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Government to invest revenue from sales of emission credits in development of wind energy and public transport
29.07.2010
At its session today, the Government of the Republic of Estonia approved draft sale and purchase agreements for Estonia’s unused pollution quota AAUs (Assigned Amount Units), which are being entered into with the Kingdom of Spain and the Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). With the entry into force of these transactions the government will have sold AAUs to the value of one billion kroons in 2010, which is twice as much as planned in the annual budget.
The sale of the AAUs is taking place as part of the green investment scheme, which requires the revenue raised to be reinvested in environmentally friendly projects designed to reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions. The government’s decision to approve the transactions brought to an end almost a year of preparatory negotiations. Based on the agreement with Spain, the revenue raised from the transaction will be used to develop wind energy and environmentally friendly public transport.
23 million euros (ca 359 million kroons) of AAU sales revenue will be invested in wind energy. This investment will allow production capacity of around 25–30 MW of wind power to be generated in Estonia in addition to the capacity financed through tariff support. The support will be issued by the Environmental Investment Centre foundation on the basis of a regulation of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications. The application round will be launched in August and will be open to new projects which do not receive tariff support. The investment will reduce the CO2 emissions from the production of electricity in Estonia by 1.5 million tonnes over the next 20 years.
As part of the investment scheme for the development of public transport, the state will be spending 21 million euros (ca 328 million kroons) on economical new buses for public service. The Road Administration will be conducting a public procurement in order to implement the support scheme. The buses purchased as a result of the procurement will go into use on regional and outlying urban routes. With the available financial resources it is estimated that ca 110 buses could be purchased, coming into use in 2011. The sale and purchase agreement being entered into with Spain is valued at 688.5 million kroons.
The government has also authorised the Minister of the Environment to enter into an agreement to sell 0.5 million AAUs to the Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). The revenue raised from the transaction will be invested in measures designed to boost the energy efficiency of government department buildings. A total of 11 buildings will be renovated, three of which are used by the Ministry of Education and Research, six by the Ministry of the Interior and two by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Estonia has already entered into two sale and purchase agreements with Austria for the transfer of 2.9 million AAUs.
Baltic prime ministers send letter of gratitude to Barack Obama for US policy of non-recognition
23.07.2010
Tallinn, Stenbock House, 23 July 2010
Today the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania sent US President Barack Obama a joint letter expressing their gratitude to the USA for its policy of non-recognition of the incorporation of the Baltic States in the USSR. The policy commenced exactly seventy years ago.
The letter – signed by Andrus Ansip (Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia), Valdis Dombrovskis (Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia) and Andrius Kubilius (Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania) – states that the restoration of the independence of the Baltic States at the end of the last century became possible due to the principled foreign policy of the United States of America.
“On July 23, 1940, the acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles began a long-lasting non-recognition policy of illegal Soviet occupation and annexation which enabled the diplomatic representations of the Baltic States to continue working and gave their people strength and hope to go on campaigning for their freedom,” the letter states.
“We, the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the American people for their courageous and highly moral action and congratulate you, Mr. President, on this anniversary of the successful foreign policy that has made the United States of America a beacon of freedom for all oppressed nations and aspiring democracies.”
SACEUR praises Estonia’s contribution to international security
14.07.2010
Tallinn, Stenbock House, 14th July 2010 – Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), visited Stenbock House today. At his meeting with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, he expressed his sincere thanks to Estonia for the contribution it has made to guaranteeing international security.
“My message is one of thank you – Estonia has stepped up as a contributor in this Alliance in very real vays, thank you,” Admiral Stavridis said.
At the meeting, the security situation in NATO’s most important military mission in Afghanistan was discussed. According to James Stavridis, we will succeed in Afghanistan because we are a strong Alliance and a total of 47 countries are currently contributing to security in the region.
Prime Minister Ansip affirmed Estonia’s continued commitment to participate in the international security forces in Afghanistan. He said that the members of the Estonian Defence Forces would remain in the mission region as long as is necessary and until the Afghan government so desires.
According to Admiral Stavridis, the bravery and courage of the Estonian forces is well known. “The Estonian Defence Forces have taken deep losses in Southern Afghanistan and I wish to express my condolences to all of the families of all of those troops.”
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe stressed the need to achieve the two-percent defence expenditure target in the alliance’s member states and acknowledged Estonia’s decision to maintain the level of national defence spending during the economic crisis. Andrus Ansip relayed to the Admiral the fundamental promise of the Estonian government to increase the defence spending target to 1.9 percent of GDP next year.
In addition to his meeting with the Prime Minister, Admiral Stavridis met today with members of the Riigikogu, officials of the Ministry of Defence, and officers of the Defence Forces. On Thursday, Admiral James Stavridis will visit the NATO Cyber Defence Centre located at the Headquarters and Communications Battalion in Tallinn, within the course of his two-day visit to Estonia.
Admiral Stavridis assumed duties as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe at the beginning of last summer, having previously commanded the U.S. Southern Command for three years. In addition to fulfilling the assignments of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the SACEUR also serves as Commander of the United States European Command.
Photos of Admiral Stavridis’s visit to Stenbock House are available at http://www.valitsus.ee/?id=10419
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