NordenBladet – On 31 January, the Riigikogu released the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Priit Pikamäe from office and appointed Villu Kõve to this position. Kõve assumed the office of Chief Justice on 4 February.
In a secret ballot, 65 members supported the proposal of President Kersti Kaljulaid to appoint the former Chairman of the Civil Chamber, Villu Kõve, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Nobody voted against the proposal, one member remained impartial and nine abstained.
The term of office for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is nine years.
NordenBladet – Kuressaare (also known as Arensburg, is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County and the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2018 was 13,276. The town is situated on the coast of the Gulf of Riga and is served by the Kuressaare Airport, Roomassaare Harbor, and Kuressaare Yacht Harbor.
Its historic name Arensburg renders the Latin denotation arx aquilae for the city’s castle. The fortress and the eagle, tetramorph symbol of Saint John the Evangelist, are also depicted on Kuressaare’s coat of arms.
The town, which grew around the fortress, was simultaneously known as Arensburg and Kuressaarelinn; the latter name being a combination of Kuressaare—an ancient name of the Saaremaa Island—and linn, which means town. Eventually, the town’s name shortened to Kuressaare and became official in 1918 after Estonia had declared its independence from Bolshevist Russia. Under the Soviet rule, the town was renamed Kingissepa in 1952; after the Bolshevik Kuressaare-native Viktor Kingissepp executed in 1922. The name Kuressaare was restored in 1990.
The town first appeared on maps around 1154. The island of Saaremaa (German, Swedish: Ösel) was conquered by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword under Volkwin of Naumburg in 1227, who merged with the Teutonic Knights shortly afterwards. The first documentation of the castle (arx aquilae) was found in Latin texts written in 1381 and 1422. Over time, a town, which became known as Arensburg or Kuressaarelinn, grew and flourished around the fortress. It became the see of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek established by Albert of Riga in 1228, part of the Terra Mariana.
Johann von Münchhausen, bishop since 1542, converted to Protestantism. With the advance of the troops of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia in the course of the Livonian War, Münchhausen sold his lands to King Frederick II of Denmark in 1559 and returned to Germany. Frederick sent his younger brother Prince Magnus to Kuressaare where he was elected bishop the following year. It was through his influence that the city obtained its civic charter in 1563, modeled after that of Riga . The bishopric was finally secularised in 1572 and Kuressaare fell to the Danish Crown.
In 1645, it passed to Swedish control through the Treaty of Brömsebro after the Danish defeat in the Torstenson War. Queen Christina of Sweden granted her favourite, Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie, the title of Count of Arensburg, the German and Swedish name for Kuressaare at that time. The city was burnt to the ground by Russian troops in 1710 during the Great Northern War and suffered heavily from the plague. Abandoned by the Swedes it was incorporated into the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire through the Treaty of Nystad in 1721.
During the 19th century Kuressaare became a popular seaside resort on the Baltic coast. During World War I, between September and October 1917, German land and naval forces occupied Saaremaa with Operation Albion. During World War II, the Battle of Tehumardi took place. In October 1990, Kuressaare was the first town in Estonia to regain its self-governing status.
The medieval episcopal Kuressaare Castle today houses the Saaremaa Regional Museum. The original wooden castle was constructed between 1338 and 1380, although other sources claim a fortess was built in Kuressaare as early as 1260. In 1968, architect Kalvi Aluve began studies on Kuressaare Castle.
The town hall was originally built in 1654, and restored, retaining classicist and baroque features. It was last restored in the 1960s with dolomite stairs at the front. St Nicolaus Church was built in 1790.
The annual Saaremaa Opera Days (Saaremaa Ooperipäevad) have been held in Kuressaare each summer since 1999. Other festivals include Kuressaare Chamber Music Days (Kuressaare Kammermuusika Päevad), held since 1995 and Kuressaare Maritime Festival (Kuressaare Merepäevad), held since 1998.
Kuressaare also hosts the FC Kuressaare football club.
NordenBladet – According to the biggest remuneration survey in the Baltics, conducted by “Baltic Salary Survey”, this year the highest salary growth was recorder in Estonia. Lithuania and Latvia were not far behind, states the company’s press release.
“After surveying 850 companies and examining changes in remuneration, we can conclude that the monthly salary before taxes this year in Lithuania grew for 81.8% of the surveyed employees and, on average, increased by 7.7%, while the annual salary, including the bonuses – by 10.5%. From a pure statistical standpoint, Latvia slightly overtook us – there was a higher increase in the annual remuneration there, but, as in Estonia, a smaller number of employees experienced it”, – says Povilas Blusius, a representative of “Baltic Salary Survey”, and adds, that these general growth trends are often a good reflection of the general economic health of the country, but various other and more precise indicators should be used when discussing the real increase in compensation levels.
