TALLINN (EJP)— For the first time since it joined the European Union in 2004, Estonia takes over the EU six-month presidency which will focus on digital innovation.
During the next six months, the country will be responsible for defining the EU Council’s positions while taking into account the interests of all member states and remaining neutral at the same time.
Estonia’s priorities are :
-An open and innovative European economy – developing a business environment that supports knowledge-based growth and competitiveness
-A safe and secure Europe – strengthening the fight against terrorism and crime, continuing the work on the migration crises and increasing defence expenditure
-A digital Europe and the free movement of data – ensuring modern and secure e-communications to be available across Europe
-An inclusive and sustainable Europe – supporting equal opportunities for high-quality education, employment and development of skills
During the presidency, about 20 meetings at the ministerial level, visits and conferences as well as around 200 other presidency-related events are taking place in Estonia during the presidency. Most of these events are related to the political and daily work of the EU, but Estonia will also attract thousands of new visitors to the country. The country expects to host up to 30,000 additional visitors and approximately 1,000 foreign journalists during this period.
Around 2,500 Jews live in Estonia, most of them in the capital Tallinn. Small communities exist also in Kohtla-Jarv, Parnu, Tartu and Narva. In Klooga, to the southeast of Tallinn, the site of an infamous concentration camp, a Shoah’s Victims’ Monument was erected. Twenty markers were placed by the community in the country on the sites of concentration camps and mass killing places.