BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Why Finns earn four times more an hour than Estonians ?

Estonian economist Andres Arrak writes in an opinion article in Delfi that Estonians like to compare themselves with other European nations and to measure their economic success or failure.

For instance, a comparison of GDP per capita shows that Europe’s richest country in 2011 was Luxembourg with USD 81,100, while Finland’s figure was USD 36,700 and Estonia’s was USD 20,600 per person.

Estonians are finding only a small consolation in the fact that Lithuania’s figure was USD 19,100 and Latvia’s one was even smaller, at USD 15,900.

Does it mean that the living standard of Estonians is four times lower than that in Luxembourg and twice lower than in Finland?
Of course not - anyone who travels knows that living standards in Baltic states, Finland and Luxembourg are not so vastly different.

But why people north and west of Estonia earn several times more for same type of work? Why so-called economic refugees keep leaving Baltic states to become nurses, doctors, bus drivers or construction workers in the West?

One thing that has always struck me is that for some reason Estonians still look down to Russians who live in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe and in 1970s or 1980s moved to Estonia from the rest of the Soviet Union for exactly the same reason.

Estonia plans to introduce business bans for tax debtors

Nearly a half of tax debts in Estonia have been caused by just a thousand businessmen and the justice ministry is mulling a plan to enforce a full business ban against them, LETA/Eesti Päevaleht writes.

Tax fraudsters cost the state a lot: as of the start of October, tax evaders owned the state 358.5 million euros, which would have sufficed for wage increases for both teachers and doctors without them having to hold strikes.

"We started looking at the beginning of this year that there are people behind the debts. Even we were surprised that we saw systematic activities regarding around a thousand people. They had participated in the management of companies and had left at least 5,000 euros of tax debt behind them. This isn’t a small land tax debt, this is debt caused by wilful activities," Tax and Customs Board director general Marek Helm said.

Thus around a thousand businessmen involved in around 2,800 companies owe the state nearly 144 million euros.

Free adaptation program for new immigrants available in Estonia

Free adaptation courses and support person services for third country nationals that have come to live in Estonia in the past three years will commence this autumn, the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People reports.

The new immigrants' adaptation program supported by the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA) is designed for those European third country nationals that have legally come to live in Estonia in the past three years, informs LETA.

The adaptation program is a training course commissioned by MISA and developed by Tallinn University in 2009 that is aimed at improving the socio-economic coping abilities of new immigrants in Estonia.

Different areas of basic training introduce the history, country, and culture of Estonia as well as the main customs and values of society in order to prepare the participants for entering the labor market. Information about current laws and the rights of residents in Estonia will be given and a 364-hour Estonian language course will be carried out. The adaptation program is being offered in both English and Russian and a total of 300 new immigrants will receive the support service over the two-year period.

Number of passengers on Tallinn-Moscow route doubled in a year

Tallinn Airport announced that there were 52,000 passengers in the Tallinn-Moscow route last year which is more than double the 2010 figure, reports ERR.

In the first nine months, 78,000 passengers have already been on the route or more than during the whole 2011.

On Sunday, Russian airline Aeroflot re-reopened the route after a hiatus of 16 years. The airline will be flying between the two capitals an Airbus 319 seven times a week.

Erik Sakkov, board member of Tallinn Airport, said that the airport had worked for years to attract Aeroflot back to Tallinn.

„All signs show that Russian people have discovered Estonia as a tourist destination. Teh arrival of Aeroflot with its huge sales network means that there will be a totally new market volume.”
Sakkov added that the airport was hoping to have a similar success with its St. Petersburg line.

Kihnu bird survey

Snow is covering most of the mainland and last migrants escape from the winter. Due to strong wind during the night, I restart the radar system in the early morning. Meanwhile Margus get already first good bird of the day. 1cy Kittiwake/ kaljukajakas Rissa tridactyla fly over the southern spit, less than 10 meter away from Margus. Another new species, already 4th during this week, for the Kihnu island. Now is just about the best time to see this uncommon migrant.

