BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Happy hour in Tallinn

Inviting all DC area Estonians and alumni who will be in Tallinn during the Song and Dance Festival (as well as friends, family and anybody else who wants to join us) to a DCEstonian happy hour Friday night, July 3rd, starting around 9 pm, at the NIMETA BAAR. 

The Nimeta Baar is located at Suur Karja 4 (near where Suur Karja and Va"ike Karja split), about two blocks south of the Town Square (Raekoja Plats). Since this is during the song and dance festival, some people may be arriving later. See you at 9 pm or see you later, hope to see you at the Nimeta!

Estonia goes back on pledge to solve Russian murder, closes case

MOSCOW - Russia believes Estonia has not fulfilled its promise to solve the murder of a Russian national who was killed more than two years ago in Tallinn, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

The victim, Dmitry Ganin, was stabbed during mass protests that swept Estonia's capital over the removal of a Soviet-era monument in central Tallinn in April 2007. Hundreds of people were detained and dozens injured during clashes with police.

Estonia's Foreign Ministry informed the Russian Embassy in Tallinn several days ago that the Prosecutor's Office had closed the murder case. The Russian statement said that even though suspects had been detained, sufficient evidence of their involvement in Ganin's murder could not be produced.

"The Estonian Prosecutor's Office has gone completely against the few promises made by Tallinn at different levels...by 'putting the brakes' on the investigation into the murder of a Russian citizen," the statement read.

Tallinn authorities told the Russian Foreign Ministry that "police investigations are continuing into Ganin's death but there are no suspects in the crime as of today."

Some 14 people, youths near a local bar where Ganin was stabbed, were detained in the case, however, they were never charged with murder and only a few appeared in court for minor infringements.

The Fall and Rise and Fall Again of the Baltic States

BY EDWARD LUCAS

Portraying the Baltic states in their current mess requires more than words and numbers. Only an old-fashioned chart, with a sea monster, a whirlpool, or perhaps a skull and crossbones, would begin to do justice to the plight of what were until recently the shining success stories of the ex-communist world.

Eating a meal in a deserted restaurant in one of the fine old capital cities of Tallinn, Riga, or Vilnius gives a sense of the collapse. So does the silence of the half-finished construction sites, the rock-bottom rates in the glitzy hotels that shot up during the boom years, and the fall of a Latvian government under the weight of the current troubles.

The Baltic states today are prime candidates to be the new basket cases of Europe, with their double-digit economic declines, beleaguered governments, and shriveling state spending.

But 20 years ago, when I first visited what were then still the Soviet Baltic republics, the current problems would have seemed an almost inconceivably desirable state of affairs. The Baltic states, for almost all intents and purposes, had ceased to exist to the outside world for nearly half a century.

As a youngster in Britain in the 1970s, I had read of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as one might read about the mythical land of Atlantis—a fabled place of the distant past, submerged by an unimaginable catastrophe. In the early 1980s, I huddled with demonstrators in London, their banners reading, "Estonians out of Siberia! Soviets out of Estonia!" It was hard to know which seemed less likely. In London, I met elderly, dignified survivors of the Baltic lost world in dusty rooms that reeked of irrelevance and desperation.

For Iran, a lesson in hope

By David Keene

TALLINN — Mart Nikul is an Estonian who spent 16 years in the Soviet gulag, much of it in solitary confinement in a concentration camp in Siberia. He was released as the Soviet Union was collapsing, but only after then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan personally asked Mikhail Gorbachev to let him go.

I met him last week here in Tallinn, the capital of the free Estonia he and many others like him spent a lifetime fighting and suffering to make a reality. These largely forgotten warriors have stories worth remembering, but what struck me as we talked over lunch was the reason he was first arrested.

Back in the ’50s, the Soviet Union bragged to the world that life behind what Winston Churchill first dubbed the Iron Curtain was pretty darned good. Pictures circulated in the West of healthy, happy Czechs, Poles and, yes, Estonians, who seemed positively giddy over their good fortune to be living under communism and the protection of their Soviet comrades.

Friendly visitors to the Soviet empire were taken on carefully orchestrated tours of what came to be known as “Potemkin” villages filled with prosperous beneficiaries of Soviet-style socialism. No one was allowed to see what life was really like in places like Tallinn, where men, women and children were living in poverty and being ground down by a political and economic system that didn’t work and rulers who simply didn’t care about ordinary people.

Petrovic hopes for trip to Velenje

J. Terzic

Serbian representatives in the Europa League could all be visiting the North-East of Europe in mid-July. In the second qualifying round of the newly-founded UEFA competition, Red Star will play the winner of the tie between Trans Narva (Estonia) and Rudar Velenje (Slovenija), while Sevojno play FBK Kaunas (Lithuania). The first leg of the second qualifying round is played on 16 July, while the return fixture is scheduled for a week later.

