Refugee Policy Estonia's Most Critical Human Rights Topic, Says MP
Sixty-five years after the UN passed its Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the world still has its work cut out for it.
For Estonia, one of the most topical issues is whether the country should adopt a more liberal refugee policy, MP Mart Nutt told ERR radio.
Nutt, who chairs Parliament's Human Rights Group, said Estonia's current refugee strategy focuses on financial aid, and less on offering a place to live.
"We know the reasoning here - that Estonia as a small country has a smaller capacity than larger countries; that is clear to everyone. At the same time, Estonia has been criticized for having the lowest number of refugees per resident in the European Union," Nutt said.
Estonia is currently home to around 70 refugees, according to Nutt. But a reasonable potential capacity is greater, he said.
"Estonia could without any problem have 200-300 refugees. At the same time, the refugee problem always lies in the fact that it is often unpredictable. What is currently going on in the Mediterranean has a relatively small impact on Estonia, but just as the Arab Spring was unexpected, we don't know what will happen in Ukraine," he said.
Human Rights Day is being observed internationally today.