In the latter part of 1990ies, with Baltic baking controlled by Estonian capital and our enterprises spreading beautifully all across the three-state-region, earnest expectations abounded of Tallinn – not Riga or Vilnius – emerging as business capital of the Baltics. Tallinn: for the world, a window into the Baltics; for the Baltics, a window into the world.
In imaginations of visionaries, all paths – for planes, ships, cars and trains – were headed to Tallinn, first; from here, they were going to spread out to the rest of the nations. It was pictured how huge international company aircraft keep landing on our airstrips, spilling forth laptop-bag-carrying businessmen and tourists in their striped trousers – eyes ablaze with an unquenchable desire to pour whatever they had in their pockets, or on bank accounts, into the Estonian economy. And how the economy, then, would burst out blooming with huge bright flowers to the tune of Yellow Submarine cartoon.
Looking back to these days of bubbling optimism, it feels like the vision went the usual route of all scenarios: blame the bad scriptwriters or money running out with half the movie left to shoot. And while, for a moment, approaching footsteps of the euro caused us to believe that here, at last, comes the Central Baltic Position, the past few years have served to water down the verbiage of the enthusiasts.
True: the planes do land, opening their doors to let out perspective investors and generous tourists. However, the landings fall on Riga, not Tallinn. Partly, this is inevitable – locations not only ruling real estate, but international competition as well. The other reason going back to the basis of abovementioned overly optimistic vision: transport network. Not that Riga would be better capable to grant a fast link to global hubs – it’s just that as a more distant periphery, Estonia would have to try a lot harder. But, sadly, trying takes money.
And it’s not that we have run out of it [the money]. To be honest: we never really had it anyway. Estonia’s transport network mainly developing on European euros and, therefore, not on basis of needs but of opportunity. Figuratively speaking: not the plants we desire to grow are being fertilised; rather, the plants for which fertiliser happens to be available, at the moment.
In Ministry of Economic Affairs, a list of large transportation objects has been compiled. Among these, the selection has to be made – which will and which will not be built, in 2014–2020. Aiming at the next EU budget period, as this is where lion’s share of money must come from. The gap between needs and reality is wide; already now, it is quite clear where the money will flow – and where not. The lucky ones being the projects already entered into development plans and draft bills.
To a large degree, Estonia’s transportation system develops in the direction prescribed by European projects. And there ain’t much we can do about it.