BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

10th Youth Song and Dance Celebration

ON THE DOORSTEP OF THE WORLD TREE

Friday, June 29

At 7 p.m. on Kalevi stadium
Opening of the 10th Youth Song and Dance Celebration
1st show of the Dance Celebration

Saturday, June 30

At 11 a.m. on Kalevi stadium
2nd show of the Dance Celebration

At 4 p.m. on Kalevi stadium
3rd show of the Dance Celebration

Sunday, July 1

At 9 a.m. procession

At 1 p.m. on Tallinn Song Celebration Grounds
Song Celebration

There are opened workshops of music, dance, folk tales and games on Tallinn Song Celebration Grounds in order to search and find the roots of the World Tree.

From June 27 to July 1 there is opened an exhibition of all Estonian youth handicraft in the Estonian Fairs Centre. Curator of the exhibition “ÕUEPUU” is Anu Raud.

SONG CELEBRATION joins people, generations, eras and environments as a mythic WORLD TREE. World Tree is a symbol of song celebration being right in the center of Estonian cultural life. It reaches from roots to the top of the branches, from folk songs to contemporary music. Thus combines World Tree generations and connects different people on song celebration to be one bole of this tree, to be one in that moment.

All through our lives we are standing ON A DOORSTEP of something…
DANCE CELEBRATION “ON THE DOORSTEP” reflects young people’s desire to see the world, to search, experience, feel. Everyone chooses his own path through successes and unsuccesses. Everyone’s path is unique, fresh and none has walked that road before. From doorstep to doorstep.

L'Estonie commence sa coopération avec l'Agence spatiale européenne

* L'Agence spatiale européenne (ASE) et l'Estonie viennent de signer un accord pour une collaboration plus étroite dans les domaines de l'astronomie et de la science spatiale.

L'Estonie est le premier «nouvel» État membre de l'UE à signer un accord de coopération avec l'ASE.

L'État baltique a une longue expérience dans les domaines de l'astronomie et de la science spatiale.
L'observatoire de Tartu poursuit des recherches dans ce domaine depuis le XIXe siècle. Plus récemment, il a participé à la préparation de deux missions spatiales de l'ASE: Planck et Gaia.

Les astronomes estoniens ont également participé à la préparation d'algorithmes de réduction des données pour l'ASE, en coopération avec l'Université de Turku, en Finlande. De plus, une compagnie estonienne, Vertex Estonia, a produit une partie de la structure métallique de la grande antenne à réflecteur pour l'antenne de l'ASE de 35 mètres de la station spatiale lointaine de New Norcia, en Australie. Cette antenne sert à suivre la trajectoire de Mars Express.

L'adoption récente de la première Politique spatiale européenne par l'ASE et l'UE confirme l'importance des activités spatiales de l'ASE pour les États membres. Les nouveaux membres de l'UE abordent désormais l'agence spatiale dans l'intention de participer à ses activités spatiales, déclare l'ASE.

L'accord récemment signé est une première étape pour l'Estonie dans son processus de collaboration plus étroite avec l'ASE. Dans un second temps, l'État baltique espère devenir un «État européen de coopération» d'ici quelques années, en accordant une contribution financière accrue aux activités spatiales.

Pour de plus amples informations, consulter :
http://www.esa.int/
http://www.aai.ee/

Activists seek to name and shame police

TALLINN – A pro-Russian pressure group says it intends to identify and “punish” police officers on duty during the recent Bronze Soldier disturbances.

Members of the Night Vigil, a group consisting mainly of Russian-speaking young people set up to defend the Soviet-era war memorial in Tallinn, say they are trying to obtain a computer program that could single out police officers in video footage of the riots.

Night Vigil member Yuri Zhuravlyov told the Russian-language daily MK Estonia : "Our aim is to help restore justice. We want the culprits to be punished."

Zhuravlyov himself was one of the protestors detained on the night of April 27 and claims that he witnessd police brutality.

The activist did not rule out the possibility of turning to Russia’s law enforcement bodies for technical assistance.

However, an unnamed source told the Postimees daily that Night Vigil's real aim goes far beyond collecting credible evidence and starting legal action against police officers.

“Night Vigil can't live with the knowledge that many Russian-speaking officers stood in the ranks of the police,” said the source, who further suggested the organization's plan is to identify ethnically Russian police and then post their names and pictures on the Internet.

Booze ban back on

By Joel Atlas

TALLINN - Tallinn’s on again, off again alcohol restrictions appear to be on again after the city council voted to ban retail alcohol trade between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. However the restrictions will not take effect until August 1.

