BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Estonia Business : Week 34, 2005

Monday, 22nd of August

Saaremaa Spa Hotels had a record occupancy in July
Saaremaa Spa Hotels serviced 4220 customers in July this year, 15% of them were Estonians. Average occupancy in Saaremaa Spa Hotels reached 95% in July, which is about 3% more than in July 2004. Toivo Ast, executive manager of company thinks that increase in occupancy shows that people pay more attention to their health. Ast says that Saaremaa is also a very attractive destination because of its accessibility and new shipping- and airlines.
Äripäev

Profit and sales of Fazer Estonia grew
The net sales of AS Fazer Eesti grew up to EEK 135.4 million in the first half-year. Profit of the same period reached EEK 2.8 million. A year ago, sales and profit of the company were respectively EEK 116.2 million and EEK 2 million. Fazer Estonia consists of Fazer Amica, Fazer Pagarid and Candyking.
Äripäev

Wednesday, 24th of August

Jetoil to grow 52 percent
Jetoil AS, wholesaler of diesel fuel and fuel oil earned a profit of EEK 4 million by the turnover of EEK 241 million in the first half-year. Compared to respective period in 2004, Jetoil grew turnover by 52 percent.
Eesti Päevaleht, Ärileht

Thursday, 25th of August

Estonia to set a record in tourism
In comparison of 25 EU member states, the flow of tourists grew the most in Estonia, shows the recent survey of Eurostat. In Estonia, tourism grew 30 percent in 2004. According to Malle Pottsepp, vice president of Estravel tourism bureau, the number of tourists could have been even bigger but the lack of hotel places set its limits. Ministry of economics and communications reports that the flow of tourists grew due to new accommodation places, spas, new ship and air routes and decrease of flight prices. Allan Kasesalu, PR adviser of the ministry added that also the media coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest and the EU expansion played a significant part in developing tourism.
Postimees, 2005-08-25

Estonia to set tourism records in the European Union
Last year, the number of tourists visiting Estonia grew 30 percent, which is the fastest growth compared to other EU member states. For this year, the ministry of economics and communication is predicting the growth to slow down.
After the opening of EasyJet’s Tallinn-London flight route, the number of British tourists in Estonia grew a significant 185 percent. According to the ministry, 1.37 million foreign tourists stayed the night at Estonian accommodation places in 2004. Compared to 2003, the number grew 24 percent.
The ministry predicts the flow of tourists to grow 14 percent this year.
Postimees, 2005-08-25, Kaire Uusen

Pärnu Plaaditehas increased sales and profit
AS Pärnu Plaaditehas, manufacturer of chip-boards, achieved a net sales of EEK 49.9 million in first six months of 2005. Profit of the company reached EEK 2.6 million. Respective figures a year ago were EEK 48.1 million and 1.7 million.
Äripäev

Tarkon multiplied profit
AS Tarkon, a fine mechanics company, grew net sales of the first half-year to EEK 189.5 million compared to EEK 131.8 million last year. Profit of the first six months reached EEK 8.4 million, whereby the respective figure last year was EEK 1.5 million.
Äripäev

Turnover of Tarmel to reach EEK 54 million
Net turnover of furniture manufacturer AS Tarmel Group grew to EEK 54.4 million, of which profit formed EEK 2.4 million. Same figures last year were respectively EEK 44.5 million and EEK 0.6 million.
Äripäev

Friday, 26th of August, 2005

Mööblimaja to grow sales
In the first six months of the year, AS Mööblimaja, vendor of furniture, achieved net sales of EEK 44.1 million and a profit of EEK 4.7 million. Respective figures last year were EEK 35.9 million and EEK 3.1 million.
Äripäev

Tallink still in profit
Tallink that is based on Estonian capital is still in profit, the number of passengers is increasing and investments reach up to billions. Tallink’s fiscal year ends on August 31 and before that, the company is not willing to comment its financial situation. Financial director Janek Stalmeister admitted only that in first seven months, the company has served 229,000 passengers more than last year. This is a growth of 10 percent. He reported that Tallink is in profit.
Äripäev

Initiative fails for parallel town name

TARTU - Regional Affairs Minister Jaan Ounapuu has turned down an application by the town of Kallaste for a parallel Russian name - Krasnyie Gory (“Red Hills”) - the daily Postimees reported.

Municipal council chairman Leonti Kromonov turned to historical records and the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, when considering the application.

Under the Place Names Act, he said, it was not possible to give a second name to an administrative unit such as Kallaste.

