BabelTallinn

Will Estonia Finally Deserve a New Government?

Giovanni Angioni — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:57:00 +0200

Estonian parties agree to launch coalition talks

The likely form of a new government in Estonia began to emerge Tuesday when a small opposition party agreed to coalition talks with the two government parties. The six-seat People's Union party will begin talks with the governing Reform party and the Pro Patria/Res Publica Union on Tuesday afternoon, following an extraordinary meeting of its leading members on Monday night.

People's Union chairman Karel Ruutli said the main issue for the coalition talks would be planning for the 2010 budget. "The constant changing of the budget in a piecemeal fashion has to stop," Ruutli said. Though the People's Union holds just six of the Estonian parliament's 101 seats, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip requires its support to regain a parliamentary majority as the existing two government parties control 50 seats.

On May 21, Ansip announced that he was ejecting the Social Democrat party from his three-party coalition, which has been in power since April 2007. The Social Democrats had disagreed with Ansip over the need for reforms to employment law as the government seeks to impose severe curbs on spending.

After a decade-long boom, the small Baltic state became the first country in the European Union to slip into recession in 2008. In the first quarter of 2009, the economy contracted by 15 per cent year-on-year and unemployment is at nearly 10 per cent of the workforce.

AirBaltic Will Refund Tickets to People Who Loses Jobs

Giovanni Angioni — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:10:00 +0200

The company decided to tackle the rising unemployment in the Baltics

While trying to make out of Riga international airport the main one in the Baltic, AitBaltic will hold a conference named “Going to the North Hub Riga” in Radisson SAS Daugava on April the 29^th for discussing its development and the trends of the airlines market with industry leaders, government representatives and relevant officials from the European Union.

Focusing on the traffic of the North-Eastern European region, the event will be an occasion to share views on the future of competitive hubs in the industry and discuss the future of European aviation looking social trends, customer expectations and habits, and the resulting demand for air transportation.

In the past few years the Latvian international airport increased its traffic becoming a transfer hub not only for from the other two Baltic States, but also from Scandinavia, Western Europe and the East and the airline is now going through is plan of making the hub grow more by the end of 2012

The conference will allow aviation industry leaders, government representatives and relevant officials from the European Union to exchange views and experiences related to the direction in which the industry is headed, with an emphasis on the future of competitive hubs in the industry.

Riga is being developed as a hub for the North-Eastern region of Europe and“Keeping this development in mind, we plan to expand the Riga Airport,” says airBalticPresident Bertolt Flick. “This is a development which must be promoted with all due diligence by all who are involved in this process. If we are to strengthen Riga’s position as a major transfer hub for West-East and North-South passengers, then we will need more terminal space, new and efficient facilities for the handling of transit passengers, attractive shops and the other amenities that modern travelers expect during their journeys.”

In the mean time the PR activity of the airline did not stop and AirBaltic took out of the hat an initiative which will probably make someone feel better: the company announced that it will refund the full cost of economy class tickets to passengers who have lost their jobs between the purchase of the ticket and the date of the planned flight.

“We see that people are increasingly becoming unemployed in the Baltic States, and we must be understanding in terms of coming toward our passengers by compensating them for the money that they’ve spent on tickets.” Flick said.

An initiative, this one, we hope to see soon followed by many other companies.

EstonianFreePress - Independent News about Estonia

Umberto Eco to Speak in Tartu and Tallinn University

Giovanni Angioni — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:25:00 +0200

World-famous Italian semiotic, philosopher and writer Umberto Eco will be in Tartu on the 6^th of May to receive the title of honorary-doctor from Tartu University before participating to a meeting with students and scientist of the semiotic-department.

During the 7th of May Eco will then holda public lecture in Tartu University library as the guest of honor of the literature-festival Prima Vist a.

Last part of his visit to Estonia will take place in Tallinn, where Umberto Eco will participate to a seminar to be held in Tallinn University by the cultural theory research-center.

