BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Medvedev speaks out on ethnic tribes

President Medvedev believes criticism of the position of Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia is politicised. He made the statement at the opening of the Fifth International Congress of the Finno-Ugric peoples in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk in Siberia.

He said such criticism is made by those who have little knowledge of the lives of Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia.

President Medvedev also said he was happy with the outcome of talks with his Finnish, Hungarian and Estonian counterparts, with whom he discussed joint economic projects.

The forum, which drew around 300 people, follows the successful Russia-EU summit in the city.

The congress is held every four years and aims to promote cooperation among Finno-Ugric peoples and to protect their culture and languages. Previous events have taken place in the Russian city of Syktyvkar, and in Helsinki, Budapest and Tallinn.

Russian-Estonian presidents discuss how to improve relations

KHANTY-MANSIISK - The Russian and Estonian presidents discuss how to improve bilateral relations and solve accumulated problems.

"We meet rarely, and the considerable number of accumulated problems in our relations is linked with it. I suggest the opportunity should be used to discuss the problems," Dmitry Medvedev said, when opening the meeting with Toomas Hendrik Ilves on Saturday.

"I am glad to welcome you in Khanty-Mansiisk. We have a good event -- the Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples is held here," Medvedev said.

The Estonian leader said that it was pleasure to be there on the occasion of the congress. The meeting also gave an opportunity to improve the relations. There is a lot of work ahead. The opportunity will be used, he said.

The Estonian president spoke English during the meeting. He arrived in Khanty-Mansiisk to participate in the Fifth Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples. Aside from the Russian and Estonian presidents, the Hungarian and Finnish leaders participate in the forum.

Breakthrough in Public Health debate at Ministerial Conference

Over 500 health decision-makers - including ministers of health and finance - from 53 countries have set the WHO European Region on course to tackle both longstanding and new challenges to health systems, at the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Health Systems, which is taking place in Tallinn, Estonia.

The Conference made a public health breakthrough by providing, for the first time, a platform for debates on often sensitive and politically charged health issues, such as equitable access to health care, transparent health financing and accountability for public health spending.

In ministerial panel discussions, ministers of health from Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, emphasized that a good health system is not a luxury for affluent countries alone, but a fundamental part of prosperity for all countries.

Speakers stressed that a health system involves much more than simply paying for doctors and hospitals. "It encompasses all parts of society and its various institutions that affect health. It includes the health ministry's ability to influence other ministries - such as transport, environment and education - to follow policies that improve the health of the population," said Dr Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

Dobeles dzirnavnieks and Tartu Veski merge

Nina Kolyako

Estonian flour producer Tartu Veski has acquired the company DD Invest, the owner of 80% of shares of the joint-stock company Dobeles dzirnavnieks, and thus became a co-owner of Latvian biggest flour producer, as Dobeles dzirnavnieks development director Iveta Ozolina informed LETA.

She explained that the merger of the companies will make it possible to not only modernize the production machinery but also further develop technological process and boost competitiveness of the company's products, as well as provide opportunities for bilateral cooperation and staff training. Both companies will benefit from the merger, as well as their customers and consumers in general.

The merger of the two largest flour producers in the Baltic countries is a strategically significant step toward promoting the companies' competitiveness in the European Union market.

Dobeles dzirnavnieks is one of the leading grain processing enterprises in the Baltic states and the largest in Latvia. The company's main fields of activity include processing grain products, production of flour, grits, pearl barley, bran, pet food, as well as wholesale and retail trade, delivery service and storage of grain products.

Germany hosting the ESTO for the first time

With a letter, dated August the 8th 2007 from the directorate of the Estonian World Council (ÜEKN), based in America, the organisation committee received the mandate to carry out the ESTO 2009 in Germany.
The event takes place on five days and is carried out in Münster/Westphalia.
The event starts on Friday the 26th of June 2009 and ends on Tuesday the 30th of June 2009.

