Estonia tops internet freedom study

BalticTimes — Estonia has been ranked as the best country in the world in terms of internet freedoms in the “Freedom on the Net 2011″ study by Freedom House.

“Estonia ranks as one of the most wired and technologically advanced countries in the world,” the study said.

Estonia secured the top spot in the study, followed by the US, Germany, Australia and the UK. At the bottom of the list were Iran, Burma, Cuba and China.

The study was conducted by Freedom House, a US-based NGO that promotes freedom, democracy and human rights worldwide. The study covered 37 countries worldwide.

The study also found that Estonia has had some of the most improvement in internet freedoms, improving its score from 13 in 2009 to 10 in the most recent study.

Overall, the report found that internet usage has boomed alongside “diverse and growing threats to internet freedom”.

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Smart-Grid Technology Planned for $240M Oxford Park Community in Estonia

Skype is apparently not the limit for the information development community in Estonia. Out of the same area where the Skype communications platform was conceived—characterized as “a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea” by The New York Times—now comes word of a $240 million, 160-acre sustainable mixed-use community ready to break ground this summer and scheduled for completion in 10 years.

talian architect Francesco De Luca describes his design for Oxford Parkas “a beautiful vision of the future of working and living,” which he believes will be “undoubtedly the most innovative and sustainable development in Europe today.”

Developers of the site—which is located about 30 minutes inland from the seaport and capital city of  Tallinn, in scenic Juuru municipality—have announced that they will use smart-grid technology to maximize the project’s energy efficiency.

Specifically, smart meters will enable the 350 on-site households, as well as the businesses, at Oxford Park to closely monitor their energy consumption and save money by using appliances at off-peak times. In addition, they will be able to earn income from their own energy generation, and to more accurately predict their electricity usage and costs.

Power will be available, even if the grid falls out, via an on-site system. The Tallinn-based  Oxford Sustainable Group said in an April 19 interview with ERR News that Oxford Park would be able to integrate electricity provided from various sources, including that generated by solar panels—thereby saving up to 50 percent in energy costs.

One of the more interesting features of the new development will be the Oxford Park FuelBar, described by the developers as a “total fueling” concept. As the name suggests, the FuelBar will provide fuel for almost any type of sustainable transport on the market today and includes expansion room for new fuel types, as they become available in the future. Prospective fueling options include: petrol, diesel, bio-diesel, slow electrical power, fast-charging electrical power, hydrogen/methane, LPG and gas, electrical battery swap, alternative biofuel (two types), and solid fuel.

The Oxford Sustainable Group is the market-leading developer of sustainable projects throughout the Central/Northern Europe region. It was the first certified CarbonNeutral company in Eastern Europe and a founding member of Central Eastern Europe (CEE)/World Green Building Council.

“Oxford Park is a carefully planned, sustainable community that will see quiet, organic and natural development in the next 10 years, along with its inhabitants and companies,” said  Hadley Barrett, chairman of the Group’s management board.

Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News – Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

New Credit Becomes Available to Exporters

BBN – At its April 21 meeting, the cabinet approved a proposal to launch a new subordinated credit scheme to support export-oriented companies. The “subordinated credit program” financed from the EU structural funds is meant for export-oriented Estonian companies that lack capital or sufficient securities to finance their project, or whose project is found to be too risky by credit institutions.

“Our objective is to improve access to capital. The subordinated loan instrument upholds growth and expansion of enterprises,” said Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts.

Under the new program, two types of credit will be made available – subordinated loans for investment in technology, and subordinated loans integrated into the currently available entrepreneurship support package.

As a result of the recent economic downturn, many businesses have difficulties obtaining credit. For example in case of sophisticated technology investments, commercial creditors require a minimum contribution of 40 percent. But since turnover, profitability and capital dwindled during the crisis, self-financing capacity is still low. Nor have securities recovered their pre-crisis value. However, to prepare for the growth phase, investments are vitally needed for enhancing productivity and expanding into new international markets.

Since Enterprise Estonia’s technology investment program and other support measures have now ended, enterprises have been left high and dry, a problem the new instrument aims to correct.

The program, financed by the European Regional Development Fund, is worth approximately 27 million euros, and will be administered by KredEx in cooperation with banks and leasing companies. Loans for technology investment will be available in May, whereas companies qualifying for the support package are eligible for subordinated loans already.

