BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Strong winds in the Gulf of Finland ....

...... have forced the cancellation of passenger services on high-speed vessels operating between Helsinki and Tallinn. Falling trees in the south of Finland cut power lines Saturday night, leaving up to 1,000 households without electricity. The Finnish Meteorological Institute issued a wind warning, with winds of up to 16 metres per second possible in the Gulf of Finland. Both Nordic Jet Line and Super Sea Cat have cancelled passenger services between Helsinki and the Estonian capital on Sunday. Problems with the electricity supply mainly affected the areas of Vihti, Siuntio, Inkoo and Tuusula in the south of Finland. Services were restored on Sunday.

Starting from 01/01/08 Cyprus will adopt euro

Starting from 01/01/08 Cyprus will adopt euro as official currency.

All Cyprus pounds deposited with the bank accounts will be automatically converted into euros at the exchange rate of 1 EUR=0.585274 CYP.

Starting from 01/01/08 banks will not accept Cyprus pounds in cash.

Homburg Invest Inc. announces Baltic property acquisitions

Shares issued and outstanding : Class A - 148,945,498 Class B - 31,514,782

HALIFAX - Homburg Invest Inc. ("Homburg Invest" or "The Company") announces that it has finalized its acquisition of the "Baltic" portfolio consisting of 54 properties located in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (the "Baltic's") from SEB Group ("SEB"). The transaction was previously announced on April 26, 2007, when SEB and Homburg Invest entered into an agreement to acquire the Baltic portfolio. Due to the exercise of pre-emptive rights by third parties for certain of the properties, the acquired portfolio consists of 54 properties instead of the original 63 properties previously announced. With respect to the properties, 39 are occupied by SEB under long-term leases and 15 properties are primarily leased to other tenants or have short-term leases with SEB.

The transaction was completed at an aggregate purchase price of approximately CAD 268,250,000 (EURO 185,000,000) with a long-term debt financing of CAD 194,100,000 (EURO 134,000,000) from SEB Merchant Bank with the remainder of the purchase price being paid in cash.

The acquisition by Homburg Invest of this sale and lease back portfolio is consistent with its stated policies for growth and geographic diversification. The timing is good due to strong economical growth in the Baltic's with increased demand for office and retail space. The portfolio consists primarily of larger properties with significant development potential in attractive locations.

Estonia about Russia : 2nd decade of December 2008

The press is jealous about improvements in relations between Moscow and Riga. "After the singing of the Russian-Latvian border treaty, Russia has started treating Latvia as a constructive partner. Yesterday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not miss the opportunity to demonstrate his good attitude to Latvia by inviting Latvian President Valdis Zatlers to Moscow. "The retiring Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis compared the ratification of the border treaty with the Russian troops withdrawal from the Baltic nations... He said that the future generations would not have to worry about the inviolability of national borders or national security." (Postimees, December 12th).

However, some commentators are warning against illusions in the big neighbor's foreign policy. "Of course, the Latvian President may go to Moscow, admire Red Square and have a cup of tea with Vladimir Putin, but will this fill with oil the pipeline that has been empty for years ? Will Russia stop chanting about 'human rights violations' in the Baltic countries ? There is no doubt that Latvia is in a better foreign policy position now than Estonia, but the Latvians themselves are somewhat skeptical about this success." (Postimees, December 12th).

KARPAK wins Estonian best young athlete of the year award

Laser Worlds bronze medallist Deniss KARPAK has been named Estonia's Best Young Athlete Of The Year for 2007.

At the annual Estonian Athletes of the Year Award Ceremony on Wednesday 26 December in Tallinn at the Estonia Concert Hall, the 21-year old Laser-sailor was announced as winner of the Best Young Athlete Award.

Deniss KARPAK (EST), who won the bronze medal at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal, was awarded Best Young Athlete of the Year, winning over Junior European Champion in the Triple Jump, Kaire LEIBAK, and cyclist Rein TAARAMÄE. KARPAK was also voted third in the men’s ranking for Athlete of the Year Award, following World Champion in discus throwing Gerd KANTER and British Formula 3 series winner Marko ASMER.

