BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Estonia’s "Meetings/Incentives/Conferences/Exhibitions" funding bids hit EUR 2.8m

The third round of grant funding for international events and conferences has attracted 69 project applications with a total value of EUR2.8 million. The hopefuls included organisers of 32 conferences, 23 cultural events and 14 sporting events.  Applications for funding - which can cover up to 70 per cent of conference costs - closed in September. Decisions will be made in early December.
Financed by the EU's Regional Development Fund and administered by Enterprise Estonia/the Estonian Tourist Board, the grant allows organisers of large, international conferences to have EUR15,000 to 32,000 of their costs reimbursed provided they meet certain criteria.

To qualify, conferences have to be international, help raise Estonia's profile as a travel destination, be at least three days in length, include a minimum of 300 overnight stays and involve a local or regional sightseeing element. Only non-profit events and only Estonian organising committees are eligible to apply.

Funds can be used to cover a broad spectrum of conference-related expenses from organisation and marketing to opening and closing events.

The aim of the program is to promote Estonia as a conference destination and increase the number of overnight stays, especially during the country’s low season.

How much are Estonian stars earning?

A large number of Estonian musicians, athletes and TV hosts are making more than 100,000 euros a year, DV, the Russian edition of Äripäev, reported yesterday.

Estonia’s highest-earning star could be Estonian pop singer Kerli Kõiv who lives in US and has won MTV music awards.

Accurate information about her actual income is not available, but it is likely to be several million euros a year.

The top-earning athlete with Estonian roots is Michal Roos who plays American football for Tennessee Titans and earns about 5.5 million euros a year. In 2008 Titans signed Roos for six years for 43 million US dollars.

Another Estonian who is earning top dollar is Leo Komarov who was born in Narva and is estimated to earn about 2 million euros a year for playing for Moscow Dinamo ice-hockey team.

Ragnar Klavan who plays soccer for German football club Augsburg is estimated to earn about 1.5 million euros. Baruto, the Estonian sumo wrestler, is earning 450,000 euros in annual income. His income is under threat, however, since he recently lost his ozeki title.

Estonia’s best tennis player Kaia Kanepi who is in the Top 20 in women’s tennis is also believed to be earning about 450,000 euros a year, according to official income data.

Sergei Pareiko who plays in Krakow Wisla and earlier was a goalkeeper of Tomski Tom is believed to be earning 350,000 euros a year. Other top-earning stars are cyclist Rein Taaramäe (300,000 euros) and soccer player Konstantin Vassiljev (270,000 euros).

Toomas Hõbemägi

Tallinn to repair roads and renovate object for 66.8 mln euros for 20 years

The Tallinn city government approved on Wednesday of a loan agreement for 66.8 million euros for 20 years from the European Investment Bank for road repairs but also renovation of other objects, LETA/Eesti Päevaleht writes.

The work has to be completed by 2016. 80 different objects will be renovated or built.

The total cost of the projects is nearly 182 million euros, thus the city has to invest 115.2 million euros too.

The list of objects includes a number of streets that are in dire need of repairs, a railway overpass and well as 11 kindergartens and 13 schools.

Juhan Tere

Estonian Supreme Court refuses to consider claim of VEB's holders

The Supreme Court of Estonia has turned down a complaint from 12 holders of VEB Fund certificate who were aiming to receive compensation from the state for their deposits lost in the Soviet-era Vneshekonombank (VEB) 20 years ago, the Estonian national broadcasting corporation ERR said in an article on Tuesday, November 20.

The companies wanted courts to strike down a decision made by Parliament in February to liquidate the VEB Fund, set up in 1993 to compensate depositors for money frozen in the bank, and pay creditors from the proceeds, writes LETA.

The Parliament and the central bank created the state-insured compensation plan after Russia froze Estonian accounts in the bank. Over the last two decades the government has not been able to unfreeze the accounts – it was reported in a separate story last month that much of the money in the Russian bank disappeared into a shady holding company in the 1990s.

The companies wanted their claims paid at face value, plus compensation for the period when their funds were unavailable to them.

However, the general chamber of the Supreme court said today that the companies in the suit had right of claim only against the VEB Fund itself. Other claims – against the state or the central bank, for example – could not be linked to Parliament's decision, the court said.

Enterprise Estonia re-classifies projects to save face

Enterprise Estonia that distributes EU structural funds to Estonian companies and has recently found to have repeatedly violated rules and regulations governing such financing, says it has re-classified 36 projects that were suspected of having violated state aid rules as aid of minor importance.

Raul Parusk, the new chairman of Enterprise Estonia who took office only this week, said that European Commission allows to grant enterprises up to 200,000 euros in aid that is defined as aid of minor importance.