Late, I hear calls of Pine Grosbeaks/ männileevike Pinicola enucleator again and I manage to find one adult male and one female type bird feeding in the distant. I try to get closer but birds continue soon their journey, so I only manage to get poor record shot. It has been great movement of Pine Grosbeaks in Southern Finland during last week and several individuals has been encountered in Estonia as well. Next weeks should bring them even more here - it could be start of the best invasion of the last decades.

Migration. It has been the best movement of Barnacle Geese/ valgepõsk-lagle Branta leucopsis of the season - 900 ind. and we also manage to see last flock of Cranes/ sookurg Grus grus (120 ind.) moving south. Also Stock Doves/ õõnetuvi Columba oenas showed small movement with 20 migrating individuals today and 12 migrating Wood Larks/ nõmmelõoke Lullula arborea has been recorded. And one late Lapland Bunting/ keltsalind Calcarius lapponicus has been encountered again on migration.

Local birds included already two Black Redstarts/ must-lepalind Phoenicurus ochruros nearby field station and several groups of Snow Buntings/ hangelind Plectrophenax nivalis has been flying around at the shore.

Tarvo Valker

On base with the British-led units about to take over as Nato's global Response Force

Next January, British troops take over the leadership of Nato’s Response Force, a quick-strike unit of soldiers from 15 countries, ready to tackle everything from disaster response to an enemy invasion.Terri Judd joins them as they make their final preparations …

Precisely an hour before midnight, the Pathfinder Platoon parachutes in to the airfield. They are here to join up with special forces soldiers, who were sent ahead to observe the terrorists who have infiltrated this island off Estonia. Their task: to recce landing sites for the troops who will soon follow.

Over the water, Estonia's president has declared a state of emergency. The terrorists, who have taken over the island of Hiiumaa, forcing its frightened inhabitants to flee in boats, are also wreaking havoc with roadside bombs on the mainland. In the country's capital Tallinn, the police's rubber bullets and tear gas fail to quell daily uprisings by an increasingly hysterical population.

Most ominously, to the north, across the Gulf of Finland, enemy troops are massing on the border, a dark shadow looming over the Estonian Defence Forces on the other side. The country is on the brink of war. For days, Nato's Response Force, backed by troops from Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade, has been waiting for the political stamp of approval to strike out; now they have it and the Pathfinders are the tip of the spear.

At dawn, an F-18 fighter jet begins circling the island, jamming enemy ........ read it all here ........ cuts and an electorate weary of a bloody conflict in Afghanistan.

Tallinn among Top 21 intelligent communities in the world

The international think tank Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) included Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on its list of the 21 most intelligent communities in the world. Making it onto the Smart21 list is the first step in the competition of over 400 communities worldwide vying for the title of the most intelligent community of the year.

All the areas on the Smart21 list are good examples of economic development and the city government of Tallinn considers it an honour to even be included on the list.

Tallinn and the other competitors all focused on the same themes in their applications for this year – innovation and employment. Tallinn was then compared to other communities on the basis of these two areas. Tallinn’s application included descriptions of programmes and development plans that have created a foundation for innovation in the city of Tallinn, including the initiative to create an IT academy and the Estonian Information Society Strategy 2013+.

This is not the first time the city of Tallinn has been recognised by the ICF. From 2007-2010 Tallinn was ranked among the Seven Most Intelligent Communities.

Why Estonia's national health strike is such a big deal

Estonia should prioritise its poorly paid health workers and meet strikers' demands rather than courting EU budgetary favour

Estonians are not known for their political activism. We are a calm people with a deep mistrust in government, and usually believe that activism is going to lead nowhere, so why bother? Although average salaries are low – €700 net salary a month across all sectors in 2012 – workers' strikes are rare and never last long. The government is used to this and does not exert much effort in pacifying the strikers. What, then, drove all healthcare professionals in Estonia to begin a strike on 1 October, which is yet to be resolved and has taken both the government and the public by surprise due to the uncharacteristic resilience of the strikers?