Fastest growth recorded in Estonia
Even though in Latvia and Estonia the proportions of employees that experienced the salary growth were lower than in Lithuania, the increases were higher. In Latvia, 71% of the surveyed employees received higher annual salaries compared to last year’s, with an average increase of 11%. In Estonia, remuneration grew for 73% of the incumbents and, on average, increased by 13%.
The general salary growth trends can be strongly influenced by the changes in the sample of the surveyed employees. As more and more organizations participate in the survey each year, the sample changes, which can often dilute the statistics. Because of that, “Baltic Salary Survey” also calculates the changes for the so-called unchanged sample – those employees who have not changed their position during this year and did not receive promotions. The annual salary in Lithuania for the unchanged sample increased by 8.8%, also, the payout of bonuses was more popular here than in other Baltic countries. In the neighboring Latvia, the growth of annual remuneration for the unchanged sample was much lower, only 3.6%. Estonia is leading the way in this regard as well, growth of monthly salary for the same sample was 6%, annual – 9%.
According to the compensation research specialist, such tendencies often depend or coincide with the general economic indicators of the country: inflation or GDP growth, their forecasts, the monetary policy or the prevailing market sentiments. For example, predictions about the upcoming economic crisis discourages businesses from hiring new workers or investing in the existing ones. The most dominant and fastest-growing sectors of the country, such as IT, construction or pharmaceuticals, can also have a much higher impact on the general statistics and overshadow more subtle changes.
The biggest tax burden falls on the Latvian employees
When comparing remuneration growth, it is important to consider the different tax systems in these countries. In Latvia, employees pay the largest part of their wages in taxes – 31 or 34 percent, which can increase to 42.4 percent for high-earners. Meanwhile in Lithuania there is a constant 24% tax tariff, therefore, even with the higher salary growth in Latvia, after the taxation the employees might have the same or even lower increase. In Estonia, the tax rate is slightly lower than in Lithuania – 23.6%, making it the cheapest in the Baltic States.
IT sector the most competitive salaries
According to the research, in all three Baltic States, no matter the level of the position, IT specialists of various kinds remain among the best paid professionals. The opposite is true with retail specialists – market indexes for this sector are among the lowest, meaning that employees earn lower than the market average.
This year, the highest growth of compensation was recorded in senior engineering positions, as well as in risk management. Rapid remuneration growth was not exclusive to these positions as some of the already competitive IT position saw significant increases – a large part of the organizations upped the monthly salaries of their information security specialists by nearly 14%. Meanwhile, salaries in retail sector stagnated. Some retail companies have successfully implemented new remuneration policies that, with a subsequent increase in bonus payouts, pushed the growth of the annual salary to about 2%.
According to the compensation specialists, wage growth usually reflects the demand for specialists of the specific profession. With the steady and consistent salary growth, system analysts continue to be among the most desired specialists in the Baltic States.
NordenBladet – Estella Elisheva returned from Saaremaa, spent 2 nights at home and now headed to the violin camp. Upon arrival from Saaremaa she announced that she would like to talk about her future plans. More specifically, she claimed she had started to like the field of psychiatry and that based on the career pattern of her grandfather she would like to become a psychiatrist as her main profession. Oh gosh! I thought… now were did that come from? Has anyone messed with my child’s mind? Yet this kind of emotion was very brief. Since I do know my child Estella and I know perfectly well that she makes all her decisions herself – the girl is utterly realisitic and down to earth. Also, I have no intention to vigorously arrange her future myself – a person chooses their own path in life! More than that – psychiatry and the science and art of medicine has throughout centuries been the path of the wise and the honourable.
As a mother the first thing on my mind was actually her delicate soul. She becoming a psychiatrist – what would that entail? Estella has the world kindest heart – while sometimes it perhaps may happen that I pretend to be caring, she genuinely cares. While others perhaps seemingly do something, she does it for real – she LOVES people genuinely, more than I for example could imagine. If you are familiar with the book „Gone with the Wind” – I would draw a parallel between the characters Scarlett O´Hara and Melanie Hamilton. While I am the first one, Estella Elisheva is the other – Melania – a persons that will love the other unconditionally, a person born with a kind and loving heart ready for sacrifices. Estella is the person that will love even in the circumstances where there is no personal gain in play. Not that I haven’t got a good heart or that I didn’t wish well for people or that I didn’t care for people or even oftentimes put others first (actually I do have a problem with that frequently, may it sound as it does – I am at times too caring and taking too much responsibility – but when it comes to Estella Elisheva then we talk completely on another level of love for the neighbour, the kind that will be accompanied by self-sacrifice and other higher standards. Estella is like that – actually, genuinely good, to the extreme. And now when she wishes to be a psychiatrist then me as a mother would of course react with fear that she could burn out very soon. My fear would be that she would be living other people’s negative emotions and all the helping of others would not be through science and wisdom but through the emotions and energy.
