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15 December, 2017


✔︎ This is the last newsletter for 2017, but it will return in January. 
Comments, criticisms, and suggestions: estonews@icloud.com
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We begin with two New Yorker magazine articles, published 28 years apart. 'Estonia, the Digital Republic' talks about present-day Estonia. 

The second article, 'Symbols of Sovereignty’, documents the observations of journalist David K. Shipler’s visit to Tallinn in 1989. I found it to be a powerful reminder of how much has changed in a very short amount of time. 


✔︎ 2017: 'Estonia, the Digital Republic'
By Nathan Heller
(The New Yorker - December 2017)
“Its government is virtual, borderless, blockchained, and secure. Has this tiny post-Soviet nation found the way of the future? … ”


✔︎ 1989: 'Symbols of Sovereignty'
by David K. Shipler
(The New Yorker - September 1989)
“Estonia was initially the most adventurous of the Soviet Union’s 15 republics in seizing the opportunity provided by Gorbachev’s expanding permissiveness, in trying for more democracy and private enterprise than Gorbachev envisions …"
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o5bb170faufoxhg/New%20Yorker%201989%20article%20.pdf?dl=0


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Jõulud Tulevad!
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Friday 15. 
December
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✔︎ Net Neutrality: What are the internet rules in Europe?

(Euronews)
"EU net neutrality standards were put in place by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). According to BEREC’s regulation, ISPs are prohibited from blocking or slowing down internet traffic except when necessary. The exceptions are limited to traffic management to comply with a legal order, ensure network security, or manage congestion."
--
"The law seeks to protect the user’s right to “be free to access and distribute information and content, run applications and use services of their choice” so people can use their favourite apps and services no matter the internet offer they subscribe to."

BEREC Report: One year of Implementation of the Net Neutrality rules across Europe
(PDF download available)

- Moscow has Now Blocked More than Nine Million Web Pages
(Window on Eurasia)
“… Moscow has officially blocked 250,000 internet sites but that if you add to these the blocked mirror sites and sub-domains of these sites, the actual number of addresses the Russian authorities have blocked is more than nine million."




✔︎ The Estonian National Museum seeks exhibition material on ESTO

(Estonian World)

"The ESTO festival, which was born in exile as the Global Estonian Cultural Days in 1972, will be held in Helsinki, Tallinn and Tartu in 2019. The exhibition the two museums are looking to put together is to mark the occasion of the festival returning home, the Estonian National Museum said in a statement."

--
"The museums are interested in people’s memories, as well as photos, films, advertising materials, programmes, souvenirs, letters and postcards sent to family and friends and any other pertinent material …"



- Vaid 4 protsenti eestlastest usub, et NATO ei tule ohu korral appi
(ERR)
"78 protsenti eestlastest peab NATO-sse kuulumist Eesti suurimaks julgeolekugarantiiks."



- 200,000 eestlase sotsiaalmeedia konto paroolid murti lahti
(ERR | Delfi | CERT)
"Riigi infosüsteemi ameti intsidentide lahendamise osakond (CERT) teavitas ligi 200 000 eestimaalast nende tööandja kaudu sotsiaalmeedia konto paroolide lekkimisest."
"Tuntud Eesti inimeste nimekujuga meiliaadresse on tehtud suvalistesse meilikeskkonadesse.”
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"Kes soovib kontrollida, kas mõni tema sotsiaalmeedia konto parool on lekkinud, saab oma meiliaadressi sisetada klikates CERT-i osutatud aadressile:"



- In Estonia, almost everything can be done online
(PRI)

Ilves at Stanford University: "The biggest shock of being in Silicon Valley, the (U.S.) Mecca of innovation and IT, is that the bureaucracy is stuck at a level that has really not substantially changed since the 1950s. I think that is at the same level as elsewhere in the United States. It's just the contrast is especially strong where, within 10 miles of me are the headquarters of Facebook, Google, Apple, Tesla."

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"You can do all kinds of things, like play with augmented reality. But if you have to prove that you live where you live or get your child to be registered for school, you have to come in with a paper copy of your electricity bill. The reality of your sort of life dealing with bureaucracy it is not touched by the digital revolution."



- Presidents of Estonia, Latvia to visit Valga, Valka on 10th anniversary of Schengen Area
(Baltic Times)
"Dec. 21 will mark the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement which guaranteed free movement between Valga and Valka for citizens of both towns. According to the agreement, permanent border control on the border between Estonia and Latvia was removed, and movement between the two towns was simplified."



