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Andrus Ansip's speech in Riigikogu, 4 April 2007
05.04.2007
Dear President and honourable Members of the Riigikogu, dear Guests, dear Estonia,
The story of Estonia of the last 15 years has been a story of success. Estonia is neither tilting nor on the edge of a precipice. I would like to thank our proud, dignified, hard-working nation, the earlier governments of Estonia and the earlier parliaments for building up a democratic state with a rapidly developing economy.
However, there is no reason for euphoria. Regardless of the great and indisputable economic success, our biggest problem is still posed by our economy, which is relatively weak in comparison with the top rank. Our wealth is not immense, and distribution of wealth is not our main task. We have yet enough social problems that need solving.
The President of the Republic, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, has proposed that I should form the new government. This is the reason why I am asking for your support today. Let me assure you that after your expression of support, the government comprised of the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica, the social democrats and the Reform Party will be ready to secure and further our present social and economic success.
The prospective government applying for its authority from the Riigikogu today has clear goals and clear objectives for the future of Estonia. We are striving towards a happy Estonia which stands together and belongs among the wealthiest countries in Europe.
I unwaveringly believe that this is the future and the path of Estonia.
The government’s care for the economic security of families, higher pensions, salaries of working people, promotion of rural development and for the Estonian language is an everyday task. This is what an Estonian government should be. This is the minimum programme of any Estonian government.
The tasks of the prospective government requesting its authority from you today have been set as more ambitious and for a longer term.
In addition to care for the well-being of families, higher pensions, workers’ salaries, rural development and the Estonian language, we would like to shift Estonia closer to the day when we are indeed able to say: Estonia is a happy country standing together and belonging among the wealthiest nations in Europe.
This is not an easy task.
What are the plans of the prospective government to make that day arrive?
The backbone of the new Estonian government will be comprised in a programme for taking on ten big challenges faced by Estonia.
These are the Estonian people’s ten commandments to their governments, which I already spoke about on 24 February and on the eve of the elections.
Firstly, positive population growth. This is a key to Estonia’s long-term continuance and the new government’s concrete objective for the next four years. Without the sustainability of the nation, any other plans would be quite pointless.
Growth of the Estonian population is, though, a manageable objective. This will mean a consistent family policy. This will mean a struggle for higher lifespans, healthy ways of life, a traffic culture considerate of others and safe working conditions.
The family policy of the government applying for authority today will recognise everyone who creates or increases their family. We will extend the payment of parental benefits until the child reaches one and a half years of age; we will increase fathers’ opportunities to stay at home with little children without any decrease in the standard of living; we will establish a lower income tax for anyone with at least one child in the family. Increase in the number of nursery school places is important to us.
We will establish a national allowance for extracurricular study classes to enable school-agers to develop their talents and abilities and a healthy lifestyle already from early youth. Support for infertility treatment, where the government wishes to help families on a level equal to those of the wealthiest European countries, is an important agenda item.
The second great task of the new government is to ensure energy independence and energy security. This will mean the achievement of confidence that sufficient quantities of energy will be available to our next generations at a price which is not unaffordably high — high in ecological terms as well as in terms of political independence and, directly, in terms of money. This will involve economic approach and diversification: alternative energy source materials, energy conservation and nuclear energy.
Thirdly, we have to stay in the global competition of tax and business environments. Estonia is competing with the entire world for investments. We must not suspend the development of a competitive environment, and any regression is out of the question. In several aspects related to tax environments, Estonia is not among those in the leading position. Such changes in the economic environment as the introduction of a progressive income tax, a tax increase or playing with the corporate income tax would prejudice the competitiveness of Estonia and the employment and salary prospects of all the Estonian people.
Therefore, we will maintain the corporate income tax system of Estonia, decrease the rate of the personal income tax to 18 per cent by the year 2011 and increase the minimum tax-exempt income to 3000 kroons per month.
We shall not be successful if saving and investment are not valued by the citizens themselves. We will provide incentives for saving and investment by equalising the business investments of private individuals with those of legal persons.
The new government will continue the strict and surplus-driven budgetary policy and reduce government-sector debt.
We have the clear objective of joining the euro zone and introducing the euro as soon as possible.
The fourth great challenge is comprised by availability of good education opportunities and conversion of our economic structure from human-intensive into knowledge-intensive production, boosting innovation with all means available. This is the only way to maintain the rapid economic growth over the long term.
Estonian enterprises should set the goal of using their innovative solutions to create new industries and push their way into international markets. The actual economic potential will be revealed only by global competition, not by local affairs with the next-door neighbour. All this will require determined work and support from the government in order to engage Estonian intellectuals in furtherance of this objective. Failing this, we shall be unable to cope, as an independent economy, with the issues of ageing and decreasing population — since we do not and will not have new workforce in abundance.
