BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Publish data on buildings' heating bills as energy saving incentive : Ansip

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said Thursday that making heating bills for respective buildings available to the public could be a new way to improve energy efficiency.

Speaking at the Northern Future Forum in Riga, Ansip said his day of discussions about the green economy and the digital marketplace had given him a notion worth following up.

"Today, I got an idea," Ansip told an audience including leaders from the Baltic states, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.

"Estonia uses two to three times more energy to heat buildings than Finland. It's because of the bad quality buildings we still have in Estonia," Ansip said, noting Estonian reluctance to renovate their homes without added incentives.

"We have to use an open data solution. Everybody wants to be on the top of all kind of ranking lists. Today, we don't know how much neighbors are paying for their heating in similar houses. So we have to open that data to create those ranking lists, to create possibilities to make comparisons with others."

Fashion store Next opens in Tallinn

The fashion store chain Next plans to open a store in Tallinn in April 2013, Äripäev.ee/LETA reports.

Austris Krumins, CEO of Modir, the Next franchise company that will open the store in Tallinn, says that initially just one store will be opened to see how it will do. The new store will be opened on April 18 in the Kristiine Shopping Centre.

"The Estonian market is a bit different from Latvian and Lithuania markets sine Estonians are more like Scandinavians in their shopping behaviour," said Krumins. He said that the company hopes though that the results are the same as in other Baltic states and in the future another store can be opened in Tallinn.

The Tallinn store will be the 4th of the group in the Baltic states; the group has a store in Vilnius and two in Riga.

Tallinn wants to close pubs at 3 a.m.

TALLINN – The city of Tallinn is asking the government to make a law amendment that would allow the city to set restrictions on the opening hours of entertainment venues and thus curb the noisy nightlife of Tallinn's Old Town that lasts often till morning, Postimees writes.

Deputy mayor of the city Arvo Sarapuu said that the law amendment would benefit not just the residents of Tallinn's Old Town but residents of other towns too whom night-time party-goers don’t give any peace.

The central Tallinn governor Mihhail Korb said that all pubs in the Old Town should be closed by 3 a.m. at the latest. "Starting 3 a.m. the number of police calls in central Tallinn surges. Thus the commercial activities law should be changed and local municipalities should be given the right to restrict the opening hours of drinking venues," he said.

"Tallinn is becoming notorious as the paradise of British bachelors, a place of hard partying, which a town that belongs to the UNESCO world heritage list clearly doesn’t wish for," said Korb, adding that most pubs and clubs are open there till early hours or round the clock. "The situation has become intolerable for residents of the Old Town," he said, adding that it also harms business of other companies, like hotels, whose clients suffer because of the noise.

Exhibition of orchids to start in Tallinn this week-end

Extraordinary, beautiful, curious, deadly challenging; orchids have obsessed horticulturists for centuries; they can be seen at an orchids-themed exhibition at Tallinn Botanical Garden, LETA/Tallinn.ee reports.

The traditional orchid exhibition present delicate and elegant miniature plants as well as bolder and bigger species, all tough survivors, all equally beautiful. The exhibition takes place from March 2 to March 10, 2013.

Like people, each flower has its own distinctive character which can be seen when examined closely, sometimes with the help of a magnifying glass. This can make orchids difficult to grow.  Gardeners have learnt how to manage their demanding nature and many formerly rare species flourish today.

Riigikogu okays new international mission of Estonian military

The participation of Estonian military at international missions expands since the Riigikogu gave on Tuesday a mandate to send 15 navy members to the NATO permanent marine forces group, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports.

Estonia contributes, in addition to the military already sent to EU anti-piracy operation this year, with up to 15 ship crew members under NATO. The Estonian military will participate at operations on board military ships that belong to Germany.

The tasks of the military include guaranteeing security of ships, inspection of civilian ships and their cargo, with the aim of ascertain ships involved in piracy.

NATO member states' military ship units are used at antipiracy operations in the Indian Ocean and the anti-terrorism operation in the Mediterranean.

Tallinn's industrial parks are looking for developers!

Three large parcels of land have been developed in Tallinn where companies can build their own manufacturing and business complexes. 

    As of February 2013, four lots are available at Betooni, and 8 lots at Suur-Sõjamäe industrial Park. All the lots in Tondiraba industrial park have been sold out. 