The Tallinn City Council voted to take action on alcohol regulations after Harju County Governor Varner Lootsmann was overruled in his attempt to stem booze sales during the summer.

Beer summer to resurrect ABBA songs

TALLINN - For anyone unfamiliar with Tallinn’s massive Ollesummer (Beer Summer) festival, there are two important things to know. First, it’s hands down the biggest summer event in Estonia – possibly in the entire Baltic region – with about 80,000 visitors dropping in over the five day period. And second, it’s not really about the beer. Sure, there’s plenty to drink, but the true emphasis here is on the music.
“It’s a whole city, not just a bar anymore,” says Raimond Kaljulaid, spokesman for Meediaekspress, the company that’s been putting Beer Summer since its beginning in 1996.

The “city” description isn’t far off. This July 4 - 8 the entire area of the Song Festival Grounds will be filled with beer tents, lanes, eateries and stages (over 10 in all), while crowds mill around, lining up for the obligatory plate of sizzling meat and fried potatoes and a cup of exotic, foreign brew.
Visitors who have been to previous festivals will find this year’s very familiar, with the only difference this time being the absence of the amusement park rides. The bungee jumping, silly hat stalls and go-go dancers will all be back.
To keep things fresh and interesting though, says Kaljulaid, there has to be one big, exclusive show each year. This time the Sunday finale concert will be a tribute to the 35th anniversary of ABBA. During the 90-minute show, which starts at 8 p.m., popular Estonian singers like Tanel Padar, Lenna Kuurmaa of Vanilla Ninja, Dave Benton and Ines – all Eurovision veterans – will be singing covers of the Swedish group’s songs in English and Estonian.

Juu Jaab festival shows there’s more to Muhu

MUHU - Most folk use Estonia’s Muhu Island simply as a gateway to its more prominent neighbor Saaremaa. Driving off the ferry, few travelers even stop their cars before arriving in the bigger island’s capital, Kuressaare.
“But if you turn off from the highway you can discover a lot of special places,” says Villu Veski, a jazz musician, festival promoter and island culture coordinator.

The June 28 – July 1 weekend offers an opportunity to sample Muhu culture. For the eleventh year, Veski will run the Juu Jaab music festival.

For those in the know, Juu Jaab, which features world music from Brazil, the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Estonia, is considered to be Estonia’s best music festival. It’s small – only several hundred people attend – yet it boasts a quality that belies its size.
There are just two stages and a handful of food stalls, and a campfire for late-night gatherings. Held on a large countryside property next to an emu farm, the festival feels disconnected from the outside world.

Veski has toured the world as a jazz musician, and the connections he formed during these troubadour years have helped him lure top class bands to his tiny festival. Last year the renowned Swedish jazz-fusion band Koop flew in for an intimate gig before jetting off to Germany’s massive Roskilde Festival.

“I find that many music festivals are just a large number of concerts, with no real connection between the audience or the musicians. A festival should be a world party for everyone. On Muhu during the festival many people get new friends. It’s a special event,” Veski says.

Estonia overtakes Portugal in key economic indicator

TALLINN - A report by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency indicates that Estonia has overtaken Portugal in terms of GDP per capita at purchasing power parity, attesting to the Baltic state’s gradual gains vis-a-vis its West European peers.
Estonia ranked 55th in the world by purchasing power parity with a per-capita purchasing power of $20,300 per year, on the basis of 2006 figures used for the CIA Factbook, a widely used compilation of sovereign data.
The respective figure for Portugal, which joined the EU in 1986, was $19,800, putting the country in 57th place.
The result is the first indication of the considerable progress the Baltic state has made since rising from the ashes of a planned economy in 1991, as well as joining the EU in 2004. A combination of liberalization and foreign investment have allowed Estonia to not only become the wealthiest Baltic state, but to begin ascending the ladder of EU nations in terms of GDP per capita – much as Ireland did in the 1990s.
Latvia and Lithuania were ranked 64 and 66 respectively in the newest table with $16,000 and $15,300 in per-capita purchasing power.

Purchasing power parity reflects differences in the price levels in different countries that currency exchange rates do not take into account. The indicator allows economists to more accurately compare the economic development of various countries.
A British weekly magazine, The Economist, even invented the Big Mac Index to compare standards of living across the world since the ingredients of the hamburger are locally made nearly everywhere.
But Estonia still has its work cut out to catch up with its neighbors. Finland ranked 21st with $33,700 in the CIA ranking, while Sweden was 25th with $32,200.
To the east, Russia ranked 82nd with $12,200.

