BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

"I realized back in 2002 that, for Estonia, the Internet could be just like electricity" .....

..... said Haamer, editor of WiFi.ee, a nonprofit association he and a group of volunteers created. "And just as it happened 100 years back, when initially people did not care about electricity, Estonians too, were not bothered about the Internet."

That is when, Haamer said, he became a technology evangelist and began promoting free Internet access as a human right. "I took upon myself, the task of convincing everyone I could that the benefits of the Internet are enormous," he said. Through newspaper articles and visual signs, and the first step of setting up approximately 100 free Wi-Fi hotspots, Haamer and Wifi.ee demonstrated the Internet's power on everyday life.

"It took us a while to drive the concept home, but having achieved that, the rest wasn't very difficult," said Haamer. "We, were able to create a competitive environment between businesses, like competition between different cafes or hotels, and soon the numbers [of Wi-Fi hotspots] started growing rapidly. That's how the concept caught on and eventually almost every school, household and business - big and small - joined the movement."

Forgotten transports : to Estonia

By ALISSA SIMON

A Falcon release of a Total HelpArt production, supported by the Czech State Fund for the support and development of Czech cinematography. (International sales: Menemsha, Los Angeles.) Produced by Lukas Pribyl, Ondrej Trojan. Directed, written by Lukas Pribyl.

With : Gisela Danzig, Helena Freund, Doris Rauch, Emma Morgenstern, Zuzana Fallek, Zndenka Fishl, Anna Kraus, Edita Heilig.

Clearly the result of meticulous research, Lukas Pribyl's moving "Forgotten Transports : To Estonia" bears witness to some little-told stories of the Holocaust. Docu traces the harrowing three-year odyssey of roughly 100 young Czech Jewish women after they arrived in Estonia on Sept. 5, 1942, and were separated from their families. Setting the scene with title cards, pic uses survivor interviews, rare archival footage, photos and documents to introduce virtually unknown concentration camps and strategies inmates used to survive. Important contribution to WWII history will likely travel to Jewish fests and enjoy a long life in ancillary.

Now living all over the world, pic's eloquent subjects speak several languages; however, when recounting what camp commandants said, all switch to German. Their most painful memories center on separation from parents and refusal to believe rumors about loved ones' cruel fates; the most gripping moments come from their unique tales of survival. Majority of the visual materials used are prewar family photos. Broadcast-friendly tech package is pro, although the shrill score irritates. Briskly paced pic is part of a Pribyl quartet that includes feature-length docus on transports to Latvia, Belarus and eastern Poland.

Camera (color, DigiBeta), Jakub Simunek; editor, Vladimir Barak; music, Peter Ostrouchov. Reviewed at Karlovy Vary Film Festival (competing), July 7, 2008. Czech, German, English dialogue. Running time: 85 MIN.

Geek-ready express bus tries to compete with airlines

Aleks Tapinsh

Riga - A slick, black and red bus rumbles along a motorway trying to do the impossible - to win a competition with a plane in a race to its destination. Thronged with passengers, the bus trundles through the woodlands of northern Latvia, carrying its passengers from one small Baltic country to the next.

Passengers can take the four-hour bus journey from Riga to the Estonian capital, Tallinn, in comfort and that is perhaps unique among EU bus lines connecting major cities in the 27-nation bloc. On the 310-kilometre journey, two Baltic bus lines offer an upgraded service which includes video programmes, free hot drinks, and for those who want to use their time wisely - free, wireless internet access on board.

A brochure advertising Eurolines services suggests that riding a bus between the two capitals is better than than boarding a flight. Business people can use their time productively as buses do not limit phone and internet usage.

"The bus is rather luxurious. They have coffee here and everything. Four hours of travel without any hassle at the airport with delays and waiting," a passenger named Vladimir told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa during his recent trip to Tallinn.

The Baltic bus line, Eurolines, and its main rival, Estonia's Hansabuss, offer a little extra in a bid to lure customers who normally would not travel by bus.

Small number of ticket controllers leave City of Tallinn without millions

Sandra Taimre
sandra.taimre @ aripaev.ee

The Tallinn municipal police, which controls the tickets in public transportation, has fined citizens that ride without a valid ticket for the total of EEK 341,000 during 25 days in July. Ühisteenused that used to be responsible for controlling tickets in public transportation collected EEK 1.9 mln for the city in July 2007.