So I told Estella that the profession of a psychiatrist is a difficult one, I have observed that with my own father. My father – a recognized and valued psychiatrist, entrepreneur, leader and politician Jüri Ennet – is a very competent, wise and intelligent man who is capable of filtering information and find solutions swiftly and promptly in every situation.
Jüri Ennet is a man that would make a good head of the state, a king if Estonia were a kingdom, he is a man that brings solutions – he loves the people, he stands for the people, he cares for our country. Having been side by side I see how he cares for our nation and how he feels for the weaker ones in the country in need of help, and most certainly his patients, and how much he does for the Estonian nation – he is a person who cares both for the common citizen as well as about the nobleman. And now I imagine my little 11-year old daughter beside him – with a heart as large as the world, and with a soul tender as a deer. Certainly it confuses me. A delicate, model-size Estella suddenly uttering these solid ideas… To be honest with you, I was not ready for that conversation.
I told her: „It will all cross your body. But since you are very sensitive, more sensitive and emotional than most people, then I am afraid it will cause problems.” Estella opposed that opinion, saying that it makes her happy to help other people and that she wishes her life to have just that deeper meaning – to help people like grandfather does. In my heart I felt I was proud of my child, but it was also partly a scary and hesitant feeling. I know that from the genes of my father there will grow winners and fighters – since he certainly is among the greatest strategists, doctors and fellow men. Father presses and manages the right buttons here in Estonia as well as abroad and that cannot just pass his offsprings, children nd grandchildren. I have raised a clever child with a kind heart. I do not wish to confront any of her ideas. She will develop on her own, she will make her own choices and decisions. Since she has started to like the subject of health education at school (she tells me: „Beer is not good for you”) then I have to admit that childrwn are often wiser that grownups. I do not wish to be the type of mother that children avoid talking to. I wish to be a mother that the child comes to wit ALL KINDS OF THOUGHTS.
It might be that my first born child is meant to follow the difficult but dignified and significant path of my father.
OHMYGOSSIP – Estella Elisheva is an 11-year-old girl from Tallinn who already knows today that in the future she will become a violinist. “I am very fond of music, especially classical music,” tells the young music friend from Tallinn Jewish School to OHMYGOSSIPteen.
„When I grow up I wish to become a violinist or an opera singer, or both. I would love to be a solo artist as well as perform with an orchestra. However, at the moment I am still very young and these are grand future plans. I like to practice, and sometimes my friend would not understand why I do not go out to play with them, it is because I practice.”
Estella Elisheva is a versatile girl and besides playing the violin she also has other hobbies. „I actually have quite many hobbies. I like to sing and for many years I have taken ballroom dancing lessons. And whenever I sing, I like to sing the opera. My voice breadth is quite good and it goes quite high up. For example the Phantom of the Opera I can sing up until the highest note. And it is a matter of practice, I have not trained my voice properly, only once in a while at home for my own sake. In addition to that I like art, drawing and theatre! The latter is really high standard in Estonia. Both Tartu and Tallinn theatres are visited by world renown artists and seeing them perform is very delightful. I sometimes skip a schoolday to go to the theatre or to practice the violin. I am looking forward to seeing the opera „Carmen” once more in Vanemuise theatre hall. And I wouldn’t get tired of seeing the Phantom of the Opera!”
Estella Elisheva, having given many minor concerts, says that a serious concert isn’t something she would consider before graduating from music school. „I publish posts of me playing the violin to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and I am glad to see that many people like that, however, I still got the feeling that there is plenty, plenty of room for progress. Perhaps I am okay for an 11-year-old, but I wouldn’t wanna play the noted classics in a fashion that makes them turn in their grave,” laughs Estella Elisheva.
NordenBladet – In a court order dated 10.04.2018, the Supreme Court has explained that regardless of the lack of implementing acts, the Registered Partnership Act entered into force on 1 January 2016 and is now a part of the Estonian legal order. According to the Supreme Court, the failure to issue the implementing acts for the Registered Partnership Act does not per se give grounds for declaring the situation unconstitutional.