Estonia, Latvia grapple with enormous current account deficits

Estonia and Latvia’s economies are the fastest growing in Europe thanks largely to an unrestrained borrow-and-buy consumption boom, and nowhere is this better reflected than in the two countries’ current account deficit.
On June 22 the Bank of Latvia announced that the current account deficit in the first quarter of 2007 reached 25.7 percent of quarterly gross domestic product, or 1 billion euros. This is by far the highest in the European Union. A year ago the deficit was 14.6 percent.

Estonia announced on June 26 that its first quarter current account deficit was 17.9, confirming the dangerous trend in the Baltic state’s wealthiest economy. In the fourth quarter of 2006 the deficit was 17.6 percent.
The current account is part of what economists call the balance of payments, which reflects a country’s balance of trade and payment transfers (in both public and private sectors). The number essentially provides insight into how much a country is “absorbing” from the outside world and how much it is “giving” in return.
There can be a deficit in the current account, and there can be a surplus. In the Baltics’ cases, the deficits are large, and widening, showing that the countries are consuming far more than they’re producing.
Martins Gravins, spokesman for the Bank of Latvia, said that total direct investment in Latvia grew by 7.3 percent year-on-year, covering one third of the current account deficit. The largest part of the deficit was financed by foreign banks, which in Latvia control over half of the banking industry.

Baltics maturing as tourist destination

TALLINN - Baltic nations are losing their novelty appeal for international travelers, but according to one expert on inbound tourism, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“The novelty factor has definitely worn off,” says Neil Taylor, tour group operator and author of several Baltic travel guides.
“People are coming here for a conventional European holiday, not an adventure.”
When the borders first fell open, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were viewed as prime destinations for adventurous discovery seekers. But according to Taylor – who first visited in 1992 – “There never really was an adventure.”

“It became nice so quickly. People were pleasantly surprised at how Western much of it was.”
Over time the tourism demographic has shifted to reflect this, with more elderly people and tour groups stopping in.
“The type of traveler visiting here is broadening. The stags will come and go, but apart from them more younger people and backpackers are coming. They travel individually, not in tour groups, and they do things more casually.
“And now there are more of the very elderly, who feel it is now a safe place to come. They are always the last people to come to a new destination. Now it is clear there is no need for adventure, and there is a good range of three and four star hotels, which is what they require.”
Although the novelty appeal has diminished, Taylor now predicts a more steady flow of tourists as the Baltics gain a reputation as a stable and reputable destination.

Remarks by president Bush and president Ilves of Estonia in photo opportunity

Contact : White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 202-456-2580

WASHINGTON -- The following text is of remarks by President Bush and President Ilves of Estoniain a photo opportunity :

Oval Office - 11:49 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BUSH :  We'll make statements only today.

Mr. President, welcome. It is a high honor to welcome President Ilves to the Oval Office. He is the President of a country which has emerged from some really dark days. And having been in Estonia, I can report to my fellow citizens that people now see the light of day, and see a better future because of the form of government that's changed. President Ilves is a very strong advocate for democracy and the marketplace, and as a result, his country is thriving and doing well. And so we welcome you.

I thank you very much for your voice, heard very clearly, for those who suffer under tyrannical societies, and that is, is that freedom is a precious gift to all and that democracy and societies based upon liberty are the best way to not only enable people to realize their talents, but to lay the foundation for peace. And along these lines, Estonia has been a very strong friend to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. These young democracies are fighting off extremists.

“Birth” wins competition for the design solution of the Republic of Estonia’s 90th anniversary symbol

Stenbock House – On 21st June, the committee of the competition for the Design Solution of the Symbol of the Republic of Estonia’s 90th Anniversary awarded “Birth”, a submission by the design agency Velvet, the winner. The second prize went to Jaana Kool’s “Family mark”. The panel of judges awarded the third place to the project “Friends”, also by the design agency Velvet.

The chairman of the panel was satisfied with the outcome: ”The panel of judges was unanimous in their decision – the winning project was universally appreciated for the dynamic and sensitive elegance it conveyed. The symbol represents Estonia’s innovativeness, is modern, can easily be manipulated and is playful.”

Eighty-five conceptual designs were submitted to the Republic of Estonia 90th Anniversary Symbol competition. The goal of the symbol is to provide for a common visual identification of the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, i.e. to bring all the citizens and residents together to take joy in independent Estonia, to enhance the understanding of independent statehood and to reassure : Estonia is a whole in time and in space – strong, willing, smart, innovative and viable as are its spirited and courageous people.

The conceptual design will be used in all the presentation materials for the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, such as posters and programmes, the web site dedicated to the anniversary, and souvenirs.