The small amount of fine money is due to the small number of ticket controllers. While Ühisteenused employed 60 ticket controllers, then municipal police has currently only 25, ERR News writes.

Roland Sikk from municipal police said it is not correct to compare the fine amounts with Ühisteenused since municipal police started only with 14 people. However, according to Sikk, they will add another crew in August and September.

The city of Tallinn earned EEK 25 mln in fines during the first ten months of 2007. 

Buyers from St. Petersburg push up apartment prices in Narva-Jõesuu

The most expensive apartments in Northeast Estonia are in Narva-Jõesuu. 

Eesti Päevaleht writes with reference to city24.ee that the reason why apartment prices in Narva-Jõesuu have been growing is buyers from the nearby St. Petersburg who have been purchasing property in the quiet resort.

According to city24.ee, the most expensive apartment on sale at present in Northeast Estonia costs EEK 4.4 million. There is also one apartment on sale costing EEK 4.3 million and another for EEK 4.2 million.

“We have customers in Estonia, but most of our buyers are from St. Petersburg and relatively wealthy people,” said Irina Popova, representative of the developer who owns the three above apartments.

New large apartments in St. Petersburg cost about 10 million rubles which is about EEK 4.5 million.

A new apartment in Kadriorg, the green area of Tallinn, costs about the same.

Source : BBN

Number of job offers has started to fall

Sandra Taimre
sandra.taimre @ aripaev.ee

The number of job offers has started to decrease in Estonia, while the number of job seekers is increasing.

If a year ago, there were two vacancies per one job seeker in Tallinn and Harju County then now there are two job seekers per one vacancy, ERR News writes.

According to Marika Vihermäe, the head of the Labor Market Board's Tallinn bureau, there are currently about 5,600 job seekers and about 3,000 vacant positions.

Vihermäe added that the service persons in Harju County and Tallinn are the most demanded. Also skilled workers, she said.

Azerbaijan warned not to follow Baltic path

By Mike Collier

Russian political scientist Zurab Todua has accused the Baltic states of "restricting the rights of Russians" and "trying to do everything possible" to restrict their dealings with Russia.

Furthermore, Todua believes that choosing a democratic western orientation rather than cosying up to their former occupier is costing each country up to $ 2bn per year, which he sarcastically characterises as "the wise policy of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn."

Interviewed on Azeri website Today.Az, Todua warns that Azerbaijan's warming relationship with the West could have serious consequences and draws a parallel with the Baltics' experience.

"The Baltic states have long tried to make everything possible to limit relations with Russia, trying to hurt it. They have been restricting the rights of Russians residing there. Last year Estonia passed a decision on the transfer of the Bronze soldier," the Central Asian expert said.

"In the end, Russia got sick and tired of it. It ceased oil transit via the ports of Estonia and Latvia (65,000,000 tons of oil per year), rejected the services of the Majekae (Mazeikiu) oil refinery in Lithuania. Now, oil will be transported via the city-port, which is under construction 40 kilometers away from the border with Estonia. The gas transit will be conducted by the North European gas pipeline by the floor of the Finnish gulf.

"The irreparable losses of the budgets of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia makes from $1.5 to 2 bln per year for each of these states. Now terminals in Latvia and Estonia are idle, the oil refinery in Majekae is just a piece of corroding iron. But Baltic states create fantastic and unreal plans of their use, though they are not interesting for anyone, except for themselves.

Who will dare to state that this was the result of the wise policy of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn ?"

Commercial property still valued in Narva

Gertrud Levit
gertrud.levit @ aripaev.ee

The most active sector in Ida-Viru County's commercial property market is made up by commerce and services land, demands for qualitative and more expensive areas is high in Jõhvi, Narva, and Kohtla-Järve.

In the middle of May, the second part of shopping complex Fama was opened in Narva. The size of Fama nearly tripled – from 8,000m2 to 23,000m2, postimees.ee quotes what the representative of Arco Vara in Narva, Andrei Boborenko told Äripäev. Boborenko lists a number of new stores in Jõhvi, Kõhtla-Järve, and Narva.

The market for office spaces remains calmer.