“The Commission has declared that aid that does not exceed 200,000 euros over three years does not influence trade between the member states nor distort competition,” said Parusk.

Parusk said that Enterprise Estonia looked at 37 projects which were suspected to have violated state aid rules and decided to re-classify 36 of them as low-importance aid. In once case the amount exceeded 200,000 euros which means some of the aid given to the company is going to be reclaimed.

Estonian-Russian border agreement text can be compiled in December

Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet said on Wednesday while answering questions of MPs in the parliament that the next round of consultations on the Estonian-Russian border agreement issue will most likely take place on December 10, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports.

"While the first meeting was mainly a first time getting acquainted meeting between the people who hold these consultations, the December meeting will presumably look at the possible text too," said Paet.

Paet confirmed again that the consultations don’t cover the part in texts of border agreements that deal with where the border line runs and over which negotiations were held 11 years till 2005.

At the first round of talks at the Estonian-Russian foreign ministries consultations on October 31 in Moscow it was decided that a new preamble would be written for the agreements that suits both states.

Estonian and Russian foreign ministers signed the border agreement between Estonia and Russia in May 2005. The Riigikogu ratified the agreement that summer but added a preamble that Russia claimed enables to present territorial claims against Russia and thus it withdrew its signature from the border agreement. Estonia has repeatedly said that it doesn't have any territorial claims against Russia.

Juhan Tere

President suggests E-activism as solution for political dispute

In a discussion on political turmoil in Estonia, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves put forth a proposal characteristic of him - an e-solution, this time geared toward civic activism.

The head of state on Wednesday called together a roomful of politicians, activists and commentators to a converted cellar space near his Kadriorg residence. They addressed discontent with the government, which has recently transcended the mere political arena in the form of protests and a major petition.

Reiterating her familiar criticism, Kadri Simson, deputy chair of the Center Party, said the tension was the result of what she described as the government's longstanding arrogance and unwillingness for dialogue. She said the political system has turned into one where the opposition has no say, pointing to how coalition MPs have shut down all 100 amendment motions for the 2013 budget. Simson said the government has refused to cooperate with nonpolitical groups as well, such as health care workers who recently went on strike.

Tallinn to buy 40 new buses

The capital's public transport operator, Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS, has announced a purchase tender for 40 new buses which, if all goes according to plan, should be cruising Tallinn's streets by December 2013.

Company representative Vaabo Teder told Eesti Päevaleht that the 20 regular and 20 articulated buses will replace older vehicles that are coming to the end of their service lives.

In preparation for the January 1 switch to free public transport for all registered residents of the city, Tallinn has already made substantial changes to the bus and traffic system, including the addition of bus lanes and the installation of a new electronic ticketing system. Changes in the route network are also in the planning.

Earlier this month, Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS announced the winner of a bid to supply the city with 15 new trams in 2014. The outcome of that tender has been contested by the Swiss-German company that lost out to its Spanish rival.

Estonian citizens can travel to more than 100 countries visa free

Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet said at a meeting with the Tourism Companies Association that Estonian citizens can by now travel to more than 100 counties visa free, LETA/Postimees Online reports.

"Most recently Brazil and Kyrgyzstan were added as visa-free travel destinations and starting January 10, Armenia is also visa-free," he said.

Paet said that year-after-year, more people travel to Estonia too. "For example our foreign representations in Moscow, St Petersburg, Pskov, Kiev, Minsk and Tbilisi received 90,037 visa application in the first ten months of 2010; in the first ten months of this year we have received 138,823 applications," said Paet.

Paet added that Estonia has simplified its visa policy in the framework of the Schengen area legislation and Estonia's embassies and consulates issue more visas for repeat entrance and duration of up to 5 years. Starting 2007 it is possible to fill in a visa application online. Visas can be applied for via exterior service providers, this can be done in Russia and Ukraine where a contact with the company Pony Express has been concluded.

Juhan Tere

Estonian Air to fire half its staff, cut flights to avoid insolvency

TALLINN- Estonian Air on Tuesday announced it will be forced to fire nearly half of all its employees and cut its flights to 10 or fewer core destinations as the Baltic nation's national carrier seeks to avoid insolvency. It follows record losses over the past year.

The airline said it will lay off 146 out of 318 employees while Estonian Air reduces the number of destinations and downsizes its fleet. "Noticeable cutbacks in the flight volumes unfortunately leads to operating with a smaller number of employees," said Estonian Air CEO Jan Palmér.

