Eesti in brief - 2004-04-29

  • 2004-04-29


The Res Publica faction of the Tallinn City Council stated last week that Tallinn City Mayor Edgar Savisaar (photo) should resign as the city is experiencing major financial problems, claiming that the city's budget is short by 12.7 million euros. Savisaar dismissed the allegations as being based on "malicious fantasy," although Anders Tsahkna, deputy mayor from the Reform Party that together with the Centrists makes up the ruling coalition, admitted earlier that the city had a 500,000 euro deficit in the social security field.

Alcohol production and consumption in Estonia has been on the rise in the last two years, according to the Institute of Economic Research. Last year 16.7 million liters of vodka and 103.7 million liters of beer were produced in Estonia, or 16.4 percent and 1.1 percent more than 2002 respectively. The cider market grew most rapidly, as 5.6 million liters of cider were produced in 2003 compared with 3.4 million liters in 2002. About 11 liters of strong spirits per capita were sold in Estonia in 2003, compared with 5.12 liters per capita in 1999. Experts believe that, taking into account the share of illegal alcohol, about 13.1 liters of pure alcohol per capita were consumed in Estonia last year - nearly as much as in Germany and France.

The Estonian two-man expedition in Greenland is half finished. Marko Kalve and Rain Lond skied 355 kilometers in 23 days - more than a half of the 600-kilometer journey - as of April 26. The participants' health conditions were fine, and the duo kept the necessary pace to cover 23 to 25 kilometers per day. The goal of the expedition is to ski across Greenland without any assistance in 40 days.

Estonia is the most economically competitive of the 10 countries joining the EU on May 1, according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum. The strongest sides of the national economy are its open market, development of information society and financial sector and the quality of its business environment. According the report, Estonia is also more competitive than four of the following current EU member states: Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece.

"Capri" (1922-1923), a painting by Eston-ian painter Konrad Magi, was sold last week in an auction at Tallinn's Haus Gallery for a record 64,200 euros, three times that of the previous Estonian record set by another Magi painting. "Capri" (photo) was discovered in Magi's workshop after his death in 1925. The author did not sign the painting, but a number of his fellow Estonian painter friends signed it in his memory.