After the Keres centre, the second and third floor of which are taken up by offices, was opened in Narva in the beginning of new year, new office spaces haven’t been established in Ida-Virumaa towns.

Demand for commercial land without constructions is still high, despite the low point in economy. Prices are rising, because there is a limited number of available places on the market. The price of the land still primarily depends on the locations, accessibility, and the level of communication devices in the area.

The price of commercial land in suburbs without communication devices is 300-600 EEK/m2, the price of commercial land in suburbs with communication devices is 600-900 EEK/m2, the price of land near the city centre starts at ca 1,000 EEK/m2. The prices might keep rising this year as well, says Boborenko.

Where do people come from ?

Comment by Alexander Arkhangelsky

The spirit of competition must be resuscitated in Russian public life

The shortage of qualified personnel is becoming ever more poignant in Russian politics, as there are few other fields besides business where effective managers can be drawn from. These troubles are symbolic of the present epoch – as the country aims for new heights, there are few able to lead it toward a bright future.   

Dmitry Medvedev’s fine-tuning process continues. Recently, the young president gathered his minions and posed a problem : how can we replenish the scanty personnel reserves ? The minions sadly nodded ; the president is asking an unpleasant question again, and, once more, they don’t have a good answer.

Just like the case with the fate of Russian diplomacy, the court system, and the topic of corruption, Medvedev has hit a sore spot. Personnel hunger is felt at all levels of the administration ; the old guard has already bitten off their share and there’s nowhere to get new people from. If it is true that throughout the year we will have to replace 26 governors, then the kind of headache that is already torturing everyone responsible for new appointments becomes evident. One starts sympathizing with Vladislav Surkov : the president was very straightforward when he said : we are horrified every time we have to look for a replacement, and we hardly find one – but only Surkov knows how to find this person, where to dig him out of. Take Roman Abramovich, for example – he just shuffled off the heavy burden of the Chukotka governorship, and now he is forced to run for the Anadyr Duma. This is symbolic of the era we are living in. We have to renovate ; but there’s nobody to renovate with. We have to rely on someone; but there’s nobody to rely on. We have to prepare for breakthroughs – but who can we put on the front line ?

Estonia criminalizes small-scale theft

Toomas Hõbemägi

Starting from today, small-scale theft is criminally punishable in Estonia.

Eesti Päevaleht writes that this is likely to make life harder for pickpockets and people who steal from stores since systematic theft is now criminally punishable by the new penal act.

Ken-Marti Vaher, an MP for IRL who has been behind the legislative change, said that people who systematically engage in theft have been feeling themselves above law and it was about time to change this attitude.

In March 2007 the Parliament decriminalized small theft and legislated that theft of goods worth less than EEK 1,000 was misdemeanor punishable by a fine or an arrest.

However, since the number of small theft has gone up notably in the last twelve months, MPs decided to re-criminalise it.

The new law has also drawn criticism from the opposition. Kalle Laanet, MP for Centre Party, said that IRL pushed the law through by force and behind it is strong lobby from leading retail chains.

Centre Party : politicians haven’t paid enough attention to Savisaar’s economic plan

Gertrud Levit
gertrud.levit @ aripaev.ee

Centre Party believes that politicians haven’t paid enough attention to the plan to improve economy that was suggested by Edgar Savisaar and Jaan Õmblus in Center Party's paper Kesknädal and therefore invites all political parties to discuss economic policy.

The board of Centre Party decided on Saturday at Kääriku to invite all political parties to start a wide discussion over finding best possible economic policy alternatives and to put together strategies for the future, writes postimees.ee.

The invitations also points out that politicians have an obligation to work for better economic future for Estonia.

Politic parties in Estonia haven’t paid enough attention to the essay “The state’s economic policy means in an economic crisis” that Edgar Savisaar and Jaan Õmblus published more than a month ago, the party claims.

“Political parties who don’t express their views nor offer solutions to improve Estonia’s economic situation are not doing their duty before the voters,” is written in the invitation put together by the Centre Party.

“The Centre Party thinks that we should start discussion about economy in Estonia right now. People in Estonia have a right to have their interests represented in the best possible way by our economic policy,” said Edgar Savisaar.

“We suggested organising a meeting of parties to discuss economic policy and to clarify where different political parties stand in connection with the essence of the economic crises and how to make it as painless as possible,” the secretary-general of Centre Part, Priit Toobal, added.

