Stories from and

European Citizens Call for the Protection of Media Pluralism

  20 January 2014

“European institutions should safeguard the right to free, independent and pluralistic information”. The quote, from the Media Initiative website, summarizes the main idea behind a pan-European campaign that aims at urging the European Commission to draft a Directive to protect Media Pluralism and Press Freedom. The Media Initiative is running a European Citizens’ Initiative – a tool...

Eastern Europeans to Boost UK IT Industry

  3 July 2013

The UK labour movement restrictions placed several years ago to prevent migrants from Romania and Bulgaria from moving permanently and seeking employment in the UK will be lifted on January 1, 2014. Some predict large migrations of workers from these two countries, among the poorest in the European Union, while...

Estonia: The SS-Trap Revisited

  16 January 2012

Kloty of Gedanken über Estland portrays [ger] Estonia's ambivalence over its historic past, as rumours and denials recur that the government wants to declare Estonians who fought in German uniform during the Second World War freedom fighters.

CEE: “Spotted by Locals”

  8 January 2012

Spotted by Locals: Experience cities like a local features a few dozen locations, including CEE cities of Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Krakow, Ljubljana, Prague, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius, Warsaw, and Zagreb. A random sample post from Zagreb, Croatia: Hrelić Flea Market – The Aleph of Zagreb; from Bucharest, Romania: The Haunted...

Estonia: Language and History

  12 December 2011

Giustino of Ithing for Eestimaa discusses Estonians’ obsession with language – and especially their own as opposed to Russian – against the backdrop of a recent interview with the country's president Toomas Ilves.

Baltics-Sweden: Twenty Years of Independence

  17 August 2011

Albatros of Litauen blog reports about [ger] Swedish celebrations of 20 years of independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and how Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, apologised to his Baltic colleagues for recognizing soviet annexation during World War II.

Estonia: A Breivik of Tallinn?

  15 August 2011

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa draws parallels between the confused motives of Oslo killer Anders Breivik and Karen Drambjan and his failed attempt at attacking the Estonian Ministry of Defence in Tallinn on 11 August.

Estonia: Defence Ministry Finances War Veterans?

  2 August 2011

Kloty of Gedanken über Estland draws attention to [ger] information in Estonian media that the country's Defence Ministry is allegedly financing the controversial Waffen-SS war veterans’ organizations.

Estonia: Tower of Babel

  28 July 2011

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa discusses how Estonia – contrary to preconceptions – is very much of a multilingual country, not least because of tourism but also in daily practicalities.

Estonia: Party Merger in Peril

  18 July 2011

Axel Reetz of Estland blog discusses [GER] the consequences of the 2006 merger of Estonia's conservative parties, Pro Patria and Respublica, and how this union is now increasingly questioned, but also sees that unity within other parties in the country is dwindling.

Estonia: Agonizing Over History

  13 July 2011

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon historical memory and guilt against the background of Estonian town Viljandi celebrating the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation.

Russia: Anti-Cop Blogger Is Granted Political Asylum in Estonia

RuNet Echo  13 July 2011

Savva Terentyev, blogger from Syktyvkar who was accused of inciting hatred towards policemen in 2008, was granted a political asylum in Estonia, BBC's Russian Service reports [ru]. Terentyev decided to emigrate because he couldn't find job in Syktyvkar after the trial. “All the doors were shut for me due to...

Estonia: Celebration of Nazi occupation

  11 July 2011

Kloty of Gedanken über Estland draws attention to [GER] a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation of Estonian town of Viljandi, and discusses how locals considered it preferrable to Soviet occupation, turning a blind eye to atrocities committed against the town's Jewish population during World War II.

Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania: 70th anniversary of deportations

RuNet Echo  16 June 2011

Otto's Random Thoughts commemorates the 70th anniversary of deportations from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania following the June 1940 Soviet occupation of the countries, whereas Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon the political and social legacy of the deportations for Estonia.

Lebanon: Seven Estonian Hostages Appeal for Help

On March 25, Estonian YouTube user HelensVlogs reported on the kidnapping of seven Estonian tourists two days earlier, as they were cycling in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. On April 20, the seven hostages appeared in this video, pleading for help. (More info, on BBC News – here and here.)

Russia-Estonia: Renaming the Bronze Soldier

RuNet Echo  2 April 2011

LJ user jurialhaz comments on [RUS] how Estonia has renamed the Tallinn Bronze Soldier monument – the object of the 2007 bilateral dispute with Russia – into “Monument to the soldiers of the Soviet army, who occupied Tallinn on 22 September 1944.”