An application for initiating constitutional review proceedings was submitted to the Supreme Court by the Tallinn Circuit Court, who considered that by failing to issue the implementing acts for the Registered Partnership Act the legislator had violated the Constitution. Generally, the Supreme Court will assess whether the provisions of a legislative act are constitutional, and in the case of a breach will declare the act unconstitutional. However, in the case of a failure to issue a legislative act, the Supreme Court will identify the unconstitutional gap, and will oblige the legislator to draw up legislation in a situation where the latter has failed to fulfil its constitutional obligation.
According to the Constitutional Review Chamber, a general acknowledgment that the implementing acts for the Registered Partnership Act have not been adopted is not enough to identify an unconstitutional gap.
Since the Registered Partnership Act has entered into force and is valid, the addressees of the law are entitled to rely on it when they are defending their subjective rights. The Constitutional Review Chamber considers that, although the Riigikogu has failed to amend other laws in accordance with the Registered Partnership Act, this does not relieve the courts of the obligation to implement the Registered Partnership Act in individual cases. If necessary, conflicts arising from the different legal provisions shall be resolved based on the general principles of law. The courts will have to interpret the law in a way that ensures a constitutional result.
The Supreme Court has rejected the application for the abovementioned reasons, and taking into account the fact that the courts who had initiated the constitutional review proceedings did not explain what they found to be the legal provisions, the lack of which hampered the adjudication of the court case.
NordenBladet — NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence based in Estonia, celebrated the accession of two new members – Belgium and Sweden.
According to Mr. Sven Sakkov, the Director of NATO CCD COE, the joining of Bulgaria and Portugal with the community of nations at the Centre has also been initiated.
“International cooperation of like-minded nations in cyber defence is becoming inevitable. We are witnessing a growing interest towards our applied research, trainings and exercises, but the preparedness of nations to contribute themselves reflects more than just recognition to the work that has been done. It proves that we offer needed support for member nations and the international community in building their cyber defence” said Sven Sakkov, director of the multinational and interdisciplinary hub of cyber defence expertise.
Accesion of Belgium and Sweden was celebrated with a flag-raising ceremony at the NATO CCD COE based in Estonia. In addition to the delegations from Belgium and Sweden, the occasion was witnessed by the delegation of Cyber Commands from 16 nations.
Founded in 2008 NATO CCD COE is a NATO-accredited international military organisation supporting its member nations and NATO with cyber defence expertise in the fields of technology, strategy, operations, and law. The heart of the Centre is a diverse group of experts: researchers, analysts, trainers, educators. The mix of military, government and industry backgrounds means the provides a unique 360-degree approach to cyber defence.
NATO CCD COE is the home of the Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations. The Centre also organises the world’s largest and most complex international technical cyber defence exercise Locked Shields.
The Centre is staffed and financed by its sponsoring nations and contributing participants. Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are signed on as Sponsoring Nations of NATO CCD COE. Austria, Finland and Sweden have become Contributing Participants, a status eligible for non-NATO nations.
NordenBladet – Women can serve in all roles in the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF), Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Gen. Riho Terras said on Thursday (01.March).
“Estonia is too small to leave half of our population out of national defense,” Terras said in remarks released ahead of a conference titled “Women, Peace and Security”. This is true for the defense forces as well — we have neither specialties nor units where women’s participation would be barred or restricted due to gender. Women do not have to be only medics or members of the signal corps; they can serve in all roles in the EDF.”
In his opening remarks at the conference, the Estonian defense chief said that the ideology of a popular military is central to Estonia’s defense forces.
NordenBladet – If you haven’t updated your ID card’s digital certificates yet, you have until Mar. 31 to do so. After that, the certificates will be deleted, and the your card can’t be used for digital identification anymore.
So far 441,000 people have updated their ID cards’ digital certificates, 322,000 of them remotely, the Police and Border Guard (PPA) reported. Some 100,000 cards’ certificates still haven’t been updated though. These cards will still be useful beyond Mar. 31 as a physical means of identification, but their holders won’t be able to access e-services anymore.
NordenBladet – While the ice road between the mainland and the smaller island of Vormsi was opened on Thursday, the islanders on Hiiumaa and Saaremaa still have to wait, as the ice between the two largest islands isn’t thick enough yet to take the weight of cars and trucks.
The ferry route between Rohuküla on the mainland and Heltermaa on the island of Hiiumaa is currently interrupted due to the very low water level in the shipping channel. A temporary connection between the island and the harbor of Virtsu has run since late on Thursday, but it is slow both because of the conditions along the route as well as the fact that the Saaremaa ferries are operating out of Virtsu as well.
The only other way Hiiumaa residents have to reach the mainland is by taking the much smaller ferry from Hiiumaa to Saaremaa first, and then to drive to Kuivastu and take the ferry from there. An ice road between the two major islands would make this a lot easier, but the ice isn’t yet thick enough to take the weight of cars and trucks.
