* The government developed a new integration plan that focuses on bringing in immigrant labor, the daily Postimees reported, emphasizing that the linguistic integration of non-Estonians already living in the country will not be neglected.
In connection with the free movement of labor, Population Minister Paul-Eerik Rummo said it was necessary to consider what an increased number of immigrants would mean for Estonia. He added that the country should look beyond national borders.
Although it is legally inaccurate to say so, EU members arriving in the country have to be seen as new immigrants, the population minister said.
* Estonia’s auto company associations and several major oil sellers signed a joint petition on Nov. 15 in support of the Environment Ministry’s plan to postpone a ban on the sale of diesel with high sulfur content.
* In a recent ruling, Estonia’s Supreme Court has obliged NG Investeeringud (NG Investments) to double the amount of money it paid minority shareholders for their interest in Liviko, an alcohol producer. The court rejected an appeal by NG Investeeringud in the dispute over the purchase price of Liviko. In accordance with the court’s decision, NG Investeeringud has to pay Amaterasu, a company owned by Heldur Meerits, 30.3 kroons (1.94 euros) for each share purchased.
* Consolidated sales of the Tallinna Kaubamaja (Tallinn Trade House) increased by 36 percent, while net profit soared nearly 75 percent year-on-year over the nine-month period, non-audited figures show. The company posted sales of 1.9 billion kroons (121 million euros) and earned 43 million kroons of profit in the nine-month period.
* Third-quarter earnings of Merko Ehitus rocketed 97 percent year-on-year to 154.4 million kroons (9.9 million euros), making the Estonian builder one of the Baltics’ biggest corporations in terms of profit.
* Leaders of the troubled Res Publica party have expressed approval to the idea of a merger with another right-wing force, Pro Patria, as the country’s political landscape looks for ways to survive the parliamentary election set to take place in less than a year-and-a-half. Tonis Lukas, chairman of Pro Patria, recently suggested that the two parties cooperate more closely.
* A sudden wave of popular outrage in Finland directed at Tallink on Nov. 15 forced the Estonian shipper to announce that it would temporarily stop discharging sewage and wastewater into the Gulf of Finland.
In its Nov. 13 issue, the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat wrote that Tallink ships were still discharging their wastewater into the Gulf of Finland, while their competitors used the Helsinki sewage system.
* Lithuania’s Snoras Bank opened its representation office in Estonia last week, announcing that it planned to occupy an important niche in the local market, which has only six banks. Snoras President Raimondas Baranauskas said the bank’s launching of operations in Estonia was a logical step after it acquired an 83-percent holding in Latvijas Krajbanka (Latvian Savings Bank). He added that the representative office would collect information on the Estonian market and prepare for opening an office in the future.
Source : Baltic Times
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