- “I am pleased with the draw. We respect both of the teams, but Red Star will play its own game. Our aim is a place in the next round in order to live up to the club’s reputation,” said Red Star boss Vladimir Petrovic.

He, however, would prefer a trip to Velenje in Slovenia for the first leg.

- “If I could choose, I would prefer to play against Rudar, as it’s closer. We can get there much quicker, but also recover from the first game. It’s favourable that we play the first leg away, and we get to clinch the tie on our own turf.”

Ivan Adzic, Red Star sporting director, believes the potential rivals have to be assessed first before any initial prognoses.

Tiiu Kuik - Beauty Ed for Marie Claire magazine

Kanter leads Estonian battle to avoid relegation in Bergen

The reigning world and Olympic champion Gerd Kanter gave Estonia a much-needed fillip in their battle to avoid relegation by claiming maximum points with an easy win in the men's Discus on Day Two of the European Team Championships 1st League in Bergen.

Halfway into the final day of the ETC 1st League in Bergen, it is Belarus who remain in the lead, while Finland and Romania hold the other two promotion spots with 10 events to go.

Estonia, Serbia and Switzerland continue to fight it out to avoid relegation to the 2nd League.

Gerd Kanter, gold medal winner from Osaka in 2007 and Beijing 2008, gave Estonia a big boost in the relegation fight as he gave his country 12 points - throwing his discus 67.00m in his first attempt. He was followed by Zoltan Kovago of Hungary on 63.44 and Finnish hope Frantz Kruger on 59.97. Norway's Gaute Myklebust was the final thrower not to be eliminated, taking 4th place by throwing the discus 58.33m.

110m hurdles
The men's hurdle sprint ended in dramatic fashion, as the two clear-cut favourites Gregory Sedoc (Netherlands) and Daniel Kiss (Hungary) fell at the last hurdle. They were leading the race when former European indoor 60m hurdles champion Sedoc tripped on the penultimate hurdle. Maksim Lynsha of Belarus went on to win the race clocking 13.86, ahead of Damien Broothaerts (Belgium) on 13.95 and Juha Sonck (Finland) on 14.04. Sedoc and Matthias Wagner of Switzerland were eventually both disqualified for obstructing other runners. The Netherlands and Switzerland ended up without points due to the disqualification.

Tallinn's Song and Dance Celebration to be "an Unforgettable Experience" letting Estonians "Breathe as One"

Margus Reinsalu

This summer, Estonia is again holding the nationwide Song and Dance Celebration in Tallinn. Internationally active Estonian entrepreneur and owner of the investment company KC Grupp, Margus Reinsalu -- whose company Tone Tea has concluded an advertising contract with the Spanish GP2 team Racing Engineering to advertise its product, the fitness drink Fat Burner -- takes part in many social projects such as the Song Celebration, which shows his devotion to his native country.

The Song and Dance Celebration is not simply a big festival of singing and dancing but also a way to demonstrate the national spirit. It is definitely an unforgettable experience for anyone who attends it.

This summer, Estonia is again holding the nationwide Song and Dance Celebration in Tallinn. Internationally active Estonian entrepreneur and owner of the investment company KC Grupp, Margus Reinsalu -- whose company Tone Tea has concluded an advertising contract with the Spanish GP2 team Racing Engineering to advertise its product, the fitness drink Fat Burner -- takes part in many social projects such as the Song Celebration, which shows his true devotion to his native country. Margus Reinsalu, whose most exotic pro bono project has been renovating the country's centuries-old Oandu Watermill to help preserve the heritage of the countryside, believes that in order to understand what brings hundreds of thousands locals -- and an increasing number of guests from around the world -- every five years to Tallinn, this unique festival can only be experienced on site.

Estonian show jumper best at Moscow Region Governor's Cup

Estonian show jumper Tiit Kivisild took the Grand Prix at the Show Jumping Cup of the Governor of the Moscow Region, beating rivals from Russia, Belarus, Baltic States and Western Europe.

The competition was first held in 2004 and is now considered to be one of the most prestigious in Russia. The three day event at the Otrada Equestrian Center just outside Moscow, which saw youngsters and experienced professionals taking part, culminated in a Grand Prix on Sunday, June 21.

40 riders battled for victory on the day, and most of them struggled on an extremely difficult course the organizers had provided, thanks to 1.4-meter fences, a water jump and a strict time limit of 82 seconds.

