Estonia in international and regional organizations

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1 Estonia in international and regional organizations The United Nations Being a member of the world s largest international organisation results in a responsibility rich participation in the resolving of current world political problems and in the implementation of long-term global projects. Estonia helps fulfil the main goals of the United Nations (UN), the preservation of international peace and security, primarily by participating in UN security operations and participating in the international fight against terrorism. Estonia has ratified the most important UN anti-terrorism conventions and has presented reports on their fulfilment. On 26 November 2003, President Arnold Rüütel declared that Estonia has endorsed the last UN anti-terrorism protocol to which Estonia had not acceded by that time: the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf. The protocol will be put into force in January In his speech at the Plenary Meeting of the 58th UN General Assembly, President Rüütel condemned the 19 August 2003 terrorist attack on the UN representation in Baghdad and affirmed Estonia s support for UN reforms, which will allow for more efficient participation in the solving of world problems and crises, because only a strong UN with effective decision making mechanisms can ensure global welfare and balance. At President Rüütel s meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi A. Annan in New York on 24 September 2003, the latter thanked Estonia for its assistance in helping maintain peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Rüütel invited the UN Secretary General to Estonia s National Song Festival in Estonia has ratified all of the UN s human rights conventions and has presented all of the required reports. In January 2003, Estonia s reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) were reviewed. In the spring of 2003, Estonia s second period report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) was discussed. In September, President Rüütel signed the UN s Rights of Children Convention s option protocol in New York. In May, Foreign Minister Ojuland hosted UNESCO s Director-General Koichiro Matsuura in Estonia. Council of Europe In our ten years of membership, Estonia and the Council of Europe have seen much change. The importance of the Council for us has changed along with our expectations of the Council. 16

2 2003 ESTONIA IN INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Currently, the importance of the Council is based on three aspects. First, the Council is an organisation that has adopted a wide range of conventions from very different fields of life and has been responsible for their supervision. Second, several supervisory mechanisms exist in the frameworks of the Council particularly the European Court of Human Rights. Third, the Parliamentary Assembly acts as school of democracy for new Council of Europe members. Thus, the Council is of direct importance to governments, individuals and members of parliament included several important visits: On 15 May, Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland participated in the 112th Session of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg. The main topics were the organisation of the 3rd Council of Europe Summit and ensuring the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights. In her speech, Ojuland expressed Estonia s complete support to overhauling the court system, to render it more effecient. In the framework of the session, the Foreign Minister signed an appendix to Europe s Terrorism Prevention Convention. The Council of Europe s Secretary General, Walter Schwimmer visited Estonia from May in relation to Estonia s tenth year of Council membership. Schwimmer introduced the Council s short-term priorities, which are reforming the Human Rights Court and defining the future of the Council in the face of European Union enlargement. Schwimmer introduced Estonia with a speech at a reception hosted by the Council of Europe s information service in Tallinn. In comparing the European Union and the Council of Europe, Schwimmer stated that, Some may think that, once you are firmly in Brussels, Strasbourg will no longer be of any interest. I do not agree. You could just as well argue that, after buying a car, you no longer need shoes, or that after getting married, you no longer need friends. Foreign Ministry Permanent Under-Secretary Priit Kolbre took advantage of the occasion to present thank you letters to the most prominent Estonian specialists in Council of Europe committees and commissions. Alvaro Gil-Robles, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner visited Estonia from October. The Commissioner was visiting member nations of the Council with the goal of gaining an overall picture of the Human Rights conditions in each country. Gil- Robles said that his visit to Estonia took place this year, because of a request for an overview of the situation in all EU candidate countries made by the European Commission. The Commissioner was impressed by the openness of Estonians and the willingness to enter into dialogue. The results of the visit were presented in a report that made suggestions to the government to help eliminate tight spots. The commissioner emphasised the importance of dialogue including in the implementation of his suggestions. The Council of the Baltic Sea States The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) was very important for Estonia in 2003 as we took the Presidency over from Finland in June. The most important event of the year was the Meeting of Foreign Ministers held in Pori at the end of the Finnish Presidency from June. The Foreign Minister s Communiqué included an overview of accomplishments as well as the organisations goals for the upcoming year. 17