Jaan Kross, Estonia's best known writer, dies at 87

TALLINN - Jaan Kross, the writer and poet whose novels portrayed the fate of the small Baltic nation, has died after a long illness, according to his family. He was 87.

A prisoner during Nazi rule in the early 1940s and a survivor of a Siberian labor camp, Kross was known for historical novels. "The Czar's Madman," an epic about a Baltic-German nobleman, is considered one of his major works and was translated into English and several other languages.

Although set in the 19th century the hero of the book, who was imprisoned as a traitor, was believed to reflect the author's own experience of eight years in exile during the 1940-1991 Soviet occupation, when thousands of Estonians were exiled and killed.

He was released from the gulag in 1954.

Born on Feb. 19, 1920, in Tallinn, Kross studied law at Tartu University, Estonia's leading academic establishment. He published his first novel, "Between Three Plagues," in 1970 — 16 years after becoming a professional writer. After Estonia regained independence in 1991, he served briefly as a lawmaker in 1992-93 but became frustrated by politics and resumed writing.

Estonian court to bring back 'Bronze Soldier'?

A court in the Estonian capital Tallinn is due to consider an appeal calling for the return of a Soviet memorial to the city centre. The remains of Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Nazis were moved from the city centre in April 2007.

The appeal comes from two daughters of one of the soldiers, Ivan Sysoev, whose remains were not found during the relocation.

I do not recall the first time I heard about Mulgimaa

Perhaps it was through the food — mulgikapsad (a kind of sauerkraut) or mulgipudru (mashed potatoes mixed with pork rinds). Or maybe it was just because outside of Tallinn and Tartu, my destination in Estonia is often Viljandimaa.

I am also not sure where I first heard the term “mulk”, an inhabitant of part of Viljandimaa in southern Estonia, but I sensed immediately it had an ambiguous connotation.

A friend in Tallinn explained that back in the day (the 19th century), Viljandimaa was a wealthy county populated by thrifty farm owners who wore pointy black hats and sat on their front porch all the time displaying their wardrobe, stroking their pet cats, and sizing up the neighbor’s property for acquisition.

Mulks, in a sense, were ruthless agrarian capitalists that imagined themselves as powerful. So being a “mul\” not only means a person is ambitious, but that they are perhaps too ambitious. How odd then that my publisher / author / journalist / mother-of-two wife happens to be from Mulgimaa. Together with other “mulks” like Mart Laar and Lembitu of Lehola, stubborn ambition seems to run in the blood of all who first saw the world from the hilltops of Viljandi.

Estonia ready to join Conventional Forces in Europe treaty

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet has said in a recent interview with Interfax news agency that the nation would seek to join the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty immediately after its ratification, news from the Estonian capital Tallin said Thursday.

The Estonian government has set up a committee charged with preparatory work, Paet said, adding that negotiations on the joining of the treaty would start immediately after its ratification by NATO members.

The original CFE treaty was signed in 1990 by 16 NATO countries and six Warsaw Pact members, with the aim to maintain the military balance in Europe by setting equal limits for each signatory on five categories of conventional weapons -- battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery pieces, combat aircraft and attack helicopters.

The treaty, which came into force on Nov. 9, 1992, also lays down measures to enhance confidence-building, transparency and cooperation between member states.

Russia suspended its obligations under the CFE treaty on Dec. 12. The country said it could rejoin the treaty after NATO countries ratify the treaty's adapted version, signed on Nov. 19, 1999, by all NATO countries except Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovenia.

Source : Xinhua

New Year´s Eve parties

What to do on December 31 ? Where to celebrate the New Year's Eve ?
Where are the most glamorous parties or the best offers ?