Call for single Baltic energy giant

By Mike Collier

RIGA - Karlis Mikelsons, chairman of Latvian power utility Latvenergo has floated the idea of establishing a pan-Baltic electricity system operator. It is the latest in a series of moves that could lead to the Baltics becoming a single electricity market.

Writing in the company's newsletter, Energoforums, Mikelsons said : "One operator in the Baltics is better than three separate operators. The development, system, balancing, reservation and other services can be planned more easily. A joint system would have a different scale and balance.

"I believe that a joint operator in the Baltics would be the best variant."

Mikelsons' words come shortly after Latvian economics minister Kaspars Gerhards revealed in a radio interview that Latvia is in favor of a joint electricity system in principle and will be calling on Estonia and Lithuania to join in.

The Latvian position reflects the increasing urgency of a solution to future Baltic power needs, which finally seem to be gathering pace. Estonia's Ministry of Economics and Communication has confirmed that it is drawing up a pheasability study on the possible privatization of various state assets, including power utility Eesti Energia.

Estonia among TOP10 ethical travel destinations in developing countries

Gertrud Levit
gertrud.levit @ aripaev.ee

Ethical Traveler, an organisation in the USA, has chosen the world’s 10 best ethical travel destinations from among 70 developing countries ; one of the countries in TOP10 is Estonia.

Ethicaltraveler.org writes that each year, millions of travelers pack their bags and head for the usual destinations : Paris, Bangkok, San Francisco, Rio, Beijing. While Ethical Traveler sees all travel as a potentially positive force, they’d like to see people step off the beaten path.

"Many developing countries, in their efforts to woo travelers, are making noble attempts to preserve their natural assets, create a user-friendly infrastructure, and build an economy where their citizens share the benefits of tourist revenue,” writes ethicaltraveler.org.

The 10 ethical travel destinations in the developing world are (in alphabetical order) : Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Namibia, Nicaragua, and South Africa.

To create this list, Ethical Traveler looked at three general categories : Environmental Protection, Social Welfare, and Human Rights.

Martin Padar to bear Estonia’s flag at Olympic Games

Martin Padar will bear Estonia’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, writes Postimees Online.

Padar, a judoka, achieved the first position at the European Youth Olympic Days in 1995, has won medals at European Championships and at juniors’ World Championships.

Other athletes to carry Estonia’s flag at opening ceremonies of Olympic Games are Heino Lipp (in 1992), Jüri Jaanson (in 1996), Tõnu Tõniste (in 2000) and Erki Nool (in 2004).

At the opening ceremony, Estonian delegation will march onto the Beijing Olympic stadium 13th, after Ireland and in front of Andorra.

Estonian veterans of Nazi Forces meet

By : iStockAnalyst

TALLINN - Veterans of an Estonian unit of Nazi Germany's armed forces had a traditional annual meeting on Saturday.

In speaking at the event, held in Sinimae, near the Russian border, Estonian parliament deputy Trivimi Velliste said Estonians who had served in the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of elite Nazi military organization SS fought to liberate Estonia from Bolsheviks and should therefore be considered "liberators."

"Parliament should officially grant them the status of liberation fighters and make them equal in status to participants in the Liberation War of 1918-1920," Velliste said.

The same point was made by veterans who spoke at the meeting about fierce battles against advancing Soviet forces in 1944.

Veikko Luhalaid, governor of Vaivara municipality, where Sinimae is located, was present at the meeting.

Those present also included skinheads, many young people with Nazi symbols on their clothes, and SS veterans from Norway and Denmark.

Simultaneously, about ten members of Night Watch, a group that has campaigned against last year's removal of a Soviet war memorial from the center of Tallinn to a military cemetery outside the city, gathered near the site of the SS veteran's meeting. They laid flowers at a nearby monument to fallen Soviet soldiers.

Police said the SS veterans' meeting had been a peaceful event.

ECOBAY Focuses on Sustainability

One thing we're seeing for sure is an increasing amount of activity in the masterplanned, sustainable city area.  Last January, schmidt hammer lassen architects won an international competition to design ECOBAY, a new town situated on the Paljassaare peninsula near the Estonian capital of Tallinn. 