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Port of Tallinn signs agreement with Chinese logistics giant Sinotrans

Last week Port of Tallinn and Estonian Railways signed a cooperation agreement in Beijing with Chinese state-owned Sinotrans that will start channeling its transit flow through Port of Tallinn, using Estonian Railways’ infrastructure.

Sinotrans that was founded in 2009 in a merger of the China National Foreign Trade Transportation Corporation and China Changjiang National Shipping Group offers cargo transport, freight forwarding, ship brokerage, warehousing and cargo terminal services.

Sinotrans has nearly 100 subsidiaries in South Korea, Japan, Canada, the US and Germany. It also owns a sizeable fleet of bulk carriers, tankers, container-liners and rolling stock vessels.

Ain Kaljurand, CEO of Port of Tallinn, said that Sinotrans handles considerable cargo volumes and has an extensive customer network. The agreement is expected to prepare the ground for Tallinn to become a regional hub for Sinotrans’s operations.

Want to sell more? Visit Estonian EXPO Center in Tallinn Airport at Gate 3, it’s the world’s first permanent trade fair in an airport. You can show your products to 1.8 Mill. passengers per year  for as little as One Euro per hour! We offer business to business and B2C. The One Euro per hour includes: set up, live hostesses, distribution of leaflets and samples, collection of new sales leads for you, electricity and cleaning. Estonian Expo Center is open 15 hours a day 7 days a week. There is no cheaper or better way to brand your company and products in the Baltics…. read more about why it works!

Transport Giants To Launch 130-Million-Euro Container Terminal

TALLINN(err.ee) – The Port of Tallinn, Estonian Railways and one of Russia’s largest transport companies Rail Garant signed an agreement on April 11 to start up a 130-million-euro container terminal at Muuga Harbor.

The deal comes a month after the Port of Tallinn awarded Rail Garant the much-sought-after contract to operate its planned terminal.

Infrastructure for the facility was installed last summer thanks to over 64 million euros in EU support. Rail Garant said it is planning to invest the same amount again to further develop the terminal, which should come on line in early 2013, uudised.err.ee reported.

Rail Garant CEO Nikolai Falin said the advantages of the Port of Tallinn were its convenient location, advanced infrastructure, year-round accessibility, simplified customs clearance procedures and the absence of customs fees.

“At the same time, the Russian ports of the northwest are overloaded and don’t have the throughput capacity to handle cargo volumes even at current levels,” said Falin.

Ain Kaljurand, chairman of the Port of Tallinn, said the project would both strengthen the port’s competitiveness and make Estonia’s own export easier and cheaper.

“Rail Garant’s concept is truly unique: mostly, our transit has been Russian-bound, with goods still moving from west to east, while their business plan involves the reverse movement – from east to west. This will give Estonia additional transport capacities and will create advantages for exporters,” he said.

Kaljurand also said that transporting the containers by rail rather than road would have a lower environmental impact.

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VKG Acquires Cinder Block Production Facility

TALLINN(err.ee) – Oil shale processing giant Viru Keemia Grupp announced April 11 that it has purchased a production line formerly owned by Silbet Plokk, a bankrupt Kohtla-Järve company that manufactured cinder blocks for construction. VKG’s management said the acqusition was strategically beneficial because the raw materials used to make the cinder blocks are the same as those produced as waste material in shale processing.

“From the perspective of sustainable shale processing, success can only be achieved when the production fully utlizes all the organic and mineral potential of the shale,” the company said in a statement.

Before its bankruptcy, Silbet Plokk was one of the larger employers in the industrial town of Kohtla-Järve.

“Our goal is to find synergies between the two industrial complexes and the re-establishment of nearly 200 jobs that the company once gave the region,” said VKG CEO Priit Rohumaa.

The eight companies that make up VKG employ approximately 1,600 people.

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Foreign Minister Meets Palestinian Authority Delegate

TALLINN(ERR.ee) – At the April 8 meeting in Tallinn between Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and the chief representative of the General Palestine Delegation in Helsinki, Nabil Al-Wazir, the main topic on the agenda was, quite expectedly, joining forces in the effort to find the 7 Estonian tourists abducted in Lebanon. “Estonia communicates with all nations in the region to achieve cooperation in order to find our citizens,” Paet said. “We have also requested Palestinian cooperation.” Al-Wazir assured Paet of the Palestinian Authority’s will to cooperate and give Estonia assistance in the matter.