TALLINN

Astoria Palace
Glamour, Sexy, Gifts and Surprises
Ticket : st. 1000 EEK
Check out here or www.astoria.ee

Amigo
DJ Arno Kukk
Normal video disco night like every Monday. Free entrance to the club for women all night. Best video hits on screen.
Ticket: the usual price
www.amigo.ee

Bonnie & Clyde
New Year s Eve party throughout the hotel of Olümpia
Dave Benton and Anne Veski, jazz music, belly dancers, gipsys, disko band Mjau, kids program
Ticket: 1990.-
See more HERE (in Est)

Club Hollywood MTV party; superhits by DJs Heivi S, Kert Klaus and Kermo Hert Ticket: 190 krooni www.clubhollywood.ee (in Est) Club Papillon 2 Quick Start www.papillon.com.ee

Laulasmaa Resort
Glamorous New Year’s Eve in Laulasmaa Resort with Tõnu Kilgas, Strauss Orchestra and soloists from the national opera ”Estonia”. Spa, buffet and accommodation.
Ticket: 2990.- (kids 7-14 990.-)
www.laulasmaa.ee

Mustpeade Maja
Music by Apelsin and Külalised and Tommyboy. Delicious food, dance show, photos, cigars, lottery
Tickets: 400 / 1300 kr
www.mustpeademaja.ee (in Est)

Casa de Baile Dance Center
Salsa fiesta, games, performances, snacks, drinks
Ticket: st. 400.-
www.tantsukeskus.ee

Nõmme Kultuurikeskus
Dancing music by Meister ja Margarita, special guests, snacks and drinks
Ticket: st. 400.-
www.nommekultuur.ee

Nimega Bar
Drinks, snacks, DJ Kerdo and karaoke
Ticket: reserve a table for four 400.- (with sparkling wine),  snacks 150.-
www.baarid.ee

Nelijärve Puhkekeskus
A party of ghosts and elfs
Ticket: 1490.-
www.nelijarve.ee

Cafe Tao
Funk music at the new twin tower restaurant. Ewert Sundja and Slam.
Ticket: st. 1000.-
www.cafetao.ee (in Est)

Nimeta Bar
DJ, snacks and drinks
Ticket: 175.-, after midnight 100.-
www.nimetabaar.ee

Jőulud (Yuletide), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

by Kazimierz Popławski, Paweł Waryszak and Szczepan Witaszek

In the folk tradition of Estonia Christmas has a double meaning: on one hand it is the sign of the birth of Christ, but on the other hand it represents the whole period of holidays celebrated in mid-winter - Jõulud. This name has old Scandinavian roots and comes from the word Jul, which has no connection to Christianity.

It is an interesting fact that only in Scandinavia, Great Britain and Estonia a word of pre-Christian origin – Jõulud is used to speak about Christmas. In southern Estonia, another name, talvistepüha (Winter Feast) is also used. It is thought that this name is a direct influence of Estonia’s southern neighbor Latvia, where Christmas is known as Ziemas svetki (Winter Feast).

The holidays fall on a period of winter solstice, when the day is the shortest and the night the longest in a year. According to folk tradition, during that time, the sun lay in a nest and the coming of the day was celebrated as the birth of Sun. Starting on that day, the sun rose higher and higher.

In pre-Christian times, celebration began on the 21st of December (The Feast of St. Thomas). With Christianization, pagan customs intertwined with Christian traditions, and the names of pagan holidays were adopted by Christians.

CHRISTMAS EVE IN ESTONIA

By Kristin

We had our regular Christmas Eve and real regular Christmas food - blood sausages, pork steak, potatoes, sauerkraut, cranberry sauce and marinated pumpkin and - Baileys for something Irish ;)) - well, it happens to be Dagni's and mine favorite drink and seems even Triin loves it (not Fred, he drank Coke and ate chicken, but he's always been the black sheep of the family ;))

Well, I got my regular crappy gifts (LMAO) i.e. the practical stuff that all the family needs (except for me :P) - a sort of frame where you can dry your laundry. Actually we already have one but Fred bought one extra because "I'm whining all the time that there is always Dagni's laundry drying" - which is not true, I am whining about the washing machine always filled with Dagni's laundry(sic!) - so I actually told Fred - why didn't you buy an extra washing machine for me huh?)