Since Estonia joined the EU in 2004, a significant number of healthcare professionals have left the country for the greener pastures of better salaries and working conditions in other European countries. This means that we not only have an ageing patient population like the rest of Europe, but also an ageing healthcare workforce, who are left to carry the burden of present and future healthcare quality. This crisis has finally reached a climax, with all major hospitals in Estonia joining the national healthcare strike.

Tallinn becomes hub for public transport debate

The capital's plan to introduce free public transport for residents came under the microscope on Friday as dozens of city officials, academics and journalists from around Europe gathered in Tallinn to discuss the ins and outs of such schemes.

The city-sponsored conference, "Free Public Transport - a Brave Step Toward the Green Capital," was a chance for Tallinn officials to present the motives and philosophies behind their move as well as a platform for municipalities that already have free public transport to talk about their experiences.

Benefits discussed ranged from the obvious, such as reduced traffic congestion and carbon emissions, to the not so obvious, including the economic benefits of having a more mobile, money spending public. The larger focus of discussion, however, was the practicalities of  making such a system work, not least of which is how to maintain service quality when the number of users surges.

The small Belgian city of Hasselt, the birthplace of free public transport, saw its rider numbers shoot from 1,000 to 8,000 when it made the switch in 1997. City affairs manager Marc Verachtert, who took part in the conference, said that local planners had upped the number of bus lines from 4 to 11 in anticipation of the increase.

Fabulous Tiiu Kuik - by Pamela Hanson - Sure - Korea - October 2012

Tiiu Kuik - by Pamela Hanson  "She's got style, she's got grace--she's a winner  She's a lady"

Season's first snow causes accidents, intermittent wintry mix to follow

The early snowstorm snarled traffic, with 21 fender benders reported between 5:00 and 7:00 in the morning in Tallinn and police asking drivers to try to stay off the roads if possible.

There was one early morning fatality in a serious collision near Pärnu, but it was not clear whether it was weather-related.

Snow mixed with sleet fell everywhere on mainland Estonia overnight, with even Tallinn and the north in below freezing temperatures and moderate accumulations of 6 cm and up, considering the storm was forecasted to track southeast.

Temperatures will be 0-3 C today across the country, with occasional sleet and snow; rain is a possibility on the coasts. Winds were gusting up to 100 kph in the morning and are expected to die down in the afternoon.

A wintry mix is forecasted to continue intermittently over the weekend, with temperatures dropping to -2 to -8 C on Saturday night and daytime temperatures of 0-5 C.

Free public transport : Tallinn's View

Today, Estonia's capital is hosting an international conference called  “Free Public Transport in Tallinn – a Brave Step Towards the Green Capital” to present the city's much-debated plan to make public transport free for registered residents next year. Before the event, ERR News spoke to Deputy Mayor Taavi Aas to get the official take on the controversial idea as well as to ask what Tallinn hopes to get out of the conference.

The “green” in the name of your event suggests that the main reason for the city's move to free transport for residents is environmental. Is that the case?
There are two main reasons. The first is environmental and the second is social - to help lower income and unemployed people get around.

On the environmental side, do you have a number or target in mind?
In Tallinn, most CO₂ comes from cars. We know that only 6 percent comes from public transportation, meaning buses, and 60 percent from cars. In Europe they want to reduce CO₂ output by 20 percent by the year 2020. If we also want meet this target in Tallinn, [...] we have to deal with the cars. Maybe we can reduce it by this 20 percent.

Does that mean there is a certain percentage of cars you are trying to get off the streets?
That's very difficult to say. I sometimes say it could be 10 percent.

Estonia is EU’s most unpopular destination for asylum seekers

Of all EU member states, Estonia is the least popular destination among asylum seekers, shows the latest Eurostat report. In the second quarter, asylum seekers from non-EU countries submitted a total of 67,120 applications in EU member states.