“I think it is possible to discuss the issue,” Kromonov told the Baltic News Service. “The European Commission has made remarks to Estonia concerning ethnic minorities, and on that basis we can go on applying for a parallel name.”

How Estonian ex-PM introduced a flat tax

*In an interview with the Brussels Journal last week, Mart Laar, ex-Estonian Prime Minister, said he introduced a flat tax in 1992 because nobody had told him it was impossible. Now Estonia has been followed by Latvia, Serbia, Slovakia, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Poland.

In 1994 Estonia introduced a flat tax rate of 26% for all personal income and corporate profits, and plans to reduce the rate to 20% next year. In 1997 Russia introduced a flat tax of 13% ; the Polish government has announced that it will be following the trend established by Estonia in 1991, and will be putting in place a single 18% rate of corporate tax, income tax, and VAT by 2008.

Mart Laar, a historian by trade, governed Estonia from 1992 to 1995 and from 1999 to 2002. When he became Prime Minister in 1992 at the age of 32 he knew nothing about economy. Laar’s area of expertise were Europe’s 19th-century national movements. “It is very fortunate that I was not an economist,” he told the Brussels Journal. “I had read only one book on economics – Milton Friedman’s “Free to Choose.” .............

Skype partners create more than 400 products

Skype Developer Competition Awards First Prize to Jyve Plugin.

www.skype.com

LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skype, the pioneering Global Internet Communications Company which makes it possible for anyone with an Internet conncetion to make free high-quality phone calls, has awarded Jyve the first prize in Skype's hotly-contested first developer competition. More than 100 developers entered the competition, which was open to Skype's thriving community of partners and independent developers. More than 400 hardware and software products that integrate with Skype's rich features have already been developed by Skype's expanding network of partners.

"I'm thrilled to congratulate Jyve for winning our developer competition," said Niklas Zennstrom, Skype CEO and co-founder. "The competition was fierce and we are so excited by the creativity of the developer community, and can't wait to work more with this ever expanding network of partners. We also want to give special mention to ..............

Kasemets win keeps title fight alive

*It wasn't exactly an easy Sunday drive for Tonis Kasemets at Road America, but the second-year racer in the Toyota Atlantic Championship completed his weekend domination at the classic road circuit, leading all 17 laps en route to his third victory of the season.

Kasemets, who hails from Estonia but now lives just a couple hours away from Road America in Mundelein, Illinois, had to fight off a strong challenge from series rookie standout Katherine Legge in the early stages of the race, before settling in for an impressive victory in the BOSPoker.com Toyota Atlantic Grand Prix of Road America.

The result was the best possible scenario that Kasemets could've hoped for at his home course, where he's won several events in SCCA competition and finished fifth for his best Atlantic placement in his rookie season of 2004. Combined with a sixth place finish by series leader Charles Zwolsman, Kasemets' win vaulted him from third to second in the series standings as he prevented Zwolsman from wrapping up the Atlantic championship.

In the battle for the '05 crown, Zwolsman will carry a 26-point lead, 287-261, into next weekend's season finale in Montreal. Kasemets is the only driver with a shot to catch Zwolsman in the title chase as all other competitors were eliminated from contention with Sunday's results.

Legge has become known for her aggressive starts in her first Atlantic season and she didn't waste any time making her presence felt at the green flag of Sunday's race. The three-time series winner jumped from her third-place starting spot past Kasemets for the lead in turn one.

Estonian president visits NW China

*Estonian President Arnold Ruutel arrived in Xi`an, capital of Shaanxi Province, on Saturday noon to continue his five-day state visit to China.

The Estonian president met with Vice Governor Zhao Zhengyong of the province and visited the world-renowned terra-cotta warriors and horses, the imperial army of Qinshihuang, or the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (211BC-207BC).

He said it was very significant to have such an experience during the tour since it made him know more about Chinese culture.

"I witnessed with my own eyes China`s rapid development during this visit, and felt that we have great potential for cooperation in the fields of the economy, science, education, culture and tourism," he said during his meeting with Vice Governor Zhao, who briefed Ruutel of the province`s social and economic situation.

Zhao said Shaanxi, as the seat of the royal court for 13 dynasties in history, is rich in tourism resources. With more than 100 universities, the province is also a major research and education bases of the country.

Shaanxi has witnessed a double digit economic growth over the last five years, and has potential prospect for development in energy, agriculture, ..................

Suivre l'évolution de la carrière de tous - des étudiants aux grands chercheurs

*Une journée d'information intitulée "d'étudiant à chercheur renommé: contexte politique européen et mesures pratiques pour soutenir le développement de carrière" se déroulera le 5 septembre à Tallinn (Estonie).