3 Estonia s priorities for its Presidency, June July 2004 are the following. First, upcoming changes in the international society will affect regional co-operation. More specifically, four more members of the CBSS Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland beginning on 1 May will be members of the European Union. The EU enlargement will create a stable economic and political area in the Baltic Sea Area, which will hopefully increase the economic interest of the two largest CBSS members - Germany and Russia - in the area. After the enlargement, Russia will be the only member of the CBSS that does not belong to the EEA (European Economic Area). This situation can bring changes to the content and to the type of work done by the CBSS. Thus, Estonia will during its Presidency review the mandates of all the work groups and assess the need for changes. In relation to the aforementioned changes, the Foreign Ministers of the CBSS decided at the end of 2003 to end the mandate of the CBSS Commissioner on Democratic Development. In connection with the livening of international relations, Estonia believes that it would be rational to reduce the number of top-level meetings held under the auspices of the CBSS. Thus, the Estonian Presidency will be the first during which no meetings of Foreign Ministers will be held. In 2003, the future roll of the CBSS was continuously discussed. One of the CBSS future goals is the development of regional and cross-border co-operation. The European Commission also sees the CBSS as the political co-ordinator of cross-border co-operation in the region. Through regional cross-border co-operation it will be possible to soften divisions with new EU neighbours arising from the upcoming enlargement. The cooperation will also help better ensure the application of the Wider Europe and New Neighbours policies. Estonian priorities in the CBSS Environmental protection. This has always been an important co-operation sector for the CBSS. In addition to the implementation of existing programs, Estonia hopes to pay special attention to new environmental risks connected with the growing intensity of shipping on the Baltic Sea. This will be achieved by redoubling efforts toward reaching an agreement among member-states to minimise the environmental risks associated with the continuous increase of oil tanker traffic. Estonia also hopes to have the Baltic Sea Area declared a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area. Economic Development. In developing the Baltic Sea Area, co-operation is important in the creation of connecting transport and energy infrastructures, the organising of border crossing and customs regulations, regional development, the development of new EU borders, the fight against corruption and in IT development. The fight against organised crime. Important is co-operation in the fight against crossborder crime, foremost in the area of the trade in humans and in the smuggling of goods. Estonia has begun preparation for the most important event of its Presidency, the Council of the Baltic Sea States Heads of Government Summit to be held in June 2004 in Tallinn. 18

4 2003 ESTONIA IN INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Co-operation in the NB8 The central event in Estonian co-operation with the Nordic countries in 2003 was the invitation to join the Nordic Investment Bank given to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the heads of government meeting held on 28 October in Oslo. This was a logical and necessary conclusion to the co-operation that began in The expansion will allow Estonia to share responsibility for the region with other Nordic countries, it will further the mission and goals of the NIB in ensuring economic growth in the area and it will prove the compatibility of the aspirations of the Nordic countries and the Baltic States. In 2003, co-operation between Estonia and the Nordic Council of Ministers concentrated on preparations for future work as equals. As Estonia will become a full member of the European Union in the spring of 2004, the content of the Co-operation Programme with the Adjacent Areas/Baltics needs to be changed. Estonia has presented co-operation suggestions based on joint financing to the Nordic Council of Ministers. These suggestions originate from a need for co-operation projects and projects that are not financed by EU funds. Estonia would like continued co-operation in the fields of environment, energy, telecommunications and IT, research and science, culture, social questions and education. The fight against the trade in humans and the fight against drug trafficking are of importance to Estonia. Co-operation with the Nordic countries through the NB8 and the Nordic Council of Ministers are the central components of Estonia s regional co-operation strategy. Baltic co-operation Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been successful in their international aspirations and have created a strong international reputation by arriving to the doorstep of NATO and the European Union. Baltic co-operation will not lose its importance in the new environment and will continue in the coming years when the countries will be united by NATO and EU membership. Co-operation in the judicial, political and economic environments will see significant changes, since the framework of Baltic co-operation needs continuous adjusting. The results of the changes executed in 2003 have been timely and constituted a key to successful co-operation. Baltic co-operation in the new conditions must be flexible and should supplement other co-operation structures, not duplicate them. Our focal point in regional co-operation is moving more and more towards cooperation in the entire Baltic Sea Area, especially in the NB8 and the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Co-operation and joint projects in the Baltic Sea Area give us a wider operational base to safeguard our interests and a larger manoeuvring base, which will especially include European countries in the vicinity along with the entire Euro-Atlantic area. During Estonia s Presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM) in 2002, Estonia began to reform the intergovernmental co-operation, because the future work of the council has to adapt to the new environment. The Prime Ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania signed a protocol that makes changes to the 1994 BCM Constitution on 28 November in Vilnius. The changes to the BCM will transfer most of the responsibility for co-operation from the Prime Ministers to the Foreign Ministers, and other ministers will not meet under the auspices of the BCM. The Baltic Council of Prime Ministers, whose meetings have been reduced from twice a year to once a year, will remain in the role of the main developer of Baltic co-operation. 19

5 The Presidency will change on a rotational basis at the beginning of the calendar year, changing the current system to correspond to the rotation system at the Baltic Assembly (BA). The BCM will continue to collaborate with the BA in the Baltic Council, but new cooperation will begin at the BCM s committee of senior officials and the BA commissions level. Fields that will receive the most attention will be defence co-operation, infrastructure, communications and environmental protection. 20