Estonian Air said the structure of the company will soon be based on 5 aircraft which serve 9 to 10 core destinations. "The model of operation for Estonian Air is based on the core route network for Estonia, where there is a solid fundamental demand," Palmér said, adding that the redundancy plan was approved by the airline's Supervisory Council.

The layoffs will affect personnel in both administrative and flight operations divisions. "The lay off process among administrative staff will start already now and the layoff of flight crews as soon as we have a clear picture of how to transfer the fleet into one type of 5 aircraft," the CEO explained.

The new Estonian Air will have a total of 172 employees of which 100 are flight crew and the rest carry out support functions and operational administration. The core destinations are expected to be Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Vilnius and Trondheim.

In October of this year, the national carrier revealed its nine-month net loss had widened to a record 20.2 million euros ($25.8 million), leading to the removal of Tero Taskila as CEO. It followed a loss of 11.2 million euros ($14.3 million) during the same period last year, ending with a total loss of 17.3 million euros ($22.1 million) over the entire year.

Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V

Karmen Pedaru : Michael Kors - Holiday

Taskila working as consultant and lecturer

Tero Taskila, sacked from the position of Estonian Air CEO last month, says he is staying in Estonia and has taken up work as a consultant and lecturer. "I am doing contract work for air carriers,“ Taskila told the Finnish newspaper Taloussanomat. "In addition, I am giving lectures at a London university on aviation management and strategy."

Postimees reported last week that Taskila, who moved to Estonia with his family in 2011 when he took the Estonian Air position, plans to remain in the country. In October, Estonian Air revealed a third quarter loss of 20 million euros. Taskila was dismissed on the same day. He received severance pay of almost 100,000 euros.

Last year, the national air carrier had a total loss of 17.3 million euros – the worst in the company's history. Estonian Air's supervisory board resigned, although the economy minister has said he would prefer to re-hire the board's chairman, Erkki Raasuke, who had only held his position for a short time before stepping down. The new supervisory board will be determined in the coming days.

Situation is worrying : Tallinn Airport executive

Erik Sakkov, marketing manager of Tallinn Airport, told Äripäev that the problems with Estonian Air are most worrying because the airline is the biggest carrier in Tallinn.

In nine months, Estonian Air’s market share in Tallinn Airport was 40% and it  carried 687,043 passengers. Sakkov admits that although the airport is constantly negotiating with about 20 airlines, it is very difficult to find new carriers interested in flying to Tallinn.

"This year Aeroflot arrived in Tallinn and next year Turkish Airlines will open a route to Istanbul. Now Estonian Air is cutting its route network, so there will be fewer destinations, fewer flights and fewer passengers. The network of Estonian Air was a precondition in attracting airlines to Tallinn because it offered code-sharing possibilities. This is going to hurt our negotiations with them now. Airlines have better things to do than to fly to Tallinn,” said Sakkov.

"The Estonian Air issue is about economic policy. Every passenger means revenue and profit to tens of other businesses and more taxes to the state. Think about the impact of fewer routes on hotels, catering enterprises and retailers,” said Sakkov.

Where are the investors?
- Sakkov says that Estonian Air may be in a poor state, but the worst outcome would be selling it to some European airline.

Kirsipuu joins Astana as sporting director

Estonian cyclist Jan Kirsipuu, the Baltic state's most successful rider, is quitting the saddle and joining Kazakh team Astana as sporting director.

"My task will be technical support and coordinating team-work during races. I know the Astana team and that helped me get the job," the 43-year-old told Estonian public broadcaster ERR on Monday.

He said he had inked a one-year contract with Astana, whose line-up includes 25-year-old countryman Tanel Kangert.

After turning professional in 1993 - two years after Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union - Kirsipuu raced for French teams including Casino and Credit Agricole. He retired initially in 2006, only to return to racing three years later.

 

Cheap alcohol drives young Britons to drink

LONDON — Young Britons are more likely to have been drunk by the time they reach their teens than their European peers and are spurred on by cheap alcohol promotions, a study says. The report says youngsters in Britain are more likely to have been drunk by the age of 13 than in almost anywhere else in Europe, while 15 and 16-year-olds are more likely to have been drunk in the last month than their European contemporaries.

Only young people in Estonia, Malta and the Isle of Man drink more than those in Britain, the study for the charity Alcohol Concern claimed. In a survey of 1,000 16 to 24-year-olds in Britain, 63 percent said cheap alcohol promotions encouraged them to drink excessively, while "drinking to get drunk" was the general aim among young people.

Participants pointed out that it can be "cheaper to buy a three-litre bottle of cider than buy a ticket to go to the cinema", according to the report, being published to mark the start of Alcohol Awareness Week. Researchers compared the drinking habits of Britons with the findings of a Europe-wide survey conducted in 2007.