Cette journée offrira un aperçu des mesures initiées par la Commission européenne en faveur du soutien au développement de la carrière des chercheurs. Cette manifestation est organisée par la Fondation Archimède (Archimedes Foundation) et l'Académie estonienne des Sciences.

Les principaux sujets abordés lors de cette journée seront les suivants :
- smartEstonia.ee, le portail pour la mobilité des chercheurs estoniens - opportunités en matière de recherche et d'études en Estonie ;
- initiatives communautaires pour soutenir le développement de la carrière et la mobilité des chercheurs ;
- la Charte européenne du chercheur et le Code de conduite pour le recrutement des chercheurs ;
- le contexte estonien.

Pour tout renseignement complémentaire, contacter :
Liina Raju
E-mail: [email protected]

Catégorie :  Manifestation
Source des informations :  Archimedes Foundation
Référence du Document :  D'après l'annonce de la manifestation
Acronyme du Programme :  FRAMEWORK 6C; FP6-STRUCTURING; ERA; FP6-MOBILITY
Codes de Classification de l'Index des Sujets :  Coordination, Coopération, Stratégies, Recherche scientifique.

Estonia aspires to join euro zone in 2007

*Estonian Finance Minister Aivar Soerd has said that his country is aspiring to join the euro zone on Jan. 1, 2007, according to reports reaching here from the Estonian capital of Tallinn on Saturday.

    In an interview with a local newspaper, Soerd said inflation in Estonia runs high in the past period because of soaring world oil prices, but his country will not delay its timeframe to join the euro zone.

    Estonia, one of Europe's fastest-growing economies, joined the European Union and NATO last year and wants to join the euro zone in 2007.

    Concerns has arisen recently that there is great difficulty for Estonia to meet the criteria laid out in the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force in 1993 and led to the creation of the euro.

    The criteria set strict inflation limits on Euro zone's newcomers and requires that inflation of its member states must not exceed 2.3 percent.

    Nevertheless, Estonia's Finance Ministry said it expects the annual inflation in Estonia to stand at 3.6 percent this year and 2.6 percent next year

Joogid

*

	Retsepti nimi	Liigitus
	Jäätee	Kui morss ära tüütab...
	Drink "Sisaliku sülg"	Kange
	Maasikabool kahel moel	kangemad
	Bloody Mary - verine klassika	Kangem kraam
	Ingveriglögi	Kuum igaljuhul
	Punaveiniglögi	hõõgveinilik
	Valge-veini-bool	Veidi kangem seltskonnajook
	Vampiiri bool	mmmm maitseelamus
	Viinamarjabool	Alkoholita
	Munatodi	Mõnedele meeldib kohe väga...
	Jõuluglögi	kuum jook
	Muraka kokteil	jäätisekokteil
	Õunabool	natuke kangem kraam

More than 800 000 ID cards issued in Estonia

*The Estonian Citizenship and Migration Board has issued a total of 803 916 ID cards, including 175 224 to foreigners holding an Estonian residence permit. Valid ID cards number 751 616, thus nearly 56 per cent of the country's population has an identity card. 43 per cent of valid ID owners are men and 57 per cent women. This year ID cards have been issued to 135 109 people. The number of ID cards is expected to cross the one million mark in 2007. The ID card is a mandatory identification document for Estonian nationals starting from 15 years of age and for all foreigners living permanently in this country on the basis of a residence permit regardless of their age.

Estonian government gives nod to tourist visas

*The Estonian government approved amendments to the aliens’ law, which allows issuing single visas for up to five days to tourists without an invitation from a resident.
The government charged the Foreign Ministry to monitor the possible growth of expenses arising from the issuing of short-term tourist visas and file by next summer an application for extra funds, spokespeople for the government said. Under the effective regulations, a short-term visa can be granted for a single uninterrupted stay in Estonia or for multiple stays of a maximum 90 days in six months.
The bill approved by the government provides for the issuing of single visas for up to five days with the purpose of using a travel or an entertainment service. The short-term visas are expected to boost the number of tourists arriving in Estonia from third countries.
An additional condition for issuing a five-day tourist visa is for the person's financial situation to enable him to meet the expenses. The visitor must be able to cover the cost of the stay in Estonia. The bill does not ease other conditions for issuing a visa nor the circumstances under which a visa is refused.

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact : preparing the Soviet occupation

*Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were forcibly occupied and illegally annexed by the Soviet Union 65 years ago. August 23rd marked the 66th anniversary of the notorious Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (MRP) , the major Soviet-Nazi conspiratorial precondition to the subsequent 51 years of Soviet-Nazi occupations.

