Estonian Pharmaceutical Market Should Reach a Value of US$33

The Estonia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report provides independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Estonias pharmaceuticals and healthcare industry. The Estonian pharmaceutical market is estimated to have reached US$233mn in 2007, rising by 12.5% on the previous year.

Key drivers of growth over the next five years will be increased healthcare spending and strong economic growth forecasts, which should push the value of the market to US$331mn by 2012. Indeed, over the last decade, Estonia has increased its focus on providing public services, with a 10% annual increase in its healthcare spending.

Such an investment is urgently needed as poor healthcare has been seen as a weak link in Estonia ' s 15-year post-Soviet economic & 8216; miracle '. However, the country is still struggling with persistent rates of some infectious diseases, including the highest HIV infection rate in the EU by some distance. In the revised Business Environment Rankings for the 15 major markets of Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), Estonia is found in a respectable fifth place. However, in absolute terms, Estonia will remain a marginal market in the CEE region.

The main limiting factor is the small and falling population, which is compounded by the strict reimbursement regime. On a positive note, the country will continue to invest in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), which is strongly supported by the government.

In the meantime, imports will continue to gain ground in relation to exports, which have tailed off following the recent winding down of manufacturing, as the largest local firm Tallinn Pharmaceutical Plant - part of Latvia ' s Grindeks - moved some of its operations abroad.

Market expansion is severely limited by strong competition in the supply chain, characterised by a concentrated wholesale market and chain-dominated retail pharmacy landscape.

Source http://businesswire.com/news/google/20080408005641/en

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Estonian traffic lights under drivers’ control

A new IT system to regulate traffic has been installed in Estonia. Buses and trolleybuses on several routs are provided with satellite navigation equipment and connected to a network, through which a driver can switch on the green light. The test project implementation is carried out in several European cities. According to analysts, in Russia such a project is inappropriate.

In 2004 Tallinn administration decided to participate in the SMILE project being implemented under the EU initiative CIVITAS II. The project provides for improving the quality of public transport.

Buses and trolleybuses on several routs are provided with satellite navigation equipment and connected to a network, through which a driver can switch on the green light. The test project implementation is carried out in several European cities. According to analysts, in Russia such a project is inappropriate. In 2004 Tallinn administration decided to participate in the SMILE project being implemented under the EU initiative CIVITAS II.

The project provides for improving the quality of public transport. Buses, trolleybuses and traffic lights along the busiest routes of the city are provided with satellite navigation equipment and special systems that help drivers to beam the signal to the nearest traffic light and switch on the green light. In December 2007 the second stage to upgrade the technical facilities of public transport in Tallinn completed.

63 autobuses and 48 trolleybuses were provided with on-board computers, GPS devices, radio modems, WLAN communication, automated loud speakers and electronic boards of internal and external information. In April 2008 traffic lights at 26 cross-roads have been connected to the system in test mode, as well as buses and trolleybuses at ten routes in the Estonian capital Tallinn. The total cost of the project launched in Tallinn is 91 mln Estonian crones ( 5.8 mln).

Tallinn has given its commitment to co-finance the project for four years investing 26 mln crones ( 1.7 mln). The same amount will be invested into the project by transport enterprises. The EU plans to invest about 39 mln crones ( 2.5 mln), including 19 mln crones ( 1.2 mln) to improve the traffic management, and 2.9 mln crones ( 185 thousand) for feasibility studies.

Currently, five European cities are participating in the project: Malmo (Sweden), Norwich (Great Britain), Potenza (Italy), Suceava (Romania) and Tallinn (Estonia). The Russian traffic lights are also being upgraded. Smart" traffic lights changing the regime depending on the traffic density are installed in Yekaterinburg by Italian specialists.

The system is operating in the following way: sensors at traffic lights transfer the information to the data management centers, where the data is processed and transferred back to the traffic light switching the most appropriate regime. Traffic lights with countdown timers have been installed in many cities.

Source http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexen.shtml

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Estonia-Latvian internal security discussions

TALLINN-Estonia's Interior Minister Juri Pihl will meet today with visiting Latvian colleague Mareks Seglins to discuss their plans for internal security.

The ministers are going to review the situation in their countries after accession to the visa-free Schengen program as well as preparations for joining the US visa waiver program, the Interior Ministry inTallinnreported. Also on the agenda will be Estonian-Latvian points of contact, rescue cooperation, joint patrolling and compatibility of telecommunication systems.

Marek Helm, who coordinates the establishment of a united domestic security agency under the Interior Ministry, is slated to give an overview of the ministry's development and acquaint the visiting Latvian officials with the project to merge the police, border guard and citizenship and migration boards.

The head of the ministry's IT, databases and communications department, Hannes Martin, will report on the compatibility of Estonian and Latvian telecommunication systems. The Latvian delegation will also review the work of the Police Board's command center during their visit in Estonia.

Source http://baltictimes.com/news/articles/20176/

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