Why Münster ?
The Estonians in Germany are historically linked to Münster. After World War II, for a long time, Münster used to be the centre of the Estonian Community in Germany. There were several refugee camps in the surrounding area from which several local groups, some of them still existing nowadays, emerged. For some decades the directorate of the Estonian Community in Germany used to be based in Münster. Also many Estonians all over the world are attached to Münster because from there, in the beginning 1950ies, many emigrated to European Countries or overseas.

Münster is also a city with great tourist potential. The city, accommodating 280 000 inhabitants and a picturesque Old Town with cosy inns and bars is a known paradise for bicycle riders. Nowhere else in Germany are there as many bicycle riders as in Münster. Anyone who is interested in further information may visit the web-site www.münster.de

Atria expands in Estonia through acquisition of two meat processing firms

OSLO - Finnish food group Atria Oyj said it is to boost its presence in Estonia through the acquisition of two meat processing companies, AS Woro Kommerts and AS Vastse-Kuuste Lihatoostus.

'The companies are well-known manufacturers of a variety of high-quality meat products and consumer-packed meat,' Atria said.

No financial details were given on the deals.

Woro Kommerts specialises in the production of meat products, including sausages and frankfurters.

Woro's total market share is 13 percent, making it Estonia's second largest meat processing company, according to Atria.

The firm is based in Ahja, near Tartu, and in 2007 posted net sales of 9.9 million euros.

The other company, Vastse-Kuuste Lihatoostus, manufactures a range of cold cuts, sausages, dried sausages and packaged meat.

The firm has a 6 percent market share, and posted net sales of 8.8 million euros in 2007.

Atria said the deal is subject to the approval of the Estonian competition authorities, which it expects to come by the end of July.

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60% of the Russian-speaking youth believe that their life in Estonia will be better

Juhan Tere

A survey carried out by the Estonian Open Society Institute demonstrated that by now an entire generation of Russian-speaking young people have grown in Estonia who associate their future with this country, writes the National Broadcasting.

The survey commissioned by the Tallinn City Government determined that Russian-speaking young people who were born in Estonia are given a good starting position by their Estonian citizenship and command of languages. The link with Russia has only been maintained on an emotional and cultural level, writes LETA.

As most of Russian-speaking youth of up to 30 years of age and half of their mothers and fathers were born in Estonia, sociologists estimate that it could be said that there is a second generation Estonian Russians living in this country.

Fortum invests in a new power plant in Estonia

Fortum builds a new combined heat and power plant in the city of Pärnu in Estonia. The total value of the investment is around EUR 80 million. The power plant is planned to be operational by the end of 2010.

The production capacity of the power plant will be 45 megawatts (MW) heat and 23 MW electricity. The new power plant will be biomass and peat fuelled, biomass will be used as much as is available in the local market and remaining fuel need will be covered with peat.

The plant will replace aging capacity and natural gas based production. Compared to separate generation, switching to combined heat and power generation will considerably increase energy efficiency. Thanks to the investment CO2 emissions will reduce more than 60%.

" At the moment, we have an on-going CHP plant project in the city of Tartu and this new investment in Pärnu is an important step in delivering further on our growth strategy in the market. Fortum is one of the leading companies in combined heat and power production, and we want to utilise this expertise in all Baltic countries.", says Mr. Jaakko Vähä-Piikkiö, President of Fortum Heat in the Baltic countries.

The "New Group of Friends of Georgia" meet in Warsaw

The meeting of the New Group of Friends of Georgia began today in Warsaw. The main issues in discussion were Georgia's NATO perspective, the European Neighbourhood Policy towards the east, European Union participation in conflict resolution in the Caucasus and Georgia's relations with its neighbours.

According to the Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, the European Union must pay more attention to the eastern-oriented European Neighbourhood Policy than it has before. "Regional cooperation forms complement the European Neighbourhood Policy and tighten the cooperation between the European Union and its eastern neighbours." At the same time, the eastern dimension should be flexible enough to proceed faster with the countries that are able to.