    The industrial parks are conveniently situated at logistic locations in the vicinity of the traffic intersection between Peterburi Rd. and the Tallinn roundabout. 

    Good access from all directions by all transport, including public transportation; the city centre, airport and main highways are only a 10-minute drive. 

    Information about the properties available: www.ltp.ee
    For more information:
    Mr Ivar Lindpere, Manager of AS Tallinna Tööstuspargid  -  Phone +372 502 3077, email : [email protected]

Tallinn’s best kept "not-so-secret" attraction : the bastion tunnels

Estonia’s capital city Tallinn is older than most people realize, and just like all old cities, it has more than its fair share of secrets. Alongside the distinctly medieval flavor of downtown Tallinn’s streets, stories of ghosts, hidden tunnels and buried treasures add to its air of mystery.

Not so long ago though, Tallinn finally revealed one of its biggest secrets with the opening up of the Bastion Tunnels, a secret network of underground corridors built in the 1670’s by Estonia’s then Swedish rulers, which run under the ancient earthen bastions that once protected the city. The Swedes built the bastions in order to bolster the city’s defences, deeming its old city walls insufficient to protect against modern artillery weapons. The secret tunnels were dug out to allow for the rapid movement of troops from one part of the bastions to another.

After being used for a short time, the Bastion Tunnels were soon abandoned to the spiders and the rats. But while they may have been abandoned, they were definitely not forgotten – its entrances have always remained visible, yet few ever ventured into them, in spite of persistent rumours of buried treasure lurking somewhere within their depths.

Karmen Pedaru : Digital edition of FLAIR

Eesti Laul : 5 more acts proceed to the final - line up completed

The 2nd semi-final of Eesti Laul 2013, the Estonian Song Contest, has been concluded and 5 more acts have qualified for the grand final that will take place on 2 March, in Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn, raising the finalists up to 10.

These are the  last 5 finalists, watch the performances by clicking on the title:

• Liisi Koikson & Söörömöö - Üle vee
• Birgit Õigemeel - Et uus saaks alguse
• Rasmus Rändvee & Facelift Deer - Dance
• Rolf Roosalu - With U
• Põhja-Tallinn - Meil on aega veel

You can listen to the songs and also read the lyrics here.

You can check out all about the 1st Estonian semi-final here.

The grand final of Eesti Laul 2013, will take place next Saturday, 2 March.

Estonia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 and won the contest once in 2001 with the song Everybody by Tanel Padar and Dave Benton.

Stay tuned with esctoday.com to know all about this year's Estonian Song Contest grand final.

Bandsmen of Tallinn Philharmonic Hall receive salary increase

Tallinn City Council has confirmed distribution of budget means for the needs of Tallinn Philharmonic Hall, which guarantees growth of the wages of musicians of the orchestra by eight percent, and other employees – by four percent, informed LETA the press-service of Tallinn City.

There are 32.5 positions in Tallinn Philarmony. Salary increase for all people working in the Philarmonic society costs a total of approximately 24,790 euros. The wage increase was approved from January 1, backwards.

Wage increases are planned in various municipality organizations, including museums and youth organizations, teachers, lecturers and cultural organizations' employees.

Estonian philarmonic society performed 61 concert in various regions of Estonia. This year, continuation of existing concerts' series and elaboration of new concerts is planned for Tallinn Philarmonic Hall. Tallinn Philarmonic Hall has been established as the city organization in the year 1994.

A Vintage submarine and icebreaker in Tallinn's seaplane harbour

Tallinn has been an important port and Estonia's connection with the world since before recorded history. Because of this, the city has not one, but two museums dedicated to the sea. The Maritime Museum is housed in Fat Margaret, an old cannon tower that once protected the harbor. It has the usual assortment of old photos and gear, along with a very cool exhibit on sunken ships.

The other museum is far more interactive. Housed in an old seaplane hanger dating to World War I, Tallinn's Seaplane Harbour Museum is filled with old ships and other maritime bric-a-brac.

Estonians seem to favor odd lighting in their museums. The Bastion Tunnels have a weird combination of red, yellow, and purple lights. At the Seaplane Harbor museum they seem to favor purple and blue. It gives the place a spooky under-the-sea feel.

