In the run-up to his official visit to Finland on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves stressed his country’s function as a role model and indirectly called on his host to join Nato.
Although it agrees in part, the liberal daily Turun Sanomat is unhappy with such paternalism and urges Finland to hold its course on several fronts:
These include our close partnership with Nato and the Nordic cooperation.
… Nevertheless one should also listen to what Estonia and Ilves have to say. Nato is a community of democratic states, and responsible to a high degree for the security of the EU. That can hardly be demonised.
… As far as budget discipline and the public debt go, Estonia really is exemplary. And Finland can also learn from Estonia when it comes to the use of information technology and cyber security.
… But comparisons don’t show the whole truth. The Estonian economy is small, wages and prices are low and social security is worse than in Finland. So there’s no need to import the Estonian model lock, stock and barrel.
Comments