy his time. He is now set to return to the post of mayor of Tallinn.

The Center Party holds outright power in the Tallinn City Government. The current mayor Juri Ratas ran as a candidate in the recent parliamentary elections and collected a large number of votes. On March 23 Ratas announced he intended to take his seat in parliament, clearing the way for the Centrists to appoint his replacement.

Savisaar, meanwhile, is unlikely to be content serving as leader of the opposition party in parliament, but has chosen to wield power in City Hall, which controls development within the capital. Savisaar said that he had promised the people of Tallinn he would serve them as mayor before the 2005 local elections.

"I promised to become mayor but warned that it would take time,” he said, quoted by BNS. “I will now keep my earlier promise but I also intend to keep my promise and take part in leading the Estonian state. I believe that after some time, and perhaps sooner than anyone can presume, the Center Party will again be in the government and the chairman of the party will not be left aside.”