It's time to end the game around rescuing the flag carrier Estonian Air, veteran Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) politician Mart Laar said in an interview with Postimees.
Mart Laar: It's time to end game of rescuing Estonian Air
24th February 2013, 09:18
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"To my mind this game should have been ended a while ago. How long are we going to keep doing what practically no European country is able to do?" Laar asked. "Of course, if taxpayers are willing to shell out this sort of money then, God willing... But now a right-wing economic politician raises his head in me and I'm asking, what for? Yes, some people are getting a high salary, Finnish consultants are being well paid, people who sit on supervisory boards are earning a lot of money. And air connections certainly are necessary and useful in economic terms, but here's the point for serious thought about whether there exist less expensive ways," said Laar who served as head of two previous Estonian governments.
In Laar's opinion cheaper ways do exist. "For example, to conclude contracts for certain routes that are necessary and find someone to fly them. It doesn't have to be the national carrier," he said.
In Laar's words, what's written down at the beginning of the Estonian Constitution comes expensive and therefore the nation needs to be practical - not strive to be world champion in every field but be at the top in areas that are important to Estonia. "Estonia will soon have been independent for as long as the first Republic of Estonia and needs to carry out a sort of inventory: what works and what does not, what's good and deserves to be preserved and continued to be done, and what's of not much benefit to us even if not exactly bad," Laar said.