Georgian soldiers were treated in Estonia

Georgian soldiers were treated in Estonia Four members of the Georgian Defence Forces who were injured during the Russian-Georgian conflict in August 2008 spent a week in the rehabilitation treatment facility in Seli in Estonia, writes EPL Online LETA.

The members of the Georgian Defence Forces were treated in the Ministry of Defence's rehabilitation centre, receiving massage, water procedures and rehabilitation exercises. The head of the Seli Health Centre, Teet Lainevee, M.D. They were very satisfied with the rehabilitation procedures we offered," he explained.

After the conflict in August, Georgia turned to a number of countries with a request to help them by providing treatment and rehabilitation treatment to the members of Defence Forces who were injured.

Source http://baltic-course.com/eng/baltic_news/

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Stupidity as a political statement

These fears highlight a problem Estonia still suffers from that should have been resolved a long time ago. More than 30 percent of the population of the country is Russian-speaking, and an uncomfortably large portion of those residents speak only a smattering of the national language.

Teachers that oppose the language requirements for educators say that many of those who have been 20 years of experience working in the country will be replaced by inexperienced newcomers - which will ultimately bring the quality of education throughout the entire country down.

But this begs the question: if someone has been working in a country for more than 20 years and has still not bothered to learn the state language, do they really have the spark for learning necessary to be a good teacher? The problem is far wider than just in the education sector.

In Narva - Estonia"s third largest city, which is located in the north-east of the country on the border with Russia - for example, only about 3 percent of the population is ethnic Estonian. In this region of the country, it is almost impossible to get by without some knowledge of Russian. Though in Tallinn the situation is a bit better, the number Estonians in the city is still only about 55 percent.

Apparently many members of the Russian-speaking community that have spent most of their lives in Estonia are deliberately refusing to learn the language. After all, it seems impossible that someone could spend 20 years in a country and fail to pick up enough basic phrases to at least get around. This is one of the most childish displays of political dissatisfaction imaginable. Residents are stymieing their own mental development to show that they are not happy with the state they choose to live in.

It is reminiscent of teenagers going on drug binges to prove something to their parents. But the blame for the ongoing divide in Estonia does not lie solely at the feet of the Russian-speaking community.

As has been noted numerous times by various human rights bodies operating on a European and world scale, Estonian legislation is less than accommodating to this large portion of its population.

Some 100,000 residents of the country hold grey passports - the government refers to this group as those with "undetermined citizenship." They are not allowed to vote, serve in the army or get work visas in other European countries. This is an unacceptably large number, and governments past and present have done little to make a significant dent in the number of stateless people residing in the country.

It is no surprise, then, that members of the Russian-speaking community would not be willing to make their own efforts at integration. It is clear that both sides - the Russian-speaking community and the powers that be in Estonia - need to start making some concessions and really work toward integrating the society, because the sharp division that exists now ends up harming both sides of the equation.

Source http://baltictimes.com/news/articles/22781/

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OECD tells 'vulnerable' Estonia to overhaul its economy

In its Economic Survey of Estonia 2009, presented in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, the OECD said a collapse in domestic demand had left Estonia 'vulnerable to external shocks' and that the main challenge facing Estonian policymakers was 'to bring the economy quickly back to trend growth, which is complicated because of past policy commitments.'

The Paris-based organization, sometimes referred to as a club for 30 of the world's richest countries, came up with four main recommendations for EU member state Estonia. Estonia wants to become an OECD member despite the small size of its economy and the fact that it is experiencing one of Europe's deepest recessions. In 2007 it agreed a 'roadmap' to membership with the OECD which commits its to a free market economy.

Measures suggested include a medium-term budgetary framework incorporating expenditure ceilings and a fresh approach to the real estate market. The favourable tax treatment and credit guarantees of housing loans amplified the housing boom and should be phased out over the medium term,' the OECD report said.

Estonia's housing bubble burst spectacularly in 2007, contributing to a rapid reversal in the country's growth figures. Other suggestions from the OECD included increased business competition a more flexible labour market. The labour market has been regulated by a law which contains many elements from the Soviet era,' the OECD claimed. Estonia won its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and became an EU and NATO member in 2004.

Source http://monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_147~

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