Many European countries are admired by Estonia’s progress, but words of appreciation must not distract us from today’s shortcomings, which affect the survival of our people and companies, underlined Enn Eesmaa, Vice-President of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the Riigikogu, during the discussion held today in Parliament on the government’s activities in implementing European Union policy.
“It’s nice to receive compliments, but we have to start from today’s reality, which unfortunately presents problems,” said Enn Eesmaa. “The economy has been in decline for almost two years in a row, the army of the unemployed is growing and exports are declining. These are just some of the challenges facing Estonia and for which today’s government has offered no solutions. According to forecasts, the situation will become even more difficult next year. For example, domestic food is preferred by only three quarters of Estonians – the last time we were at the same level was twenty years ago – and less than half of products premises are already available in foreign chain stores. Estonia competes on the European Union market with other member states whose fortunes are not so alarming. Therefore it would be worth looking around with a broader vision and learning from the successful experiences of other countries.”
According to the Eurostat satisfaction index, Estonia is the leader of the Baltic countries, but according to Enn Eesmaa this awareness should not lull us too much. “We should look at Finland, Austria and Poland, which are at the top of the ranking, where education, family life and health-promoting factors are considered more important than wealth. Estonia has scope for development in these areas, which they can be changed, for example, by modernizing the tax system,” said a member of the ruling council of the Center Party.
Enn Eesmaa added that the comprehensive support of the European Union countries to Ukraine is undoubtedly necessary, but in this context we must not forget about the ability of Estonian people and companies to cope. “What is happening in Ukraine affects the security and future of the whole of Europe. We must work so that all countries jointly feel this responsibility and make all possible efforts to end the war both in Estonia along the eastern border and on the Iberian Peninsula “, the ambassador said.
2023-12-12 12:58:46
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