Merry Xmas to all from Tallinn ... Kauneid Jõule kõigile Tallinnastele

Passenger growth on Estonian Air flights

In November Estonian Air carried altogether 58 286 passengers, 52 826 of these on regular flights. Regular flights passenger number increased 19.2% year-on-year and on charter flights 44.6%. The overall number of passenger increased 21.2 % y-o-y.

In November Estonian Air operated 1049 flights, which is 323 more flights or increase of 31% y-o-y. The regularity of Estonian Air and Estonian Air Regional flights was 99.6% and 97.7% and the 15-minute punctuality was 81.9% and 95.3% respectively.

The regularity of Estonian Air flights from the beginning of the year was 99.7% which is 1.1 percentage points higher than AEA (Association of European Airlines) members average. The 15-minute punctuality was 80.2% which is 1.1 percentage points higher than AEA members average.

„Our team is working hard in order to offer our customers many convenient flight connections. November passenger growth has been positively influenced by opening new routes, bigger availability of lower ticket fares and focused sales and marketing support in the Estonian market,“ explained Andrus Aljas, Estonian Air’s acting President and CEO.

The most popular destinations in November were Oslo, Kiev, Milan and Moscow where the number of passengers grew by 19%, 22%, 48% and 10% y-o-y respectively. Opening of the Tallinn-Helsinki route has been accepted very well, the number of passengers was 40% higher than expected in November.

Citizen of European Union Act

Citizen of European Union Act

Passed 20 November 2002

(RT¹ I 2002, 102, 599),

entered into force 1 May 2004,

amended by the following Act:

17.03.2004 entered into force 01.05.2004 - RT I 2004, 19, 134.

Chapter 1

General Provisions 

§ 1. Scope of application

• This Act regulates the bases for stay in Estonia of citizens of the European Union and their family members.

• The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (RT I 2001, 58, 354; 2002, 53, 336; 61, 375) apply to the administrative proceedings prescribed in this Act, taking account of the specifications provided for in this Act.

§ 2. Citizen of European Union

- For the purposes of this Act, a citizen of the European Union is a person who is a citizen of another member state of the European Union than Estonia.

§ 3. Family member of citizen of European Union

- For the purposes of this Act, a family member of a citizen of the European Union (hereinafter family member) is a person who is not a citizen of Estonia and who is:

• a spouse of the citizen of the European Union (hereinafter spouse);

• a child under 21 years of age or a dependent adult child or grandchild of the citizen of the European Union;

• a dependent parent or grandparent of the citizen of the European Union or of his or her spouse;

• a person not specified in clauses 1)-3) of this section who is dependent on the citizen of the European Union or residing with him or her and has a shared household with him or her.

Chapter 2

Stay in Estonia

Who does not need a visa to visit Estonia ?

As of 21 December 2007, Estonia is a part of the Schengen visa area.

Nationals of the member states of EU and EEA - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, United Kingdom - and Switzerland.
The bases for their stay in Estonia are regulated by the Citizen of European Union Act (the text is available on the homepage of Estonian Legal Language Centre).

Schengen States - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Greece, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta.

Although documents are not checked when one crosses an internal Schengen border, it is still necessary for EU citizens (including Estonians) to carry a passport or ID card. Authorities (police, immigration officials) in Schengen states do have the right to check identifying documents, if necessary.

Amended packaging law to boost recycling in Estonia

Estonian lawmakers adopted an amendment to the Packaging Act designed to increase the recycling and reuse of packaging starting next year.

The law up until now prescribed recycling half of packaging waste. Under the amended law, 60 percent of packaging waste is to be recycled in the future. In absolute figures this means an increase of about 10,000 tons in recycled materials annually. Starting from 2010, 70 percent of packaging waste has to be recycled.