- Tusk ja Juncker nimetasid Eesti eesistumist suurepäraseks
(ERR)
"Saksa kantsler Angela Merkel tänas reedel Brüsselis Eestit ja peaminister Jüri Ratast eduka eesistumise eest ja tõstis esile rõhuasetuse digitaliseerumisele."



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 ‘PESCO' 
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- The New EU defense pact: Who’s doing what
(Politico-Europe)
"The pact, known as Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), has already been feted at several launches, but it received the official blessing of heads of state and government at their summit in Brussels on Thursday. … PESCO is the successor of a more than 50-year-old vision for European security cooperation."

- Making Sense of PESCO
(International Policy Digest)

- PESCO Factsheet
(EU)

- NATO Secretary General comments on PESCO
(NATO - 13. Nov.)

"One is that we need coherence when it comes to development of capabilities. We must avoid that the same nations have two sets of requirements for what kind of capabilities they should develop.”

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"Secondly, we need to be sure that forces and capabilities developed under PESCO are also available for NATO.”
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"And thirdly, we need the fullest possible involvement of non-EU NATO Allies in the consultations and in the process. Because we also have to make sure that they are included as far as possible in these discussions.

- Can PESCO provide a new European identity?
(Deutsche Welle - 13. Nov.)
“… will be the most ambitious tool yet in the EU's security arsenal.”
(but)
"The idea that PESCO is a step towards 'European strategic autonomy' is still highly problematic to some member states and will need to be clarified …"




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Thursday 14. 
December
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- Gotlandi saar saab taas alalise armee rügemendi
(Postimees)

- Baltic island of Gotland gets own army regiment
(Daily Finland)
“In its 2015 defense policy, Sweden's Social Democrat-Green Party government designated Gotland as one of the country's strategic military areas. In September, Sweden held a three-week long military exercise called Aurora 17. It was the country's biggest military exercise in 23 years and the main focus was the defense of Gotland.



- Estonia: Europe's Little Technological Giant
(Emerging Europe)
"Estonia is in the last month of its EU presidency. Having called itself the ‘digital presidency’ it is not surprising that many of the themes of this past month are digital: progression on the taxation of the digital economy and the free movement of data, approval of an ecommerce VAT package, and an agreement on further steps to develop 5G networks across Europe."



- Estonian e-government system to eliminate administrative hell in Ukraine’s civil service
(Euromaidan Press)
"The system is called X-Road, and it is an Estonian invention. Its chief value lies in that it secures the exchange of data between different electronic state registries in real time. The system has been introduced in this or other aspects in 60 countries across the globe."



- Guide to Finland's 28. January 2018 presidential election
(Yle)



- European Council Blog
(Politico-Europe)
"EU heads of state or government met on 14 December 2017 in Brussels to address defense matters. They are expected to welcome the launch of the permanent structured cooperation (PESCO) and to review progress in other fields, notably on EU-NATO cooperation."

- Tusk võttis Euroopa Komisjoniga vastuollu minnes suure riski
(ERR)

- Jüri Ratas, Prime Minister of Estonia, comments at the European Council Arrival
(European Council TV)

- EU leaders' summit: What's on the agenda?
(Deutsche Welle)
"As European Union leaders meet in Brussels for the last time this year, three major items dominate the agenda: Brexit, defense and migration."



- Get ready for disinfo 2.0
by Edward Lucas
(CEPA)
"But what we have seen so far, fake news sites, the use of stolen, twisted information, swarms of pretend social-media accounts and so forth, is just the start. Next-generation tactics will be far worse. They will involve audio and video that has not just been edited in order to deceive, but outright invented.”
"How will the world react to footage of Vladimir Putin confessing that the invasion of Ukraine was a mistake - or issuing an ultimatum to the Baltic states? How will we know whether these images and sounds are real? And if the Kremlin then denies that Putin said anything of the kind, how do we know if the denial is truthful?"



Travel: A guide to Europe’s most underrated country
(New York Post)



- First quota refugees from Eritrea arrive in Estonia
(Baltic Times)




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Wednesday 13. 
December
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- Riigikogu võttis vastu 2018. aasta riigieelarve
(ERR)
"Tuleva aasta eelarve arvestab 3,3-protsendilise majanduskasvuga ja kavandab eelarve 0,25-protsendilise miinusega. Eelnõu järgi on eelarve kulude ja investeeringute maht 10,58 miljardit eurot ja tulude maht 10,33 miljardit eurot. Kulud kasvavad 2017. aastaga võrreldes 922 miljoni euro võrra ehk 9,5 protsenti, tulud kasvavad 986 miljoni euro võrra ehk 10,6 protsenti."