THI will go on a working visit to the Russian Federation

Today, June 27th, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Evelin Ilves are travelling to Russia on a working visit in order to participate in the 5th World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples in Khanty-Mansiysk.

The Estonian Head of State will speak on the opening day of the World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples, which will also be attended by the Presidents of Finland, Hungary, and Russia. President Ilves along with Evelin Ilves will also participate in the cultural program in Khanty-Mansiysk and its environs.

This time, the main topic of the World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples—with the participation of about 300 delegates that represent 21 Finno-Ugric peoples and the same number of observers—will be "Unity and a Changing World". Between the opening and closing sessions of the Congress, five sections will operate: "Ethno-policies and Justice", "Culture, Language and Education", "Media and the Press", and "Health, Demographics and the Family".

Former President of Estonia Rüütel celebrates his golden wedding anniversary

Former president Arnold Rüütel and his wife Ingrid Rüütel have been married for 50 years already, writes Postimees Online/LETA.

In order to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary the Presidential couple and 116 other couples from Tartu have been invited to a ceremony on Sunday where they will be congratulated by pastor Meego Remmel and by the Mayor of Tartu Urmas Kruuse.

For the third year in a row, an event of thanks will be organised to couples celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in the framework of the Tartu Day.

Ansip : Finland is the most important foreign trade partner for Estonia

Juhan Tere

Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip and his Finnish colleague Matti Vanhanen focussed on future co-operation between the two countries during their meeting on Wednesday.

Ansip noted that Finland is the most important foreign trade partner for Estonia, writes Äripäev Online/LETA.

When speaking about the state of relations between the two countries, Andrus Ansip remarked that they are very good. He added that on the basis of foreign investments, Estonia is also very important for Finland. “In the field of research, we can already speak about 150 joint science projects,” noted the Estonian Prime Minister.

When speaking about the European Union, the two prime ministers discussed the need to move forward with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and also about the common energy market of Member States and about energy security.

Estonia total outstanding loans firms to 5.8% in May

TALLINN - The level of overdue loans and owed interest in Estonia's banking system rose to 5.8 percent of the total loan portfolio in May from 5.2 percent in April, the central bank said on Thursday.

It said outstanding loan stock plus owed interest increased to 14.7 billion kroons ($1.47 million) from a revised 13.2 billion kroons.

Estonia's banking system is 95 percent controlled by four Nordic financial groups with Swedbank (SWEDa.ST: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) owning market leader Hansabank and SEB Eesti (SEBa.ST: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) both dominating the market in a country with just 1.3 million people.

Moody's rating agency recently gave Estonia's banking sector "a negative outlook" due to a growing risk of a decline in asset quality and liquidity in light of the rapid growth of loans in recent years. This has also affected share prices of Nordic banking groups.

Enterprise Estonia grants tourism marketing

Juhan Tere

As of 18 June, Enterprise Estonia will accept applications for grants for entrepreneurs, the public and third sector destination marketing. The grants, co-funded from the European Regional Development Fund for the period 2007-2013 for the projects of entrepreneurs, are planned in the amount of Million EEK 84 and for the destination marketing projects of the third sector in the amount of Million EEK 105.

“The purpose of the grants is to increase the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists visiting Estonia, and the consumption of tourism services,” said Tarmo Mutso, Director of the Estonian Tourist Board. “Our wish is that a foreign tourist would become more aware of the tourism products that are based on the peculiarities of Estonia, and discover other places in addition to Tallinn, as well. Good marketing also helps to mitigate one of the sharpest problems of the sector – the seasonality of tourism,” Mutso added.

Entrepreneurs can start applying for funds for organising marketing events, campaigns and sale promotion activities, participation in foreign trade shows aimed at target markets, elaboration of the visual identity of tourism products, preparation and distribution of information materials, organisation of press events, and web development and e-marketing. The sum of a grant allocated for one project is Million EEK 0.3-1.5 and may cover up to 50% of eligible costs.