Even the crowd favorite, Gennady Gashiboyazov, got 16 penalty points. His horse Papyrus – a small, but a very lively trakehner breed – is known for its great sporting abilities and bad character. And this was not their day, as the pair finished 28th in the overall standings.

The first rider to put up a faultless performance was Tiit Kivisild, and for a long time it seemed the Estonian would be the only one to accomplish this feat.

His rivals kept making mistakes, knocking down fences and experiencing most problems with the water jump; with some hoses simply refusing to execute it.

Russian Vadim Konovalov came close to matching Kivisild. The rider of Come On got no penalty points, but exceeded the time limit and received two points for it.

And a lady nearly interfered in men's hustle, but a great disappointment aviated Zhanna Kim as her Ransom knocked a fence down on the very last barrier.

Despite rainy weather, all the seats at Otrada Center were packed on the day – a picture not seen in previous years – showing the recent rise in interest towards equestrian sports in Russia.

Russian island swims to Estonia

A part of the Russian territory has become Estonia's as a small island forest has crossed into Estonian waters, informs Interfax news agency.

The 4-hectare forest-covered piece of land was able to move due to a rise in the water in the Narva River. It was a part of a larger island, however, three weeks ago it split off and moved toward the Estonian side.

Russian border police say it's the first time they have ever encountered such an event. Meanwhile, Estonian authorities remain just as shocked about the unexpected gift.

They are also worried about the possible damage the island may cause to the construction of a water-reservoir on the Estonian coast. However, the island could simply be destroyed by the river's current.

Estonia and France continuously discover each other

Kalev Stoicescu
Counsellor on Defence Policy at the Embassy of Estonia in Paris

Describing the entirety and diversity of relations between Estonia and France in a brief résumé is, indeed, a serious challenge. A first superficial glance may even suggest that France and Estonia have hardly anything in common. Nevertheless, Estonia and France have – better late than never – gradually ‘found’ each other. The mutual connaissance has, in my opinion, exploded following Estonia’s accession to the European Union in 2004.

Estonia by now has a much better understanding of the important role France plays in the EU and NATO, both crucial organisations for Estonia’s security and defence. France, in turn, has accorded much more attention to Estonia than just a few years ago. This means not only more frequent and substantive bilateral meetings between officials and visiting delegations, but also media coverage and human contacts. I am not greatly exaggerating when I state that in the last four years, there has been more coverage of Estonia in the French media than the aggregate of all previous years.

Numerous articles in Le Monde and other newspapers, sometimes full pages, as well as news clips and documentaries on different TV and radio channels have enlightened the French public on issues like cyber defence, e-government, the integration of ethnic minorities, etc. Historically, France, as a great European power, established alliances with and acquired a certain affinity for Russia when Estonia (in those days the governorates of Estonia and Livonia) was a mere province in the czarist empire.

Võidupüha (Victory Day) - 23rd June

Võidupüha or Victory Day is an Estonian public holiday, which has been celebrated on 23 June every year since 1934 until 1939 and after the restoration of Estonian independence from 1992. Victory Day recalls the decisive battle during the War of Independence in which the Estonian military forces and their allies defeated the German forces who sought to re-assert Baltic-German control over the region.

Today, Võidupüha also marks the contributions of all Estonians in their fight to regain and retain their independence.

The War of Independence 1918-1920 and 23 June 1919

At the end of World War I, Estonia was engaged in a War of Independence with two former major powers. At the time of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, the Estonian Provisional Government was forced to defend its declaration of independence against attacks by Soviet-Russian troops and a Baltic-German Landeswehr army under General von der Goltz. By the end of December 1918, the Soviet-Russian forces, in an effort to re-establish the borders of the Tsarist Empire, had succeeded in occupying half of Estonia.

However, the tide began to turn in late December 1918 when Finnish volunteers as well as British naval assistance began to arrive in Estonia to support Estonia's defence. By the time the volunteers and equipment reached the front, the Soviet advance had been halted and in less than a month Estonia was virtually cleared of all Soviet forces.

The War of Independence was carried out by a multi-national force of 85,500 Estonians, 3,700 Finns, more than 5,000 Russians of the North West White Army (under the command of the Estonian Defence Forces General Staff), 9,800 Latvians, 3,000 British, 400 Swedes and 250 Danes and up to 700 Baltic Germans (who were Estonian citizens but had a separate Baltic Battalion).

Read more here

War of Independence and the Cross of Liberty

In the Estonian War of Independence, which took place from 1918–1920, the Estonian side lost 6 275 men and women, with many more injured.