While France got 13,750 applications, followed by Germany (12,800), Sweden (8,790), Belgium (6,760) and UK (6,415), Estonia received just 40 applications.

Slovenia received 55 applications, Latvia got 60, Portugal 80, Lithuania 185 while Finland had 650 applications from asylum seekers.

Afghans filed 5,960 applications, followed by Pakistanis (4,350) and Russians (4,225).

In 2011, EU member states received a total of 301,000 applications from asylum seekers.

Estonia received 85 applications last year, again the lowest amount in EU. Portugal got 275, Latvia got 340, Slovenia received 360, Slovakia 490 and Lithuania 535 applications.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Port of Tallinn signs the purchasing deal for icebreaker MSV Botnica

On Wednesday, the Port of Tallinn signed 50 million euro agreement with Finnish shipping company Arctia for the purchase of icebreaking vessel MSV Botnica, the company announced.

“We are planning to finance the purchase with a short-term loan from a commercial bank,” says Marko Raid, the CFO of Port of Tallinn. In longer term the Port of Tallinn is seeking to refinance the purchase through a loan from the Nordic Investment Bank over anticipated maturity period of up to 10 years, informs LETA.

The Port of Tallinn will use MSV Botnica for providing icebreaking services according to a ten-year contract signed with the Estonian Maritime Administration (EMA) on Tuesday. In Estonia, the EMA is responsible for organising icebreaking services. The Port of Tallinn will, according to the contract, provide the EMA with the vessel and crew for that purpose.

It is currently anticipated that MSV Botnica will arrive into Estonia in the second half of December. Pursuant to the contract for 2013-2022 icebreaking services signed between the Port of Tallinn and the EMA, this winter’s icebreaking service begins on January 2nd, 2013. The season lasts until April 20th, 2013. In following years the navigation season lasts between December 20th and April 20th.

The citizens of EU and USA deserve an e-leap in health care : Ilves

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said at a high-level conference in Boston, USA, that the citizens of the European Union and the United States of America deserve an e-leap in health care.

Ilves, who was invited to Boston as a keynote speaker at the top level "2012 Transatlantic Health IT/eHealth Cooperation Assembly", an eHealth event organised by the European Union and the United States of America, searched for answers to the following question in his presentation: what are the co-operation opportunities between the EU and the USA in the contemporary organisation of medicine, which is largely dependent on information technology?

President Ilves, who led the European Union e-health work group for a year and a half at the proposal of the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, highlighted placing the focus on citizens – both as patients and clients – as the most important aspect.

"We will give people access to their own medical records, teach them how to use this information and motivate them to take the responsibility for their own health," told the Estonian Head of State.

Sébastien Loeb and Citroën

Sébastien Loeb (French pronunciation: [sebastjɛ̃ lœb]; born 26 February 1974) is a French rally driver driving for the Citroën World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He has won the world championship a record nine times in a row, and also holds several other WRC records, including most points, wins and podium finishes.

Originally a gymnast, Loeb switched to rallying in 1995 and won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2001. Signed by the Citroën factory team for the 2002 season, he and co-driver Daniel Elena took their debut WRC win that same year at the Rallye Deutschland. After finishing runner-up to Petter Solberg by one point in 2003, Loeb took his first drivers' title in 2004. Continuing with Citroën, he went on to take a record ninth consecutive world title in 2012. Loeb is a tarmac expert, having won all but three WRC rallies on that surface since 2005.

Besides his success in rallying, Loeb is a three-time winner at the Race of Champions, after taking home the Henri Toivonen Memorial Trophy and the title "Champion of Champions" in 2003, 2005 and 2008. In 2004, he won the Nations' Cup for France with Jean Alesi. In 2006, he finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Loeb was named the French Sportsman of the Year in 2007 and 2009, and made knight of the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur) in 2009. In 2012, he won the Rallycross final in his first appearance at X Games XVIII.