Literature-festival Prima Vista has grown out of the public book fair “Utlib Market” organized by Tartu University Library for the first time back in the spring of 2002. The festival was first time conducted under the name of Prima Vista in 2004 and after that it has gained more and more popularity each year. In the beginning of 2005 it was coroneted for the first time with Tartu`s annual award “Cultural Event of the Year 2004“

Every year the festival has a different patron and a center topic - this year spokesperson will be Andres Ehin, famous Estonian poet and a translator.

The central theme of the event will be “A page from the past, a page from the future” with the attention focused on the diaries, biographies and memoires - a genre where the cultural-story is told from a very personal-subjective point of view.Through past a glance is cast also to the future by speculating over the general impact of these memory books on the future literature.

This years festival takes place in Tartu from 7^th to 9^th of May while on the 10^th of May it will travel to Viljandi as the last day of the festival is traditionally being held in some other city besides Tartu.

Mai Tumingas - Estonian Free Press

Real Estate Prices Keep Falling in Tallinn

Giovanni Angioni — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:15:00 +0200

Worsening of loans conditions and increase in the offer are bringing the market down to pre-booming levels

After the real estate boom exploded a while ago already, prices keep falling with an unpredictable speed: according to ELB (Estonian Land Board) the average price of a square meter for houses fell to 10.495 EEK, nearly half of the price it had during its maximum peak in 2007.

And according to SEB analyst Ruta Eier the real estate market will keep a similar trend – at least – for the incoming two years “”Due to the financial difficulties of owners of real estate the pressure to sell has clearly increased” increasing an offer which faces a decreasing demand.

With the worsening of the global financial crisis and the difficulties Estonia is encountering in its growth, the conditions for getting loans become harder and this immediately cut many people out of the market.

During only the last year, transactions fell by 40% reaching a low peak similar to the one the country registered in 2003.

Giovanni Angioni - EFP

2.000 European Students on the Sea!

Giovanni Angioni — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:55:00 +0200

From May the 10th till May the 12th more than 2.000 students will partecipate to "Sea Battle" an event organized by the Erasmus Student Network!

Organized by the Erasmus Student Network Sweden, Estonia and Finland, the “Sea Battle” will be an incredible two days of cruising, turism and partying right on the Baltic sea.

Involving more than 2.000 students from all over Europe it announces as one of the greatest events for celebrating the beginning of spring, now that finally the sun started to warm also some of the coldest European spots.

Leaving from Tallinn harbor - Terminal D -on May the 10th the cruise will take then the way to Stockholm where it will stay for some hours during the 11th morning before heading back to the Estonian capital.

For more information about this event you can visit the ESN - Estonia page or contact seabattle@esn.ee

[EFP]

President Obama Congratulates Estonia

Giovanni Angioni — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:25:00 +0200

During his European round of public glorification, the new USA President respected the protocol spending pleasant words for each and every country he had listed in his agenda, Estonia included.

“The United States is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Estonia as allies and friends,” states the letter Obama wrote to President Ilves. “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Estonia on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of your nation’s accession to NATO.”

Unfortunately Obama’s words did not come during one of the easiest time ever as for a country that does not perform as people would like, as for an Atlantic Alliance too much influenced by the stomach of its historical rival, Russia.

“The least NATO wants in order to restore confidence in its relations with Russia is that it stops bullying its neighbors,” said the Estonian President in an interview with with Austria’s Der Standard on Friday giving his view on the development of the Alliance and that international order Ilves sees as significantly changed after the Georgian conflict.

An order which the new NATO Secretary General, mr. Rasmussen, will have to preserve and enhance, maybe even using Estonian example as the American President suggested:” W e must continue to support those who aspire to join NATO; Estonia’s success stands as a strong example for others to follow”.

[Estonian Free Press]

The Truth About the Euro and Estonia

Giovanni Angioni — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0200

Hopefully our article about Estonia and Euro did not scare you too much!

As most of our readers understood already, the article we published yesterday about the European Central Bank cutting Estonia off the Euro zone was nothing but a joke for celebrating the 1^st of April.

Nevertheless, the discussion about the adoption of the European Union unique currency continued even in the last few days, makingAnsip forecast about January 2011 slightly optimistic.