In collaboration with Buro Happold Consulting Engineers and Møller & Grønborg, ECOBAY has been designed with everything one would need in close proximity : housing, schools, local shops, businesses, and other amenities -- all within walking or biking distance.  In addition, the town will utilize geothermal, small-scale wind, and surplus energy from the nearby wastewater facility. 

Although fluid in appearance, the buildings have all been situated with strategy.  Building spacing has been calculated to maximize solar gain and, at the same time, diminish heat loss due to overshadowing.  The masterplan also creates "dunes" that absorb and filter harsh winds blowing in from the Baltic Sea.

Structures within the town will vary in terms of size, shape, and sustainability.  Some homes will be designed to reduce energy consumption by up to 70% over conventionally designed structures.  The entire town will accomodate roughly 6,000 people and should be completed over the next 15-20 years.  It should be exciting to watch the city as it sprouts into existence. 

Just a small thought about the true meaning of those battles near that hill and in Narva

by Reimo

The Soviet attack began in 14th January, 1944, near Leningrad and I'm making an assumption that they would have straight up succeeded to force themselves through the frontline near Narva river and whole Estonia. So ?

Remembering that by the time of 2th Feb the Soviets had moved from Volhov river to Narva river and had already made a first landing on the western bank of Narva river. The German forces were in a hasty retreat at that time and if the Estonian units would not have been able to stall the enemy advance in Narva with some German units in good fighting condition and battle-hardened Wiking division, then it would have been hardly possible to put up defensive lines in Sinimäed and on the Emajõgi (Mother River, flows through Tartu, connecting lakes of Võrtsjärv and Peipsi). So, within a month not only Estonia, but also Latvia and Lithuania would have been taken and by the end of March the Soviet forces would have been at the northern border of Eastern Prussia.

Estonia urges EU to tackle Somali pirates

Estonia urged the European Union Friday to take stronger action against Somali pirates attacking cargo ships bound for Europe, after an Estonian sailor was held hostage for 41 days.

"The EU needs more cooperation and stronger efforts to end the growing cynical business of Somali pirates who hijack dozens of cargo ships sailing between the Indian Ocean and Europe each year," Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet told reporters here.

He said EU foreign ministers would discuss the issue at a meeting in September, and also urged the NATO Western defence alliance to address the rising rate of maritime crime.

Paet suggested the EU set up a dedicated center to help member states tackle pirates, adding that "another step could be to offer military guard to cargo ships sailing between the Indian Ocean and Europe in that dangerous area."

Estonian sailor Ardo Kalle, the first mate aboard the German-owned Lehmann Timber, was held for 41 days by Somali pirates before being released July 9 with the rest of the crew.

Estonian duo make first Gulf of Finland swim

TALLINN - A pair of Estonians on Saturday became the first to swim the Gulf of Finland, a frigid 55-kilometre stretch of Baltic Sea once rumoured to be an escape route from the Soviet Union that them took more than 19 hours to traverse.

Swimming instructor Bruno Nopponen and freelance TV camera operator Priit Vehm set off from Finland on Friday as part of a group of six but were the only members to finish.

Nopponen, a former Estonian swimming champion, reached Estonia early on Saturday after more than 19 hours in the water while Vehm made landfall after 22 hours and 22 minutes, according to the group's blog.

Tonu Vaher, who rode on a support boat alongside the swimmers, said even the group's neck-to-ankle wetsuits couldn't block the chill of the famously cold Baltic Sea, whose waters were only 6-7 degrees Celsius (around 43 Fahrenheit).

He said Nopponen, Vehm and their fellow group members were also buffeted by waves when the larger Baltic Sea ferries passed, which temporarily made swimming impossible.

When Estonia was under Soviet control, border guards patrolled the coast with search lights, though no evidence has yet emerged that anyone made it across the gulf to freedom.

Prime Minister denies promise to resign

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip says that he has never promised to resign if Estonia ends up with a budget deficit.

“But I don’t see such threats at present,” said Ansip yesterday, denying claims that he is ready to resign if the budget balance is not maintained.

The PM said that, in order to cut costs, the government plans to downsize civil service and not to increase government spending for at least two years.

He also admitted that the government that plans to cut its spending by EEK 10 billion is now looking at ways to reduce the subsidy paid to local governments for free school lunch.