Dominating the exhibit is the Lembit, a submarine built in 1936 by the English company Vickers and Armstrongs for the Estonian Navy. When Estonia fell to the Soviet Union in 1940 it was incorporated into the Red Banner Baltic Fleet of the Soviet Navy and saw action against the Axis powers. It managed to sink two ships and damage another.

Tallinn had more tourists in 2012 than during the Culture Capital year

A record 1.52 million visitors stayed in the accommodation pestablishments of Estonia's capital Tallinn in 2012, which was by 2% more than in 2011 which was the European Culture Capital year, LETA/Äripäev.ee reports.

There were more cruise passengers and one-day trip guests from Finland and Russia among tourists that visited the city.

The 1.52 million tourists that stayed in accommodation establishments spent 2.76 million nights here. 90% of the people were from foreign states and two thirds them from neighbouring states – Finland, Russia, Sweden and Latvia.

Tallinn's deputy mayor Arvo Sarapuu said that the increase in the number of tourists was in line with expectations since in addition to the very good connection with Finland, plane and ship connections with Russia improved. Also, the Culture Capital year of 2011 still cast an influence last winter.

Estonia plugs electric cars as power prices soar

TALLINN - It brought the world Skype, Europe its first capital with free public transport, and now Estonia is touting the globe's first fast-charging network for electric vehicles.

But its launch this week was overshadowed by public outrage over skyrocketing electricity prices since power market deregulation here in January.

Intended to cut carbon dioxide emissions, the network now has 151 charging-stations up and running across the small northern Baltic state, with 14 more planned by this summer, according to KredEx, the public agency in charge of building it.

But the move comes as the price of electricity soared 23.6 percent from December to January as a result of deregulation in the eurozone country of 1.3 million, Statistics Estonia figures show.

Original copy of "Declaration of Independence" on display at Stenbock House

Tallinn – Today, on the 95^th anniversary of the Estonian declaration of independence, an exhibition was opened in the Green Hall of Stenbock House displaying the original copy of the declaration of independence alongside Juhan Kukk’s manuscript of the draft.

“Under this sheet of glass is the original copy of the Declaration of Independence – the “Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia”. It is the birth certificate of our country, the most important document in constitutional law,” said Prime Minister Andrus Ansip upon opening the exhibition. The photocopy of the declaration and a magnified photocopy of the original text in Juhan Kukk’s handwriting are from the State Archive, which placed them in the custody of the Government Office at the request of Secretary of State Heiki Loot. The prime minister said the Green Hall could also bear the name of Declaration of Independence hall as in addition to the declaration, portraits of Kukk and Jüri Jaakson can also be found hanging here.

Historian Ago Pajur said the manifesto of independence to all peoples was unique in Europe. “Today, 95 years ago at around noon the declaration was approved. It can be considered the date on which the independent Republic of Estonia was proclaimed,” said Pajur.

Rimi starts own mushroom production

Estonia's largest supermarket chain Rimi started production and sales of a series of high-quality products from the Mediterranean called “Selection by Rimi”.

The mushrooms of various varieties, will be sold fresh or frozen and will occupy an important place in the line “Selection by Rimi” along with other goods. “This is the first series of products on the Estonian market sold under its own brand which offer consumers a diverse and top-class selection of the most famous products of Italian, Spanish and French cuisine at a reasonable price”, said Andrija Lilleoja, the Head of Marketing and Communications of Rimi.

Estonia could have violated rules when helping out Estonian Air

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it has opened an in-depth investigation into a number of public support measures granted by Estonia in favour of its flag carrier airline Estonian Air, informs LETA.

"At this stage, the Commission has doubts whether these measures are in line with EU state aid rules," the Commission said in a press release. The opening of an in-depth investigation gives interested third parties an opportunity to comment on the measures under assessment. It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.

Estonian Air has registered significant losses since 2006. In December 2012, Estonia notified to the Commission its plan to grant a rescue loan of €8.3 million to Estonian Air. The Commission has doubts that the rescue loan for Estonian Air is in line with the provisions of the EU guidelines on aid for the rescue and restructuring of companies. According to these rules, companies in difficulty can receive rescue aid only once over a period of ten years (according to the so-called "one time last time" principle).