To recognise the service of participants in the War of Independence, the first Estonian state decoration, the Cross of Liberty, was created in 1919. The Law on the Establishment of the Cross of Liberty stated that those who provided military and civilian services during the creation of the Republic of Estonia could receive the decoration.

Strict guidelines were followed in awarding the Cross of Liberty, so it became Estonia’s most distinguished award, as well as the only one whose holders were legally given a number of privileges and concessions. The first seven Crosses of Liberty were bestowed in August 1919 on officers of the US Red Cross that helped Estonia during the War of Independence. Altogether 3 224 Crosses of Liberty were given out. Among those decorated with Cross of Liberty are Estonians as well as Finns, Britons, Russians, Swedes, Baltic Germans, Danes, Latvians, and Poles, as well as representatives of many other nationalities.

The most famous holders of the Cross of Liberty included King Albert I of Belgium, King George V of the United Kingdom, Danish King Christian X, Swedish King Gustav V, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Polish Prime Minister Władysław Sikorski and Marshal Józef Piłsudski, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, Latvian President Kārlis Ulmanis, and Finnish President Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg.

Along with deserving individuals, the Cross of Liberty has also been awarded to the city of Verdun in France, where one of the bloodiest battles of World War I took place. The allies that helped Estonia in the War of Independence were honoured by placing Crosses of Liberty on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Great Britain, France, and Italy.

The designer of the Cross of Liberty was the famous Estonian artist Nikolai Triik (1884–1940).

In 1925, the Riigikogu passed a law to discontinue bestowal of the Cross of Liberty, saying that the services of the individuals who were notable in establishing the independence of the state and freedom of the nation had been honoured. However, the awarding of the Cross of Liberty as a military decoration was preserved, and the guidelines for awarding it still exist in today’s Decorations Act. The last holder of the Cross of Liberty, Karl Jaanus, died on 6 October 2000 in Estonia.

Estonia invites Germans to the vacation in nature

This week the Estonian Tourist Board started the summer campaign in Germany, in the frame of which Estonia is for the first time introduced to the Germans as the destination of nature vacation. The campaign organised in the German big cities Berlin and Hamburg and in their close surrounding up to the middle of July sets the objective to introduce diverse opportunities of the Estonian nature vacation to the Germans and thus increase the visiting of different Estonian districts.

According to Tarmo Mutso, the Director of the Estonian Tourist Board, Estonia has never before advertised itself as the attractive destination of nature vacation at the German market. "The aim of this campaign is to emphasize the attraction of compactness and closeness of Estonia - small country two flight hours away involving many exciting experience contrasts.

The visual solution of the campaign focuses on the plumpness and diversity of the Estonian nature and responds slyly to the question where such nature can be experienced, "Mutso said. He added that the essential keyword in the campaign is also the expansion of the target group visiting Estonia, especially with younger Germans - the classic visitor of the Baltic countries from Germany is over 50 years old according to the data of Enterprise Estonia.

The main source of communication of the campaign is Internet, the banners inviting to discover Estonia are visible up to 8 July on the most visited Internet sites of Germany: MSN Advertising, Yahoo!Deutchland, MEINESTADT.de. Also the citizens of Hamburg and Berlin see the posters introducing Estonia in the metro stations of their cities.

The prize packages are drawn on the website of the campaign www.visitestonia.com which include both the flights and accommodations and take the winners from Germany to enjoy nature in Lahemaa and Saaremaa from Tallinn. The prizes will be 4 flight tickets for two and 4 holiday packages from the Estonian cooperation partners. The main partner of the campaign in Estonia is Estonian Air which provides the special offers with lower prices specially for the campaign.

Estonian forestry workers get biggest rises

Those working in the Estonian forestry sector received the biggest wage rises in the country last year, new figures show.

Data released by Statistics Estonia shows that compared to 2007, the average monthly wage in the sector was 24.2 per cent higher in 2008.

This compared to an average increase of 13.9 per cent across the whole country.

However, once the consumer price index for last year was taken into account, the actual increase in take home pay was only 3.2 per cent.

This figure has only been smaller twice in the last 13 years.

Overall, the average Estonian employee could expect to be paid 12,912 kroons (£705.81) a month last year.

Recently, a report published by the European Commission suggested that forestry will be key to ensuring the economic future of the Baltic region.

According to the document, it is vital to ensure the core sectors of the Baltic continue to be competitive.

State sells Keila-Joa mansion house for 5.5 million kroons ... !

Toomas Hõbemägi

State Real Estate Company has sold the Keila-Joa mansion house for 5.5 million kroons, writes Eesti Ekspress.