The national economy is supposed to contract by 8.5 per cent this year – last year forecasts planned a lighter 3.5 per cent drop – and such an increase will not do any good to the recession hitting the former Baltic tiger.

And even if the progresses Estonia made for reaching the Euro zone are absolutely considerable – we should not forget that the country already fulfils the national debt to GDP ratios – the budget deficit is risking to become one of the main obstacles for reaching a goal national politicians have been talking about since far too much time now.

PM Andrus Ansip lately asked lawmakers to modify the State budget for bringing the deficit down to 3 per cent of the Estonian GDP according to the parameters set by the European Union for adopting the Euro, but this might be not enough if not supported by effective policies devoted to increase both industrial production and internal demand.

Trichet: “Estonia Will Not Enter the Eurozone”

Giovanni Angioni — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:48:00 +0200

During a last minute press conference, Jean Claude Trichet shoked everyone: Estonia will not get the Euro.

Speaking in front of an astonished pool of journalists, the President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet, did not show any particular emotion when he affirmed: “I would say that the process is more than just frozen, let us all forget about it for a little while. The Euro-zone will not move any further at least for the incoming 5-6 years.”

Touching issues as the financial crisis and the economical strategies adopted by the Baltic Member States, Trichet added: “ No one could foresee such a low growth of the internal EU GDP and such a troublesome time for our national economies: I feel sorry if this will wake someone up from their dream but there is no chance that any of the Baltic countries will get the Euro anytime soon. It is not a step backward towards national protectionism but we all have to focus on what we already have, instead of what we might have in an hypothetical future.”

According to one Estonian Member of the Riigikogu, this decision is “as unexpected as dangerous for the economy of the whole region”.

“We struggled to reach all the parameters and we thought we were finally getting close to our goal and now, finally, Trichet changed the rules. This is simply not fair.”, he said.

“I can imagine how much are they laughing now on the other side of the border, in Russia.” told EFP an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Everyone though a full EU integration was the natural end of the process we started with our independence but, we have to face it, starting from today Estonia is alone”.

For a more detailed report,you can check this link

[source: ]

BabelTallinn and Estonian Free Press Invite You All to Their First Meeting!

Giovanni Angioni — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:22:00 +0200

Today in Kaarli Pst. at 6.30pm the first meeting of BabelTallinn and Estonian Free Press will finally take place: are you sure you can miss it?

As already said some days ago, we are starting again with new projects and initiatives.

The main one for this 2009 is , a new magazine in English about what happens in Estonia and our beloved neighbouring countries and that is the reason why today we will peacefully "invade" the first floor of Kaarki Kohvik, in Kaarli pst.

If you want to discover what we have in mind for the incoming months and, even better, if you feel like being part of it...just join!

The meeting will start at 6.30pm and will not last more than one hour or so, nothing incredibly boring, we promise!

(To know more about it, call +372 58 22 41 99)

Lennart Meri Conference Started in Tallinn

Giovanni Angioni — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:43:00 +0200

For the third year Tallinn is hosting the "Lennart Meri Conference": 3 days of intense discussions about international politics with some if the most relevant key speakers.

The conference, conceived in 2007 as a new forum to discuss global foreign and security policy issues is intended to carry forward President Lennart Meri's legacy as a leading European statesman and foreign policy thinker and to ensure that Estonia continues to be seen as a country willing and able to play a proper part in the identification of solutions to Europe's problems. We are expecting to build on the success and reputation of the previous two conferences and to attract high level attendance from both practitioners and academics, linked by their interest in the evolving nature of European security.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the patron of the conference and he will also host and speak at the event. The conference is jointly organised by the International Centre for Defence Studies - a Tallinn-based think tank for the analysis of security and defence policy questions - and the Lennart Meri European Foundation.
The conference will begin in the late afternoon on 29 March. This was both Lennart Meri's birthday (2009 would have been his 80th) and the day on which in 2004 Estonia achieved one of his most cherished foreign policy ambitions: the entry into NATO of Estonia and six other Central and East European states. It will end at lunch-time on 31 March.

Here the calendar of the sessions