Farewell, Luxembourg

Kersti Kaljulaid left for Luxembourg yesterday to say farewell to her colleagues and life of the past 12 years before taking her oath of office.

We are met at the airport in Amsterdam by a woman both friendly yet restrained in her communication with the press, and her bodyguard. «Things are hectic right now; I must start assembling my team. Talk to people, politicians, journalists – these things fill my days,» Kaljulaid says. She has slept just three to five hours a night in the past week.

It has been difficult finding important emails from between congratulations. The latter are still incoming; an email arrives from Poland while we're at the airport. Countries from where no congratulations have been sent number few.

A bodyguard accompanies the future president everywhere. It is unfamiliar. «I spent three years working in Mart Laar's team (Laar's final term as prime minister 1999-2002 – ed). I know they (security staff) are warm and friendly, nice people. It just takes getting used to,» Kaljulaid says.

Kaljulaid has tried to keep an eye on what the media writes and says about her as much as possible in recent days. «Facts that have been uncovered are largely true,» she chuckles but refuses to elaborate.

She recalls how she flew to Luxembourg for the first time in 2004. It was the month of May; it was a hot day, while it was still cold in Estonia. She went to meet with her new potential colleagues at the European Court of Auditors. «It is not a place you should go without knowing anything about it,» she now says.

When she first arrived, she was relieved. «Luxembourg is not your typical Central European anthill with millions of people packed closely together. Its northern part is rather scarcely populated and has a lot of hiking trails,» she describes. Kaljulaid adds, however, that it is easy to get lost in the city.

After Kaljulaid moved back to Estonia, that she has always held to be her true home, with her family last summer, she has spent her nights in Luxembourg on the couches of friends. She and her family used to live in the Weimerskirch district, a mere kilometer from her workplace. «It was on a slope, as is much of everything in Luxembourg – rather up the hill than down,» Kaljulaid describes.

What surprised her is how multilingual Luxembourgers are. People speaking three, four, or even five primary languages is nothing out of the ordinary.

Even thought the working language is English, letters concerning audits must be communicated also in the language of member states. «It was very new at first to have to sign a letter in Greek, unable to verify what is written,» Kaljulaid says with a smile.

She regards cooperation as the most important experience she obtained – 20 opinions behind the table and yet decisions get made.

Kaljulaid said that the family used to watch Estonian anniversary of the republic broadcasts in Luxembourg. Because it is the skiing holiday in Luxembourg's schools, the family sometimes went skiing around that time. Kaljulaid sang in Luxembourg's Estonian women's vocal band Meloodilised Tordid (melodic cakes) for several years, as did her children.

What will she miss about Luxembourg?

Kaljulaid says that a lot of people she is close to have left already. «Last week it was Vitor Caldeira, our long-time president. We were close colleagues with him. Brilliant British colleague Phil Wynn Owen, also Irish colleague Kevin Cardiff,» she counts.

Court of auditors colleagues only have the best to say about Kaljulaid. «Smart, quick decision-maker, fearless, straight shooter, reformer,» is how she is described. Her presidency took everyone by surprise.

President of the European Court of Auditors Klaus-Heiner Lehne said it is the first time someone from the agency has been elected president of a member state. «It is truly exceptional. An honor for the institution indeed,» he said.

Peter Welch, who was in charge of putting together the court's annual report with Kaljulaid for three-four years, says it was their most important task – to compile an overview of how EU money has been used. He adds that they uncovered numerous violations.

Translator for the Estonian language unit, who has worked at the court of auditors since before the president-elect, Riita Märka, recalls that when Kaljulaid came to the court on May 1, 2004, she was a breath of fresh air.

«Your average court of auditors member is an older gentleman; she stood out as a young and energetic woman in her thirties,» the translator says. «She made the whole of Estonia look young and progressive compared to old European countries.»

Märka says Kaljulaid was always a promoter and salesperson for Estonia. «She cared for her Estonian colleagues, held anniversary of the republic receptions here,» the official adds.

Märka found out that her colleague might become president of Estonia from the media. «We later learned that she had been approached before. The news took a moment to sink in; that perhaps it is too early for her to climb that high. But then I realized she is actually the perfect person for the job,» she adds.

British member of the European Court of Auditors Phil Wynn Owen says in his thank-you speech that Kersti has been a real inspiration and example for the entire organization. «Our loss is their gain,» he comments on Kaljulaid becoming president.

Kaljulaid tells colleagues that she leaves with a light heart because the organization has become more open and democratic. «It is just a shame there are so few women,» she remarks.

«I am the last to go. Thank you all, I love you,» Kaljulaid says in her final farewell speech to colleagues.