Bloomberg reports on Wednesday that EU rules restrict amounts of aid nations can give to prop up carriers weighed down by the bloc’s sovereign debt crisis and high oil prices.

Estonia launches national electric car charging network

165 charging points around the country will use direct current to charge cars in less than 30 minutes: Estonia's reputation as one of the most wired-up countries in Europe has been boosted further with the opening of what is being billed as the world's first nationwide electric car charging network.

The sparsely populated Baltic state with a population of just 1.3 million hopes the 165 "fast chargers" will overcome the "chicken and egg" problem facing the take-up of electric cars worldwide. The network of charging points, which was opened officially on Wednesday but has been running for several months, uses direct current (DC) to charge cars in less than 30 minutes, rather than around eight hours to recharge a car's battery as is the case with most of the more than 3,000 points in the UK.

There are believed to be around 650 electric cars in Estonia, more than 500 of which were Mitsubishi i-MiEVs given to social workers by the government in 2011. Motorists can get grants of up to€18,000 (£15,700) off electric cars, compared to the £5,000 cap for the UK's electric car grant. The average full price for a new electric car is around £30,000.

Estonia celebrates 95th anniversary of republic with photography project

Estonian Association of Press Photographers and the State Chancellery call on all people residing in or visiting Estonia to take pictures of the people, evocative moments, events or nature around them – a minute in the life of Estonia – on February 24, the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, informs LETA.

The State Chancellery said that this isn’t a photography competition; it’s an historical moment that they are honoured to invite people to join.

"It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the woods or working, sitting at a luncheon banquet or doing chores around the house – take a picture and send it to us. If you wish, you can stage the scene in advance and think about what to photograph on this important day in Estonian history. You can gather all the people in your village or pay a visit to a neighbour," the State Chancellery said. "Take a picture of the way life ordinarily is."

The goal of the photos is to document the 95th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia so that generations to come would experience the moment and era. The pictures taken in this project will be collected and sent, along with the name of the author and text description of the scene, for safekeeping in the Estonian National Museum.

All people in Estonia, including visitors to the country, are welcome to take part. Pictures are to be taken in the one minute from 1:00 p.m. to 1:01 p.m. on February 24. Each contributor will be expected to e-mail one photo to [email protected] within two weeks. Alternatively, the photo can be uploaded at www.eestiminut.ee.

The mass photography event will be repeated in five years, when Estonia marks its centennial. A major exhibition and album of photographs will come out of this undertaking. Some of the pictures taken this year will also make it into that prestigious album.

Free travel is no paradise

On January 1, some residents of Tallinn saw one of their dreams come true, when they were granted the right to use public transport for free. However, not everyone is happy with the measure. For some, it appears to be a rushed move designed to win favour with voters ahead of autumn local elections.

Whenever they get a chance, Lithuanians like to say, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. However, the residents of Tallinn, who have been enjoying free public transport since January 1, now set more store by the American adage: “There's no such thing as a free lunch”.

Thea, a service sector worker, is delighted to be saving around €20 per month, which is the average cost of a monthly travel pass for a Tallinn resident. Having said that, she immediately adds that the new system also has its disadvantages. “The number of homeless people and drunks using public transport has increased. Before, they only took buses from the notorious Kopli neighbourhood, but today they are everywhere. Worse still, the buses are often jammed, and you have to wait for another one with a bit more room,” says the 22-year-old Estonian.

“People now have to pay for public car parks, which used to be free, and the most expensive parking zones have been extended. Some might say that these changes amount to sustainable development, but people have the impression that the city council has upped the rates, because it needs money to pay for the free public transport,” explains Andres Kasekamp, a professor at the University of Tartu.

A third of residents consider leaving Estonia

37% of Estonian residents have considered the possibility of leaving Estonia in the last six months, shows a new study by Turu-uuringute AS, writes Eesti Päevaleht.

According to the study that was commissioned by the paper, the majority of respondents who said that they have been considering leaving Estonia, said that it was because of work.

Studies or family issues were notably less important as reasons to leave Estonia.

One interesting aspect that was shown in the survey was that it is not only the poorest that are considering leaving Estonia because the interest was shown up by more or less in all income groups.

Somewhat surprisingly, people who earn more than 650 euros a month net and could be considered relatively wealthy were equally interested in job opportunities abroad.

Toomas Hõbemägi