Russia has yet to condemn the MRP and the Kremlin incredulously insists that the pact was unavoidable for the Soviets, that it was a strategic necessity for national defense.

The consequences of the Moscow-Berlin collusion have often been analyzed, but the political climate preceding the August 23rd signing is seldom covered.

In spite of the general international condemnation of the Third Reich's racial policies and its evident geopolitical ambitions, a Soviet-German trade agreement was signed in December 1938. Joseph Stalin was determined to make personal initiatives to improve Nazi-Soviet relations. At the March 1939 Communist Party congress he accused the west of provoking a Russian-German conflict. There was no mention of German aggression.

On March 15, 1939, five days after Stalin's speech at the congress, German troops occupied Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler's speech of April 28, attacking Poland, was missing his usual abuse of Russia and Bolshevism. An understanding of reciprocally beneficial aggression had been forged.

The German State Secretary at the time reported that the Russian ambassador to Berlin conveyed Moscow's desire that the Soviet-Nazi relationship become closer and .........

Moscow's "power" politics in the Baltics

TARTU – Gazprom’s announcement at the end of last week that it has begun construction of a gas pipeline through Leningrad oblast that will ultimately pass under the Baltic Sea to the West and thus bypass the Baltic countries and Poland is only one part of a much larger Russian strategy to use its energy supplies to Europe as a political weapon.

On Friday, Leningrad oblast Governor Valeriy Seryudkov announced that Gazprom has begun to lay a pipeline across his region that will immediately allow the completion of the gasification of rural areas there and ultimately connect to a pipeline to be laid on the Baltic seabed from Vyborg in the Russian Federation to Greifswald in Germany.

To be built jointly by Gazprom and Germany’s BASF corporation, that 1189- kilometre subsea section of the pipeline is scheduled for completion in 2010 and will carry gas from the Russian Federation’s South-Russia fields to Germany and Western Europe. Branches to be built later will carry Russian gas to Finland, Sweden, and Great Britain.

The construction of this pipeline will significantly strengthen the negotiating position of Gazprom and the Russian government which controls the company with those countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus, through whose ..........

Estonia about Russia

*The main event of the week was the scandal around Estonian Education Minister Mailis Reps' interview broadcast by the Rossiya TV channel, where she praised the education system in the Russian republic of Mari El. "The Estonian education minister is either stupid or so afraid of Russia because of the agreement signed by the Russian party of power [on cooperation between the Centrist Party of Estonia and United Russia] that she thinks it necessary to approve even of the repression of the Mari." (Delfi, August 18.)

The Moscow Human Rights Bureau's research titled "Racism, xenophobia, ethnic discrimination and anti-Semitism in Russia" provided another occasion for anti-Russian propaganda. "After Vladimir Putin came to power, xenophobic sentiments in Russia have mounted." (Eesti Paevaleht, August 17.)

The press suggests that the Kremlin will use Estonian nationalists to prevent the "orange revolution" scenario in Russia. "The authorities' lenient attitudes towards radical groups can be viewed as an intention to use them in their own purposes. Scaring people with the "brown plague," the ruling elite, which is afraid of "orange revolutions," can ensure its future: look what may happen if you don't elect us." (SL Ohtuleht, August 17.)

Another anniversary of the Russian default gave rise to the discussions about the possibility that the events of 1998 may repeat. ............

Turner Battle to play for BC Kalev

BUFFALO, NY – Former University at Buffalo basketball player Turner Battle (Kernersville, NC/East Forsyth) has signed contract to play professional basketball in Estonia. Battle, an AP All-American and Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, will play for BC Kalev - a first division team in Estonia. BC Kalev won the Estonian League Championship last season.

"This is a great opportunity to get a lot of exposure internationally," Battle said. "I'm looking forward to developing my game and reaching my goal of playing in the NBA."

Battle averaged 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists his senior season at UB. He finished his career as the Bulls' fourth all-time leading scorer (1,414 points).

Salesmen observe morning ritual

*CORALVILLE -- It's a few minutes past 6:30 a.m. Thursday and Andrius Pelegrimas is the first to arrive at Hy-Vee. The 21-year-old Lithuanian orders his pancake breakfast and waits.

Within 15 minutes, Jaak Tamre, 20, of Estonia, arrives and shortly after, Veiko Tell, 24, another Estonian, arrives. Just like every Monday through Saturday morning, this is how the three men start their day.

"It's not very far from our headquarters," Tamre said. The three live at a host house in Coralville.