Estonia mourns first casualties in Afghan campaign

DPA

Estonia went into mourning on Sunday for two of its soldiers killed in Afghanistan - the first time the Baltic state has lost troops in the country. Twenty-four-year-old Sergeant Kalle Torn and 33-year-old Corporal Jako Karuks, both mine-clearance specialists, were killed in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday, the Estonian Defence Ministry announced.

Their deaths are seen as all the more poignant because Saturday was a double holiday in Estonia, marking both the midsummer feast and the victory of Estonian troops over German forces during the Independence War of 1919.

"It is deeply regrettable that we have to pay such a high price for defending our beliefs, but if we do not defend them, then nobody will defend us. It's in our interest to fight for peace and democracy in the whole world," Foreign Minister Urmas Paet wrote on a web-page of condolences set up by the defence ministry.

Estonia will remain with the multinational force in Afghanistan, he added.

Estonia's allies in Afghanistan also paid tribute to the dead.

President Ilves külastab VOC mälestusmärgi 25.juunil

President Ilvesel on kavas kommunisimiohvrite mälestusmärgi külastamine esmaspäeval 25. juunil :

15:20 - 15:35 Pärjapanek Kommunismiohvrite Mälestusmärgile

Presidendi soov on vestelda seal kohale tulnud eestlaskonna.

Aadress : at the intersection of Massachusetts Ave., N.W., New Jersey Ave., N.W., and G St., N.W.).

Haavistu hangs up his boots

* Former Estonian international winger Kert Haavistu has been compelled to retire from football at the age of 27 following a protracted battle with injuries.

Persistent injuries
Capped 44 times, Haavitsu won three successive Estonian titles with FC Flora between 2001 and 2003 and went on to win the Estonian Cup at FC TVMK Tallinn in 2006 playing alongside his brother Mikk Haavitsu. He made his international debut in August 1999 but has not played for his country since coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 FIFA World Cup qualifying win against Liechtenstein in August 2004. He explained his decision to retire, saying : "Training and playing through pain was not fun and I just could not get my best form back again."

Solving the annual St. John’s quandary

Midsummer (June 23 - 24) may or may not be the biggest holiday on the Baltic calendar (Christmas is still holding its own), but it place in the national psyche of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is definitely unmatched (see related article page 16). In all of these countries, the day is traditionally celebrated with friends and family at bonfires in the countryside. This presents the problem of planning, especially for foreigners. They’re more likely to be stuck for places to celebrate the shortest night of the year, since they usually don’t have country-dwelling relatives, to say nothing of tents and sleeping bags.
To give our readers some options, The Baltic Times has put together an overview of organized Midsummer activities throughout the region.

In Estonia, Midsummer is known as Jaanipaev (St John’s Day). For those living in Tallinn who aren’t lucky enough to have country-dwelling friends, there are still events in the cities to help celebrate the nation’s favorite holiday.
The biggest public party can be found at the Estonian Open Air Museum in Rocca Al Mare, a 20 minute trolley bus ride from central Tallinn. Last year almost 8,000 people attended, something that surprised even the organizers.
“This party is very nostalgic. If you have guests from foreign lands, you can show them how Estonia celebrates,”  said Maarja Kouts, project coordinator of the museum’s Jaanipaev event.
There will be four different themed areas across the museum’s quaint and grassy grounds, each giving a taste of Jaanipaev during eras of history.

The Czarist period, when Estonia was ruled by imperial Russia, will be recreated with music from the folk band Leigarid.
Nearby, the first period of Estonia’s independence – often remembered as a time of prosperity and cultural development – will be celebrated with traditional “fancy” food, and re-enactments of characters from famous pieces of Estonian literature.
The Soviet period will also be represented in a slightly controversial way. Visitors can participate in Pioneer games, while several uniformed military policemen will be on hand “keeping things in order,” Kouts explained.
Entry costs 150 kroons (9.58 euros) for adults, 100 kroons for students, and 350 kroons for a family ticket. The party starts at 7pm and ends at 12pm.

EU commissioner says Gazprom won’t be exception to trade rules

By TBT staff

TALLINN - The European Union’s competition commissioner has warned that Russia’s Gazprom may have to divest its stakes in Baltic energy companies and a disputed Baltic Sea gas pipeline if EU member states adopt a new strategic energy plan that aims to foster competition.
Neelie Kroes, speaking to journalists in Tallinn on June 14, said that Gazprom, one of the world’s largest corporations by market capitalization, would not be granted any exceptions if the energy plan, presented by the European Commission in January, is eventually put into force.
“EU regulations should apply to Gazprom as well as any other company from non-EU countries in the same way as they apply to EU companies,” she said.