Regional minister backs trains over planes for Tallinn-Tartu

Minister of Regional Affairs Siim Valmar Kiisler says the decision to close the national carrier's Tallinn-Tartu air route is the right one and a faster train connection would be a better solution.

The route operated by Estonian Air was open since February 2011 and the last flight between Lennart Meri Airport and Tartu's Ülenurme will take place just before Christmas.
Tartu city officials have been lobbying national officials in recent weeks for a connection similar to the one between Tallinn and the islands, according to ERR radio.

But Kiisler shot the idea down, saying that one shuttle a day would not give Tartu inhabitants what they really need - connectedness to the rest of the world. "What Estonian Air has done in recent years has not been successful," he said. "Let's put state subsidies into other means, as planes don't fly all the time, transfers take much time and often a train or bus would have got you there faster."

Tallinna Jõuluturg 2012 - Tallinn Christmas market 2012

Dates: 24th Nov 2012 – 8. Jan 2013
Open every day 10:00 – 19:00
Hot Christmas drinks till 23:00
Christmas program On Fridays 17:00 – 19:00
On Saturdays and Sundays 12:00 – 14:00

- At the Town Hall Square of Tallinn, next to the majestic Town Hall, a Christmas market will be held with a touch of fairy tale where anything is possible!
 - The heart of action will be the most important Christmas tree in Estonia, surrounded by Christmas cabins/stands.
 - A Living Christmas land is decorated with trees, Christmas decorations and Christmas lights.
 - The difficult but exciting work of decorating the Christmas market is done by a really well-known specialist of the trade Shishi.
 - Merchants will be offering a broad range of handicrafts not found in regular shops. Guests can chat directly to masters and buy Christmas decorations and other handicrafts as original gifts for filling the sack of Santa Claus. Goods that are bought can be gift-wrapped straight away.
 - Local caterers are offering Estonian Christmas cuisine starting from black blood pudding and sour cabbage to ginger breads and body and soul-warming Christmas drinks.

Estonian festival screening Iranian films

TEHRAN - Two Iranian films are competing at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.

“The Last Step”, Ali Mosaffa’s drama about a movie superstar and the social drama “Modest Reception” by Mani Haqiqi will be screened at the festival, which is currently underway in the Estonian seaport.

In addition, the French-Japanese joint production “Like Someone in Love” directed by the world-renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami also is competing in the event, which runs until November 28.

The festival is a unique event combining a feature film festival with sub-festivals for animated and children’s films.

Savisaar stops speech due to health issue

Tallinn Mayor and Center Party chief Edgar Savisaar halted part way through a speech he was giving today at the annual opinion leaders' lunch in Pärnu due to what party representatives are saying was a blood pressure drop.

The Center Party released a statement saying that Savisaar felt a slight weakness near the final stages of his speech and thought stopping the presentation was the best option.

ERR correspondent Ester Vilgats, who was at the scene, said Savisaar experienced a noticeable health problem and sought the help of his adviser Moonika Batrakova. Savisaar rested on a couch for 5-6 minutes and then left Pärnu. No ambulance was called.

In the afternoon, leading Center Party MP Kadri Simson told ERR radio that Savisaar had had a blood pressure drop and was currently fine. Savisaar did not attend a planned ERR radio show at 14:00.

Savisaar's press representatives could not be reached for comment about whether he sought medical attention.

The 62-year-old has experienced health issues in the past - a heart attack in 2003 and a hospital stay due to fainting during his China visit in 2005.

Ansip's mini-apology welcomed by Charter 12 signer

An apology - in so many words - from Prime Minister Andrus Ansip yesterday has one government critic seeing light at the end of the tunnel amidst the current frosty relations.

Ahto Lobjakas, one of the 17 signers of "Charter 12," which blasted the government for an alleged lack of dialogue, said it could be "the first step toward something important and more virtuous, but only if followed by subsequent steps."

He said the gesture was welcomed, but added that apart from lack of communication, the government needed to address the issues that were "concealed by the lack of communication."

In an interview on November 15, Ansip was asked by uudised.err.ee whether it would be better to publicly apologize - "to clear the air and increase the credibility of potential legislative amendments in connection to party financing."

"Yes, I apologize," answered Ansip tersely.

Asked what the background for the growing rhetoric against his administration was, Ansip said the financial crisis had affected society widely.

"Many people over Europe are getting their angst out by protesting, and writing and signing protest letters. These processes taking place all over Europe are also taking place in Estonia, in a slightly milder form," Ansip said.