Free movement of services : infringement proceedings against Estonia

The European Commission has decided to pursue infringement proceedings against Estonia in the area of free movement of services.

The Commission will formally request Estonia to amend its rules on the recognition of medical prescriptions by pharmacists.

This formal request takes the form of "reasoned opinion", the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty.

If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.

Estonian Post sells the building of the post office in Tallinn

Juhan Tere

The supervisory board of Estonian Post decided, after lengthy debates, to sell the real estate property on Narva Road 1 in the centre of Tallinn, writes the National Broadcasting.

The initial price of the object was set at 128 million kroons.

Chairman of the supervisory board of Estonian Post Meelis Atonen said, when commenting the decision to sell, that the main post office property has been on the supervisory board’s agenda for a while already.

“The supervisory board weighed different options for a long time, assessing the state of the building, the current situation on the real estate market and the postal market future in a wider context,” he noted. Atonen said that in the end the decision was made to sell the property and the management board received an order to start preparing for the sale of the property in the centre of Tallinn.

Estonian tourism officials step up overseas marketing

Tourism authorities in Estonia are accepting grants to fund the marketing of the country overseas.

European money is likely to be put towards the new promotional drive, which is designed to attract more visitors from overseas, reports the Baltic Course.

Tarmo Mutso, director of the Estonian Tourist Board, said he hopes to increase the number of overnight stays by foreign holidaymakers, as well the consumption of tourism services.

If the marketing drive is successful in attracting more visitors, this would create the need for more rental accommodation in Estonia.

As a result, overseas property investors who have a residence in Estonia could stand to benefit and collect healthy rental yields.

Mr Mutso commented : "Our wish is that a foreign tourist would become more aware of the tourism products that are based on the peculiarities of Estonia."

He added that he hopes visitors from overseas will also take the time to discover places outside capital city Tallinn.

European Electronics Assembly Reliability Summit

Soldertec Global and Global SMT & Packaging are delighted to announce that a European and international conference on reliability in electronic assemblies—the European Electronics Assembly Reliability Summit—will be held at the Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel in Tallinn, Estonia, October 22nd – 24th 2008. The two-day conference will be preceded by training workshops from top trainers in their field.

It has been more than two years since the RoHS directive changed forever the way electronic products are assembled and sold in international markets. Important reliability issues with the new technologies remain unsolved. This event brings together experts in a unique opportunity to tackle this business-critical topic through industry discussion, technical collaboration, and information sharing. There are also opportunities for highlighting reliability solutions through event sponsorship as well as exhibition space for tabletop displays.

The conference will be held in the beautiful medieval Baltic city of Tallinn in Estonia. The conference hotel is situated in the city centre close to the old town, restaurants and attractions of this small but historic city. A perfect venue for networking and meeting old friends in a relaxed but absorbing atmosphere. More information on the hotel, Tallinn and transportation can be found on the Location page.

And God created woman .... !

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RM80 Compact Recycler cleared military complex

The town of Paldiski in Estonia, once part of the former Soviet Union, is now investing in the future with a harbour project that will increase passenger travel to Sweden. Private investors have acquired a site on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland, where the Soviet Navy had erected a training centre for nuclear submarines. For many years this restricted area was called ‘The Pentagon’, comprising over 20 buildings and covering an area of almost 3 km2. The aim is to establish an industrial and office complex here instead. Before this could happen, however, the buildings needed to be demolished and the site cleared. This is when the RUBBLE MASTER Compact Recycler RM80 appeared on stage.

RM Compact Recyclers have proven their skills in thousands of small to medium scale recycling operations. This time an RM80 played an important role in demolishing a major Soviet era military complex in Estonia. The total amount of demolition debris – concrete with steel reinforcement and bricks – was estimated at 100,000 tonnes. The RUBBLE MASTER Compact Recycler RM80 processed 60 % of all demolition waste material on site. Slowly but surely a RM Compact Recycler RM80, an excavator and an old-fashioned bulldozer made their way through the enormous amount of waste building material, opening up the way for future projects in Paldiski.