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Loeb began his 2012 season by beating Mini's Dani Sordo to a record sixth win in the Monte Carlo Rally. He also secured the maximum points by recording the fastest time for the power stage. In Sweden, after hitting a snowbank on stage seven, Loeb was forced out of the fight for the number one spot. He finished sixth and gained three extra points by again winning the power stage. Loeb took his second victory of the season at the Rally Mexico, ahead of his new teammate Mikko Hirvonen. In Portugal, he crashed out from third place on the night stages of the first day, after misunderstanding a pacenote. The Rally Argentina was dominated by the Citroëns and Loeb drove to his 70th WRC victory. At the Acropolis Rally in Greece, he cruised to an easy win after Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg ran into several problems and dropped out of contention.

In July, Loeb debuted in the X Games in Los Angeles, facing his old rival Marcus Grönholm. Grönholm was hospitalised due to an accident in practice, and Loeb won the rallycross gold medal well ahead of Ken Block. He went on to continue his WRC win streak in New Zealand and in Finland, where he edged out Hirvonen to take his third win in the event. This marked the fourth double win in a row for the Citroën duo. After beating Latvala to the win in Germany, Loeb finished second to the Finn at the Wales Rally GB, after a tight battle for the position with Solberg.

Estonian citizen crosses Russian border on a dare

A patrol boat has detained a 19-year old Estonian citizen in Russian waters of the River Narva. The young man insisted he was trying to illegally cross the state border on a bet. This information was made public by a law enforcement representative.

During interrogations on the riverbank, the young man, a resident of the Estonian city of Narva, said he had struck a bet with friends for a sum of 100 euros that he would be able to swim across the river Narva and back, undetected.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the detained, had previously had a run in with the law for involvement in smuggling.

Tiiu Kuik : by Jørgen Gomnæs - Personae - Fall 2012

Publication: Personae Magazine Issue: Fall 2012 Model: Tiiu Kuik Photography: Jørgen Gomnæs

Ex Bank of Moscow chief faces charges in Estonia

Moscow - Estonia has informed Russia that it is bringing criminal proceedings against ex-Bank of Moscow chief Andrei Borodin, a Russian law enforcement source said on Tuesday. The case was opened in September following two requests from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the source said, adding that a group from the Prosecutor General’s Office was currently in Estonia.

Earlier on Tuesday the Russian Interior Ministry said investigators had impounded $400 million worth of foreign bank assets held by Borodin and his former first deputy Dmitry Akulinin. However, Borodin's lawyer called this information inaccurate and outdated.

A criminal case was launched against Borodin and Akulinin in late 2010 on charges of fraud involving state funds. They are accused of improperly loaning $443 million to shell companies which then transferred the cash to Yelena Baturina, Moscow's ex-mayor Yury Luzhkov’s wife who owned the construction empire Inteco. Borodin, who headed the Bank of Moscow, which functioned as the capital's chief investment vehicle under Luzhkov, fled to the United Kingdom in 2011.

The Sunday Times reported in August this year that Borodin paid 140 million pounds ($219 million) for an estate near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire last summer, making the property Britain’s most expensive house.

Tallinn apartment sales market picking up

Price rises and increased sales activity have been recorded in the Tallinn apartment market in Estonia. According to the latest research from Ober-Haus Real Estate Advisors, property values in the capital city were up by 1.4 per cent month-on-month in September. The organisation also noted the volume of sales has increased by 30 per cent in the first nine months of 2012, compared to the same period a year earlier.
 
 However, although the report indicates the apartment market in Tallinn has picked up in the short term, values in the apartment sector are still down (by 1.4 per cent) year-on-year. Ober-Haus also revealed that, since the Estonian property market reached its peak, prices of apartments in the capital city have dropped by 34.7 per cent. It is not only Tallinn's apartment sector that appears to be picking up, as the latest figures published by Global Property Guide showed property prices in Estonia as a whole increased by 2.83 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, compared to the same three-month period a year earlier.