The state has been attempting to sell the complex some 40 km from Tallinn since 2006. The first auction was organised in October 2006 with a starting price of 10.5 million kroons. The highest bid of 45.1 mln kroons was made by Gunnar Kool's EU VIP but he refused later to sign the purchase contract.

The second auction was made in February 2007 with a price of 25 million kroons, but it attracted no bids.

Third bid in April 2007 was made with a starting price of 20 million. It fails and the state started to consider whether to turn it into presidential residence.

Fourth bid was made in August 2008 with a starting price of 20 million kroons that was later lowered to 10 million. It fails.

In May SREC announced a new auction and lowered the price to 5 million kroons.

The building that was once owned by the Volkonski family was formerly used by the Soviet army which operated a cinema, library and a club in the building.

Keila-Joa is a popular leisure location for residents of Tallinn since it is a pristine seaside area.

Before World War II it was used as the summer residence of the ministry of foreign affairs.

The complex includes 5 hectares of land.

State Real Estate Company took over the historic Keila-Joa mansion including land, the historic mansion house, guesthouse and three auxiliary buildings in 2005.

Companies in the field of infrastructure, tourism and finance sector are most preferred as employers

Every tenth salary earner out of all employees in Estonia prefers to work in infrastructure, tourism or finance sector company, shows TNS Emor Employer Image Survey. Compared to 2008 the share of finance sector preferers has dropped.

Eesti Energia and EMT are considered to be the companies with best employer image as the biggest share of people would be ready to apply to those companies for work. Again, compared to the last year several companies have changed positions in that top.

While a year ago every third of 15-34 year olds wanted to work only in private sector then now about half of the target group is ready to work either in private or public sector. Out of older employees 40% would prefer public sector. Compared to last year more people in that age group prefer public sector now.

In the eyes of employees the main benefits of the job in the public sector are the various training opportunities and better care for employees during hard times. Somewhat higher salary level was seen as the advantage of private sector.

“Economic downturn and growing unemployment influences the employees’ expectations and attitudes towards employers and work significantly,” said Ülle Pärnoja, Manager of Personnel Studies in TNS Emor. “This can be seen in the top list of preferred companies – preference towards bigger and stable companies has grown – as well as in changed expectations. Today employees don’t dream about additional benefits, it is more important that management makes competent decisions, which guarantee continuity of the company and spare staff as much as possible. Also personnel researches in different companies show that employees’ attitudes and expectations differ from what they were a year ago”.

Helios’s giant retail and logistics plan in Estonia

Helios Properties, the development company run by Mike Hughes and Trevor Cartner, is to develop the largest retail and logistics park in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, after forming a joint venture with local developer Suda Maja

The 207 acre American Corner site is at a junction of the Tallinn Ring Road and the Tallinn-Tartu motorway, and is seven minutes from the international airport.

The joint venture plans 1.2m sq ft of retail warehouses and 1.9m sq ft of distribution space and hopes to attract European retailers and distribution operations.

Construction is due to start in the first quarter of 2010 and the first phase is due to be completed within 12 months. The scheme, which has an estimated value of €250m, will be part prelet and part-speculative.

Funding has been secured through Helios’s Middle Eastern backers and local finance partners.

DTZ acted for Suda Maja and will be retained as letting agent on the project.

Sampo Pank in Tallinn robbed at gunpoint

A Sampo Pank office in Kopli district in Tallinn was robbed at 4 p.m. yesterday, June 17, by a masked man with a gun, LETA quoted Äripäev.

The police said that they are investigating the robbery.

No one was injured in the incident.

It has not been announced yet how much the robber got away with.

The last time a bank was robbed at gunpoint in Estonia was in 2006 when two men robbed 75,000 kroons from a Hansabank office in central Tallinn. They were caught 30 minutes later thanks to a taxi driver who helped apprehend the robbers.

Estonian Air to open Tallinn - St Petersburg

Starting from 27 July 2009, Estonian Air will operate between Tallinn and St Petersburg with four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

- St Petersburg is the largest city in our region. It has many business and cultural connections with Estonia. By opening the Tallinn-St Petersburg route we would like to contribute to the development of these contacts. The schedule offers convenient connections for both business and leisure travellers,” says Rauno Parras, Estonian Air’s acting Vice President Commercial.

Tallinn-St Petersburg-Tallinn	Departure	Arrival
Monday, Wednesday, Friday OV621	Tallinn  12:50	St Petersburg 15:05
Sunday OV623	Tallinn 19:15	St Petersburg 21:30
Monday, Wednesday, Friday OV622	St Petersburg 15:45	Tallinn  15:50
Sunday OV624	St Petersburg 22:10	Tallinn 22:15