Specifically, Kroes said Gazprom would have to separate subsidiaries engaged in production and distribution of energy supplies.
Gazprom, which is majority owned by the Russian state, extracts nearly all its natural gas in Russia and owns several distribution companies in Eastern Europe, including 37 percent in Estonia’s Eesti Gaas, 34 percent in Latvijas Gaze in Latvia and 37.1 percent in Lithuania’s Lietuvos Dujos.
“This (separation of production and distribution) also applies to Gazprom – they cannot fulfill both roles,” the competition commissioner said. “Gazprom cannot own the distribution network of countries to which it supplies natural gas – they have to separate their activities.”

Estonia doubles foreign worker quota

By Joel Alas

TALLINN - The process of bringing foreign workers to Estonia is to be streamlined under a plan to ease the country’s worker shortage.
The quota of foreign workers will be doubled to about 1,300 and the bureaucratic paperwork slashed by November under an Economy Ministry proposal.
Economy Minister Juhan Parts said the bureaucratic simplifications were an obvious solution to give companies faster access to skilled labor.

Employers have welcomed the proposals, but said they did not go far enough in addressing Estonia’s shortage of low skilled workers.
Parts told The Baltic Times that the proposal would be before Parliament by November.
“Diminishing bureaucracy will make it much easier for entrepreneurs to use labor from third countries,” Parts said.

“The changes have broad consensus from both business and most political parties.”
He said it was “unacceptable” that “good qualified brains” were having difficulty entering the Estonian labor market.
However, he stopped short of opening the borders to low-skilled workers, saying that employers should look to hire from the 380 million available workers within the European Union to address their staff shortages.
“This is not a liberalization of our immigration policy. We don’t want to see millions and millions of third country workers here,” he said.
Employers seeking long-term permits for workers will have to commit to paying a salary of at least 1.24 times the average Estonian salary, which currently sits at 9,600 kroons.
Those applying for six month permits will have to pay their workers the average salary for their sector, Economy Ministry executive officer Sille Rossi said.

Estonian scientists propose underwater nuclear reactor project

TALLINN - The Estonian Maritime Academy has developed a project to construct an underwater nuclear reactor off the Baltic Sea coast, a local newspaper said Wednesday.

The project, submitted to the Estonian Eesti Energia company, proposes the construction of a 1,000-MWt nuclear power plant on a granite shelf of the Muuga Bay.

"The construction of a nuclear reactor on the seabed is completely safe and local authorities would not object to this project," the Estonian newspaper Arileht quoted the head of the academy, Juri Kann, as saying.

Industry experts in Estonia believe that the construction of a nuclear reactor in the country is a viable proposition because the whole Baltic region may face an energy deficit in the next decade.

However, an underwater NPP project would be more costly than a similar land-based project, they said. Local environmentalists have also expressed doubts about the ecological safety of such a giant undertaking on the sea shelf.

The Baltic states are looking to diversify their energy sources to reduce their dependence from the Russian oil and gas supplies.

The electricity companies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have joined in a project to build a new nuclear facility with the capacity of 3,200 Megawatts in Lithuania to replace the ageing Ignalina plant, which uses reactors similar to the one that exploded at Chernobyl in 1986.

The new NPP is expected to come onstream by 2015, while Lithuania pledged to shut down the Ignalina facility by 2009.

Mayors discuss Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel

TALLINN - The mayors of Tallinn and Helsinki want to launch a feasibility study into building an undersea rail tunnel between the two capitals. Edgar Savisaar met with Helsinki Lord Mayor Jussi Pajunen in Finland on June 19 and agreed to launch the feasibility study. However it seems highly unlikely the project would ever to proceed. Such a tunnel would need to stretch over 80km. The longest undersea tunnel in the world is the English Channel Tunnel, which runs for 50km.

Mice, not men the key as Estonian army enters cyber age

DPA

Tallinn - For a top-secret military base, Estonia's centre for cyber-defence looks remarkably like a genteel university. Chairs stand in neat rows in the classrooms, facing blackboards covered in arcane symbols. Vast orange armchairs ring the common room, and in one corner a coffee machine splutters belligerently.

The scene is as far from any fictional secret bunker as could be imagined, but it is a battlefield nonetheless - and one where Estonia (population 1.34 million) punches well above its weight.

"In the old days, firepower was the key to winning battles. Now it's firewalls - firewalls and cooperation," Mihkel Tammet, the jovial, bearded head of communications and IT at the Estonian Ministry of Defence, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Tammet should know. At the end of April, during a bitter row with Russia over the relocation of a Red Army memorial, Estonia was hit by a massive series of cyber attacks directed at government servers and banks - attacks the media called the world's first cyber-war.