Editorial: Ida-Virumaa in need of increased attention

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

In Kohtla-Järve, the fertilizer maker Nitrofert lays off all its 426 workers. Unemployment Insurance Fund says the redundant will be advised and assisted, and that the region has vacancies enough. So it's too bad... but not overly so. 

Indeed: with an enterprise producing nothing these past six years, closure can’t really be taken as surprising. Even so, there’s more to this than strikes the eye. Political, economic and social factors play a role larger than just one company.

Let’s list some. As in any area of industry, fertilisers are dependent on global prices. Unable to keep buying cheap gas while prices of produce keep falling, problems are a given. Eesti Energia, burdened by low oil and energy prices, has already said it sacks some 200 miners. The county may well have vacant jobs on offer, but for factory workers and miners the former work has been rather specific.

Another aspect keeping Ida-Virumaa’s economy instable is the political situation and tensions between West and Russia. Alas, tourism and logistics – vital for Ida-Viru County – depend on that as well. Add to this the region’s agriculture, also far from prosperous for the selfsame reasons.

The third aspect is social, as the inhabitants feel separated, alone. The issue needs consideration, as lack of closeness and camaraderie with other counties feels foreboding.     

But what the people need first is work. Fast. What can the state do? Job creation would be an urgent must. And not in words only: in 2009, the goal was set at 4,400 jobs in Ida-Viru industrial areas by 2019; less than 200 is today’s count. Now, economy minister promises 3,000 new jobs in near future. Should it be hot air again, people may lose hope. As a laid off man told a reporter: «We have not lost faith yet. The worst would be for people to get mad. Until there’s hope, that will not happen.»

Another vital aspect to consider. A way to describe a good state is imagining a situation where any region should assume the role of the capital and a hub. Would they make it without substantially altering the perception of the nation?

Would Ida-Virumaa be a fitting centre for Estonia? The answer should be basis for steps to be taken.