Government(s) of Estonia have emerged from crisis very well. The plural is a nod to soc dens – playing a part in the initial response, later running out of steam.
Editorial: anybody responsible for Estonian (national) economy?
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The recession most brutal in Europe was followed by «European record» economic growth. Meaning: in the lowest of lows and as the wave began to break, Estonia’s government rightly judged who/what we were and what our society was capable of. So it may be said that the major budget-policy decisions have served the economic growth very well. Dreams of running costs growth were cut to oblivion, while EU money was channelled into investments – among other things, supporting the struggling builders.
Will be get richer? And how? How will the added wealth be split between the people – which part will go to those directly involved in bringing money into the country, and how much will be left for those helping along (indirectly)? These also are political issues. Especially so when, to assist business, help is expected from taxpayers – then it is reasonable to ask: what will be the benefit to the taxpayer (however humble)?
We are presented with another strategic state document – growth strategy for 2014–2020 – for creating a new and better Estonia. Comparing it to the paper for the previous period, it is indeed somewhat more definite.
Even so, the big issue is: what, in the eyes of the coalition cabinet, is the role of the state? Is the state the one to set rules and keep order on the marketplace, or should it be one to actively intervene (among other things, as owner of enterprises)? Here, the two governing parties seem to be at odds – regrettably, their stands are not quite clear here.
Even so, it is good if growth areas are defined, be it ever so generally – support and benefit money is, at least, given some kind of a direction. Alas, that will not nullify the chance of state – read: taxpayer – money being spent for stupidity or full-blown weirdness; still, it provides for a measure of assuredness that abuse will be published.
Juhan Parts plunged into his career by declaring he’d be fighting corruption. Central-African culture, in Estonian politics, was doomed he proclaimed. A decade later, has that been achieved?
In corruption awareness indexes, Estonia is high up despite of personal endeavours by Edgar Savisaar. Still, questions remain unanswered regarding Estonian state companies: on what positions and with which outlooks might these continue? And, despite Estonia’s air connections truly being important, a question posed by Meelis Kubits, in his article yesterday, keeps ringing: is anybody at all responsible for the billion euro loss?