Trade data from the Statistics Estonia

Trade data from the Statistics Estonia showed that trade deficit narrowed to 3.15 billion kroons in January. The deficit totaled 4.08 billion kroons in December and 4.14 billion kroons in the prior year. Export value grew 4 from the previous year, while imports declined 4. The share of EU nations was 75 in total exports. Major partners in exports were Finland, Sweden and Latvia.

Your bill, Sir: 7 billion EEK

The Ministry of Economics and Communications Mario Lambing estimates a 6.8 billion EEK loss associated with the Bronze Soldier riots. That s far more than broken windows and stolen Sprite: the amount factors in transit business losses, as well. But Estonia should keep its happy face, notes Reform Party fraction leader, Silver Meikar. Russia also punishes its friends, he said in a newspaper interview, calling attention to Russian sanctions against both Belarus and Ukraine. Keeping up appearances may be hard to do in a period when more and more Estonian businesses are reporting losses. The economic Charge of the Light Brigade led by a robust real estate market has met its end, and Estonian business leaders like Rein Kilk are calling for businesses to prepare for doing business in a more realistic environment.

Kiek in de Kök

This massive, medieval defence tower on the slopes of Toompea hill was oddly dubbed Kiek in de Kök (literally, «peep into the kitchen») because from here the soldiers could peer into the kitchens of the houses below. The tower now appropriately houses a museum that traces the development of the town and its military history from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Lower floors are used for temporary photographic art exhibitions. Komandandi tee 2 ph. 372 644 6686 www.linnamuuseum.ee Open: March October 8594 Tue-Sun 10:30-18:00 November February 8594 Tue-Sun 10:30-17:00 Closed for visits from April 2008. Price: 25 EEK (adult), 8 EEK (child)

Town Hall Square

For at least seven centuries now, the square in front of the Town Hall has been the centre of life in Tallinn. It functioned as a marketplace even before the Town Hall itself was built, and has been used for celebrations as well as executions. Today, the square is still a focal point of the city s social activity. It s filled with outdoor cafés in the summer, and hosts numerous open-air concerts, handicraft fairs and medieval markets throughout the year. In the winter, crowds here are enchanted by a Christmas Market, and by the town s Christmas tree, put up for a month or more a tradition whose roots stretch back to 1441. The Town Hall Square has also become the traditional centre of the Old Town Days festival, a modern version of a medieval carnival.

Tallinn to separate alcohol from other goods

According this new law, shops must display alcoholic beverages separately from nonalcoholic beverages and other goods the regulation should come into effect in the fall. Deputy Mayor Jaanus Mutli said the draft regulation requires that alcohol be clearly separated from nonalcoholic beverages and other goods in stores. Our ideal is for each major store to have a separate alcohol department and for smaller ones, a separate alcohol section, as is already the case in many Tallinn shops, Mutli said. To give stores adequate time for reorganization, the city government wants to enforce the city council s decree on Sept. 1. Tallinn has long had problems with foreign volume alcohol buyers from Scandanavia, which has ceased to slow even after a 30 alcohol tax increase early this year. Source http: baltictimes.com news articles 20070

Tallinn History

Tallinn, the capital and main politics, culture and transport centre of Estonia, was known as Reval under its early history. It lies on the north seashore of Estonia to the Gulf of Finland. Just 80 km to the north is located the Finnish capital Helsinki. Etymology of Tallinn s name Like the city s early history, the very word «Tallinn(a)», so resonant with enigma and romantic legend, still eludes the scholar s grasp, although the word is certainly Estonian. Was it named as «Taani-linn(a)» (Danish castle or town), or rather came from «tali-linna» (winter castle, town)? Nobody can be sure. The «-lunna» suffix has the same meaning as German «-burg» or Slavic «-grad», or even English «-town», i.e. that element is used to form city names. The name of «Tallinna» became in 1918 the new name of the city after Germanic «Reval» (info-help).

Producer Price Index up in February

According to Statistics Estonia, in February 2008 the percentage change in the producer price index was 0.7 compared to January 2008 and 8.3 compared to February 2007. In February compared to January 2008 the producer price index was mainly influenced by the increase in prices in the energy supply and in the manufacture of textile and textile products. In February 2008 the percentage change in the export price index was 0.1 compared to January 2008 and 6.4 compared to February 2007. In February compared to January the export price index was mainly influenced by the decrease in prices in the manufacture of electrical machinery and apparatus. In February 2008 the percentage change in the import price index was 0.6 compared to January 2008 and 4.6 compared to February 2007. In February compared to January the import price index was mainly influenced by the decrease in prices in the manufacture of electrical machinery and apparatus.

Useful information

Official name: Republic of Estonia (in Estonian: Eesti Vabariik). Area: 45,227 km2 (ca 10 of Estonia s territory is made up of 1520 islands, 5 are inland waterbodies, 48 is forest, 7 is marshland and moor, and 37 is agricultural land) 1. 36 million inhabitants (68 Estonians, 26 Russians, 2 Ukrainians, 1 Byelorussians and 1 Finns), of whom 68 live in cities. Capital Tallinn - 397 thousand inhabitants. Official language: Estonian, system of government: parliamentary democracy. The proclamation of the country s independence is a national holiday celebrated on the 24th of February (Independence Day). The Republic of Estonia is a member of the European Union and NATO. Estonia is on Eastern European time (GMT 02:00) Telephone: the country code for Estonia is 372 Estonian Internet catalogue www.ee, information: www.1182.ee and www.1188.ee

AFP: Estonian escaped prisoner embarrasses police who ignored him

The Harju county court said it had postponed a ruling on extraditing Martin Vaiksaar, a 31-year-old Estonian, saying it needed more information from Finland. Vaiksaar, who has convictions for theft in Estonia as well as Finland, has made headlines on both sides of the Baltic Sea over his February 29 break-out. Estonian police have been left red-faced because Vaiksaar claims he gave them a helping hand to recapture him but was ignored. He had already embarrassed the Finnish prison service: staff reportedly only noticed he was missing a day after he used knotted bedsheets to scale three seven-metre (23-foot) walls and escaped from the new facility near the Finnish capital Helsinki. Vaiksaar managed to run 20 kilometres (12 miles) to Helsinki s ferry port and buy a ticket to the Estonian capital Tallinn.

Ansip On Turkish - Estonian Cooperation

Turkish-Estonian Information and Communication Technology Forum organized by Turkish-Estonian Business Council of Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) took place in Istanbul. Taking the floor in the meeting, Ansip said Estonia has highly developed information technologies. Ansip said they opened an e-solutions showroom in Estonian embassy on Monday and participants (of the meeting) could visit the showroom to see these solutions. Source http: turkishpress.com news.asp