This is, in fact, the costliest point in our plans as it concerns the entire Estonian society. It will involve changes in the education system and more money for education, including a salary increase for teachers, stimulation of demand for the education of doctoral students, introduction of more flexibility into the labour market, promotion of e State solutions and the increase of direct expenditure on research and development to 2 per cent of GDP by the year 2011.
Fifthly, it is vital for Estonia to develop the role of an active standard-bearer and spiritual leader in reinforcing the European Union and NATO and pursuing the unity of the Western world. This means the maintenance of our unfaltering ties with the Western world, the Western realm of values.
This is the real key to our security. The Republic of Estonia is a liberal democratic state. Active struggle for democracy in any place in the world is, for the government taking office, a struggle for Estonia’s sovereignty and independence. We have prepared a specific and manageable plan of activity to make Estonia’s contribution to resolving this concern shared by the Western world; we have drawn up a plan to promote the liberal democratic movement and to support new democracies in our neighbouring countries, and we intend to implement this plan. This is our little but continuous War of Independence.
International security is indivisible, and international cooperation is the main guarantee of our security. The defence of Estonia cannot be severed from the defence policies of NATO and the European Union. Our financial contribution to the defence capacity will be 2 per cent of GDP by the year 2010.
The sixth important commandment to the government is the maintenance and development of the Estonian language and culture: development of the Estonian language into a language of the Internet and computers as well as the provision of guarantees for the viability of professional and amateur culture.
Those languages which could not develop into writing on the basis of the spoken language, disappeared. A language which is not able to develop, based on the written language, into a language of the Internet and computers, will also disappear. All future governments will have to stand, uncompromisingly, for reinforcement of the position of Estonian as a modern language. Only one state in the world is responsible for the future of the Estonian language. This state is the Republic of Estonia.
In the coalition programme, we are presenting a unique plan to strengthen the positions of the Estonian language in the modern world. Nothing so unambiguous and beautiful has been envisaged in any earlier coalition programme. This is manageable and we will make it reality.
Without the Estonian language and culture, there would be no point in having our own state.
Seventhly, conservation and development of the ecologically clean and beautiful, sustainable and innovative Estonia. We have historical advantages to establish an ecologically thinking, clean and green country based on the market economy. This does not necessitate any eco-terrorism or extremes. We must smartly value our natural environment and resources and devise new ways of how the citizens’ well-being and satisfaction could be increased by a diverse and well-conserved natural environment.
The government presently formed must, inter alia, thank the Estonian Greens and their electors, as the programme of the new government contains a number of their ideas.
The eighth, enormously important challenge is presented by further development of a high-quality viable health and social system that would not subject the people to a dependency on the state but would leave room for free citizens’ own liability. This is the only method to deal with the pressure posed by the ageing and decreasing population.
The coalition’s programme features the appreciation of healthy ways of life as well as guarantees for non-insured persons’ access to a family physician and the extension of programmes for preventing cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
A broad-based social agreement is needed to meet this challenge. This is the very reason why I have pursued a broad-based government coalition which would definitely also include representatives of leftist views.
Ninthly: modernisation of the country, engagement of citizens and increase in internal security. We must aim towards stronger local government authorities, great trust in the Police, the Rescue Board and the Border Guard, and towards strong nonprofit organisations.
A tough state — lean but strong — has long ago lost its status as a source of terror. Today the situation is quite the opposite. No one wants to stand behind the counter in a long queue in front of an invincible army of officials in order to submit their innocent income-tax return. This can be done more sustainably now by making greater use of the opportunities offered by the e State.
Nobody in Estonia tolerates the provision of lousy services for tremendous prices. This is tolerated no longer even if those services are provided by the state. The state must offer the best and the most convenient options and strive to set an example.
And of course, our objective is to successfully protect human lives, the health and property of the people.
And tenthly — last but not least — the government aims at maintaining and developing Estonia as a liberal society and living environment. Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission and a former Prime Minister of Estonia, has said: ‘Freedom is a paradoxical phenomenon. It exists unnoticed and when it disappears, it is usually too late to do anything.’
This must always be remembered by good governments who are responsible in respect of the citizens. However, the governments also need help and support in this work. Therefore, an opposition and the press with the ability to concentrate and express criticism play an important role as well.
I will not reject any critical remark or a good idea just because it originates from an opposition deputy.
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Dear Compatriots,
These ten are the direct and inevitable tasks of the government.
However, the duties of the government will not be limited to those mentioned. Governments always also have a symbolic message of their own.
What will be the message to be read between the lines conveyed by the programme and line-up of the new government to the world and Estonia?
The message of the government is still, and again, one: we are striving towards a happy Estonia which stands together and belongs among the wealthiest countries in Europe.
One’s for sure: we are not there yet. But each successive day will be better than the previous one.
Thank you.
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