Paet and Al-Wazir spoke about the Middle East peace process and the latest developments in Palestine. As far as bilateral relations go, Paet said Estonia will continue sharing its know-how with the Palestinian Authority on developing interoperability of electronic databases.

Paet also said that Estonia is preparing to assign a representative to the Palestinian Authority in the near future.

 

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Tallinn builds house of straw

TALLINN(BalticTimes) – A theater built from straw, which is projected to be the biggest installation during the European Cultural Capital 2011 festivities in Tallinn, is currently undergoing construction and will open its doors in less than a month, reports news agency LETA. Straw is a worthy building material, which does not harm the environment and is so inexpensive that the theater house will accommodate a large hall, lobby, cafe, outdoor children’s playground and a small sporting area for a cost…. read more

 

Want to sell more? Visit Estonian EXPO Center in Tallinn Airport at Gate 3, it’s the world’s first permanent trade fair in an airport. You can show your products to 1.8 Mill. passengers per year  for as little as One Euro per hour! We offer business to business and B2C. The One Euro per hour includes: set up, live hostesses, distribution of leaflets and samples, collection of new sales leads for you, electricity and cleaning. Estonian Expo Center is open 15 hours a day 7 days a week. There is no cheaper or better way to brand your company and products in the Baltics…. read more about why it works!

Tallinn Airport reports increase in passengers by 26% in March

TALLINN(BalticCourse) - Tallinn Airport served 137,302 passengers in March 2011 which was 25.6% more than a year earlier, reports LETA/BBN referring to Aripaev.

The number of passengers on international lines went up 25.4% in a year to 135,006 people.

Month on month, the growth was 31.8%, according to the airport operator.

The airport also handled 1,062 tons of cargo which is 74.5% more than a year earlier.

During the month, Tallinn Airport served 3,228 flights or 22.1% more than in March 2010.

 

Want to sell more? Visit Estonian EXPO Center in Tallinn Airport at Gate 3, it’s the world’s first permanent trade fair in an airport. You can show your products to 1.8 Mill. passengers per year  for as little as One Euro per hour! We offer business to business and B2C. The One Euro per hour includes: set up, live hostesses, distribution of leaflets and samples, collection of new sales leads for you, electricity and cleaning. Estonian Expo Center is open 15 hours a day 7 days a week. There is no cheaper or better way to brand your company and products in the Baltics…. read more about why it works!

New Estonian cabinet inaugurated

Toomas Hendrik Ilves

TALLINN, April 5 (Xinhua) — Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on Tuesday inaugurated here the new cabinet of ministers led by Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.

“The strong parliamentary majority won in the election gives you a mandate and an opportunity to make decisions based on that majority. However, sound political culture means that different opinions also get noticed and taken into account,” Ilves said at an inauguration ceremony.

The president called on the new cabinet to bring public debate out of Parliament and its committees, and to listen to non- governmental organizations (NGOs), professional associations and non-partisan experts.

In his address to the Parliament, Ansip outlined his government ‘s goals for the next four years, stressing the importance of improving the quality of people’s lives.

“The government’s goal is the creation of an Estonia where our culture will develop, where more children will be born and Estonians will have longer lifespans, and where people will want to live happily,” Ansip said.

Ansip pledged to continue structural reforms in education and pension, make strategic decisions for the national energy sector, create an insurance system for industrial accidents and improve labor market flexibility.

The prime minister also touched on tax and business issues. “We intend to reduce labor taxes, lower the income tax rate to the same level as Value Added Tax, abolish the tax on payments given for job-related training, develop the business environment in a direction that is more friendly to businesses and increase social security for families with children and retired people,” he added.

 

Want to sell more? Visit Estonian EXPO Center in Tallinn Airport at Gate 3, it’s the world’s first permanent trade fair in an airport. You can show your products to 1.8 Mill. passengers per year  for as little as One Euro per hour! We offer business to business and B2C. The One Euro per hour includes: set up, live hostesses, distribution of leaflets and samples, collection of valuable sales leads to you, electricity and cleaning. Estonian Expo Center is open 15 hours a day 7 days a week. There is no cheaper or better way to brand your company and products in the Baltics…. read more about why it works!