One of the reasons for increasing the amount of recycling is that producer responsibility organizations have coped fairly well with the current recycling obligation and are already collecting and reusing packaging at the required level.

For consumers, the amendment means above all better opportunities to dispose of packaging waste. As in order to comply with the higher recycling and reuse norms, more recycling containers need to be installed.

The amendment involves additional expenses to the tune of about 15 million kroons (EUR 0.96 mln) for packaging entrepreneurs.

Estonia to ease employment of foreign labour

The Estonian government approved a bill to simplify the employment of foreign labour.

The draft law adjusts the rules of working in Estonia both for a short time and on a long-term residence permit, the governmental press service said.

One of the conditions for the registration of short-term employment of a foreigner is going to be that he or she be paid the average gross monthly salary of the sector. The bill lists positions to which the requirement does not apply.

For work on a long-term residence permit, the state obligates the employer to pay a foreigner wages at least equalling the national annual average pay multiplied by a coefficient of 1.24. The bill also expands a list of foreigners who are not required to have a work permit for employment in this country. The bill raises the immigration quota from the present 0.05 percent to 0.1 percent of Estonia's permanent population.

Estonia supports Palestinian peace process with nearly EEK 11 million

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, participating in the Conference of Donors for the Palestinian State in Paris, confirmed that Estonia will donate nearly 11 million kroons (1 million USD) in 2008-2010 to support the Palestine-Israel peace process.

According to the foreign minister, this is the largest contribution Estonia has ever made to global conflict resolution. “We hope this will help in the formation of a Palestinian state, including the creation of effective security forces, and also help to prevent further attacks on Israeli residents,” said Paet. “Tensions in the Middle-East have directly or indirectly caused new global problems to develop, such as international terrorism,” he added.
Paet also met with the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Riyad al-Maliki in Paris.

At the meeting, the situation in the Palestinian Authority including the Gaza Strip and the initiation of peace talks were discussed. The ministers also discussed cooperating with neighbouring nations to move the peace process forward, as well as bilateral relations.
Foreign Minister Paet expressed his pleasure over the fact that politicians in Palestine and Israel found an opportunity to resume the peace process within the framework agreed upon in Annapolis. “We feel that achieving peace in the Middle East is essential in view of both regional and global security,” said Paet.

I guess that this will make many scream !

Urmas Paet meets Bernard Kouchner

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Paris.

Relations between Estonia and France, the European Neighbourhood Policy, updating security strategies, the Treaty of Lisbon, and EU-NATO relations were discussed.

In talking about the Treaty of Lisbon, both sides agreed that it is an important step in the development of the European Union, and that the ratification of the treaty should begin as soon as possible. “We hope that all the member states will ratify the treaty within the next year, so that it can come into effect in 2009,” said Paet. According to the foreign ministers, both Estonia and France plan to finish ratifying the treaty in the spring.

Paet and Kouchner both consider it essential to continue the development of the European Neighbourhood Policy. “The Neighbourhood Policy should treat eastern and southern nations equally, but within its framework, relating to each country on an individual basis should also be possible,” said Paet. The French foreign minister gave an overview of cooperation with Mediterranean nations and of future plans.

When speaking about European security strategy, the ministers noted that it is important to consider cooperation opportunities with NATO when updating the strategy. Urmas Paet and Bernard Kouchner also discussed matters related to NATO enlargement. “We sincerely hope that during the next NATO summit in Bucharest, we can extend invitations to join NATO to the candidate nations that are prepared to accede,” said Paet.

Foreign Ministers Paet and Kouchner both acknowledged that political and cultural relations between Estonia and France are very good, but that there is certainly room to expand cooperation at the grassroots level. “More visits, as well as consultations between the foreign ministries, would give an opportunity to refresh ties,” said Paet. The Estonian foreign minister added that Estonian culture days will be taking place in France in 2010, which will once again be a good opportunity to intensify ties.

Foreign Minister Paet invited his French colleague to come visit Estonia.