- Riigikogu adopts 2018 state budget



- Narvas kaalutakse verise taustaga tänavanimede muutmist
(Postimees)
"Narvas on taas päevakorda kerkinud siiani kahe kommunistliku mõrtsuka nime kandva tänava ümbernimetamise küsimus, 15 aastat tagasi oli see teema esimest korda päevakorras."



- NATO kindral: Eesti küberväejuhatus oleks kasulik nii NATO-le kui ka EL-ile
(ERR)



- Koolielu 19. sajandil – polegi nii erinev tänapäevast
(ERR)



- President Kaljulaid peab oma aastalõpukõne Vabaduse väljakul 
(Delfi)
"Kui tavaliselt on Eesti rahvas harjunud, et vabariigi presidendi aastalõpukõne ja uusaastatervitus jõuab nendeni läbi telekanali ja on eelnevalt salvestatud, siis president Kersti Kaljulaid peab seekord oma kõne otse vana-aastaõhtu rahvapeol Tallinnas Vabaduse väljakul."



- Tallinna-Tartu maantee uue neljarealise osa ehitusmaksumus on 38 miljonit
(ERR)
"Ardu–Võõbu vaheline 11 kilomeetri pikkune lõik on üks osa Kose–Mäo neljarajalisest maanteelõigust. Ehitus algab 2018. aasta esimeses kvartalis ning kestab 32 kuud. Uus teelõik on projekteeritud kiirusele 120 kilomeetrit tunnis."



Arvamus: Kas Eesti on uus Soome?
(Äripäev)



- Poll: Only a fifth of Finns back NATO membership
(Yle)



European View: The U.S. Alabama Election
(Washington Post)
“… in Europe it was taken as a sign that the United States has not totally lost its moral compass.”




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Tuesday 12. 
December
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✔︎ Neeme Järvi brings quiet authority to Chicago Symphony Orchestra
(Chicago Tribune | Chicago Classical Review)
"To affix "distinguished" before Järvi's name is only proper, given a long career trajectory that has taken him to every major orchestra and made him one of the most prolific classical recording artists ever, with nearly 500 recordings to his credit. At 79, he is currently artistic director of the National Symphony Orchestra in his native Estonia. That his sons Paavo and Kristjan also are successful conductors gives the Jarvi surname dynastic significance."

- Neeme Järvi dirigeerib taas kuulsat Chicago sümfooniaorkestrit
(ERR)




- A Way of Resistance: A Brief History of Buddhism in Estonia

(Deep Baltic)
"The first Estonian to be declared a saint was a Buddhist, and the religion also provided a means of resistance for some Estonian intellectuals during the Soviet occupation."



- Ilves receives World Leader in Cybersecurity Award 
(Boston Global Forum)
“… for his nation’s achievements in developing cyber-defense strategies for all nations, and for establishing Estonia’s preeminence as a world leader in cyberspace technology, defense and safe access."



- Eesti kaitsevägi sai Ameerika Ühendriikidelt Javelini rakette
(ERR | Postimees)
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- 17 Oligarchs Who Are Shaping Eastern Europe
(Ostpol - Germany)



- Jens Stoltenberg jätkab NATO peasekretärina 2020. aasta oktoobrini
(ERR)




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Monday 11. 
December
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- The Real Demographic Challenges in the Baltic Countries aren’t Ethnic
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
“… analysts both in Russia and the West are focusing on the real demographic challenges to these countries."
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  "There are three main kinds: rapidly aging populations as a result of low and declining birth rates and longer live expectancies, the exodus of young and well-educated cohorts to other parts of Europe, and the declining size of the workforce capable of paying the taxes to support the elderly."



- Standard and Poor's (S&P) kinnitas Eesti pikaajalise riigireitingu senisel tasemel AA- stabiilse väljavaatega
(ERR)



- Estonia to continue five school break schedule until 2021
(BNN)



Survey: Finland one of most discriminatory countries in EU
(Helsinki Times)
"A total of 25,500 randomly selected first- and second-generation immigrants and members of ethnic minorities were interviewed …"



- Iceland is further away from EU membership than ever
(EU Observer)



- Terras: reservistid oskavad ja tahavad oma riiki kaitsja
(Postimees)

- Välkõppusele Okas jätsid tulemata 145 reservväelast
(Postimees | ERR)






- No Russia news this week. 

I recommend Paul Goble’s 'Window on Eurasia’ for news from Russia:

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