Ilves Outlines Vision for Estonia
According to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, improving the quality of life should be Estonia's principal goal for the next decade.
In Ilves's view, this would involve striving for a number of different objectives, including the following:
- a state that also functions effectively in crisis situations and remains close to the people and active citizens who are aware of their freedoms and responsibilities;
- a state that welcomes and, if necessary, also supports citizen initiatives and free exchange of ideas, because a free state always acts in service of its citizens instead of viewing them as a national "resource";
- honest, corruption-free administration at the state and municipality level and an economy that values free enterprise and honest competition and has an education system that takes into account everybody's abilities and needs;
- an open and friendly attitude towards our friends and strangers and a foreign policy that merges our interests and values in the best possible way;
- an European way of thinking that preserves and promotes our customs, language, and culture while valuing the customs, languages, and cultures of others.
"Only thus will we bring about a situation in which living in Estonia is an enviable opportunity instead of an obligation inherited from the parents," noted Ilves.
"As I see it, the next president's primary concern should be that all the children born in Estonia grow up to be dignified members of the society, that young Estonians want to start a family, work, create values, and foster culture here, that people age with dignity in Estonia, that the societal ties are strong enough not to exclude anybody, that we help those people who feel uncomfortable or superfluous here because of their nationality, mother tongue, or history to come to love Estonia," he added.
Sigrid Maasen