For the past three months, the three men have met at the Coralville Hy-Vee for breakfast before pounding the pavement to sell educational books for Southwestern Co. The Nashville, Tenn.,-based company markets family-oriented educational reference products through a sales force of more than 3,000 students each summer.

The three cover neighborhoods in the Iowa City-Coralville area as well as Linn, Washington, Iowa and Cedar counties. Pelegrimas and Tell drive cars while Tamre rides a bicycle on his route.

'They're very friendly in Iowa," Pelegrimas said. "People wave to each other. It's kind of cool."

In less than two weeks, the three will leave Coralville and head back to school.

Other early-bird Hy-Vee regulars have .............

Tallinn : Body of 2nd pilot found

*Divers have found the body of the Finnish pilot two weeks after a helicopter crashed off the coast of Tallinn, killing the 14 people on board, the Estonian border guard said Thursday. Media reports have identified the pilot as Peter Fredriksson.

British farmers grow roots in Estonia

*TARTU, Estonia A few years ago, around the time British agriculture was about to embark on a dizzying economic free fall, Ken Noble, a burly English farmer, saw a chance for a fresh beginning - 1,750 kilometers to the east.

He bought land for a few thousand pounds in Estonia, shipped big John Deere tractors from England, reclaimed more land from the brush and began to build a life, and an empire, far from England's tired fields.

"All this," said Noble, 61 years old, on a recent afternoon, standing in a field of green wheat near the city of Tartu in southern Estonia, "as far as you can see, from here right across to the forest, is ours."

Noble, who bought his first Estonian fields in 1997, is one of a small vanguard of farmers from Western Europe who have sought opportunity in the new, formerly communist, eastern reaches of the European Union.

Their presence is a measure of the tough conditions in British farming, an industry tainted by mad cow disease and shaken by a precipitous drop in food prices.

But it also reflects the coming together of Europe as borders have fallen and East Europeans have begun to integrate with the West.

Farmers are not the first Western entrepreneurs to go east to carve profit from the ruins of the Soviet Union.

But their migration perhaps marks a more indelible turning point: Their possession of the soil, their exposure to cold and rain are deep and intimate commitments to their new world, just as the surrender of their Western farms is a more final farewell to the old.

"We thought there was a hard time ahead for farming and we had to do something different," said Clifton Lampard, a farmer from Leicestershire who bought a bankrupt dairy farm near Turi, an hour south of Estonia's capital, Tallinn, in 2002.

A year later, he bought two more Estonian farms with a group of Norwegian and English investors and, with his wife, helps to run them alongside the farm they still rent in England.

"I came out here and thought, this all adds up," he says.

The reason it added up can ........

POSTING N° 1000 ! Jõulumäe : Edinburgh archers fire their way to Euro glory

*EDINBURGH archers are ruling Europe after claiming six gold medals in the elite class of the sport.

Gilmerton club Drumfield Archers also won two silvers and a bronze as well as a gold in the B class and a silver in the C class at the European Field Archery Championships held over five days in Estonia.

It is the first time a club representing Scotland has returned with every squad member winning a medal.

Silver-medal winner William Marr said: "It is unprecedented for everyone to come back with a medal. For six of us to come back as outright European champions is amazing."

There were 270 archers competing in the championships which took place in Jõulumäe, with competitors facing up to eight hours' action each day.

European records - across the various archery disciplines - were set by Ranald Hutton on his way to a bronze, and Kayleigh Ashall, who became Junior female compound freestyle European champion.

It is not the first time 15-year-old Kayleigh has achieved international success. Last year, the talented youngster won the World under-17 title to add to her under-13 crown.

Drumfield, which is self-funded, has more than 40 members. The club will compete in the Scottish Championships at Innerleithen, near Peebles, this weekend.

Luxembourg tops EU minimum wage scoreboard

*Luxembourg tops the Europe's monthly minimum wage league, outstripping EU candidate Romania by more than twenty times, according to official statistics.

Eurostat, the Brussels statistics office has unveiled minimum wage figures showing widely differing levels between the EU's 25 member states.

Figures for January 2005 show Luxembourg's monthly minimum wage at €1467, compared to Romania on just €72, followed closely by Bulgaria on €77.

The figures show EU newcomers Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, and Czech Republic also fairly low on the scale with wages between  €116 to €235.

They were all surprisingly outstripped by Turkey - another EU hopeful - whose minimum wage levels stand at €240 per month.

France and Britain showed equal minimum wage rates for 2005 at €1197 - ranking them at equal fourth highest - after Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium.

In the US federal minimum wage level is equivalent to €666 - just slightly less than in Greece - where the rate is €668.