Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the University of Tartu on 10 September 2003

It is a great pleasure and honour for me to speak in this room which is so important for Estonian culture. We know what a key role the University of Tartu has played in the history of Estonia. The booming city of Tartu is not called the Athens of the Emäjögi for no reason.

Finns' connections with Tartu are at least as old as the university itself. The friendship between our peoples has endured many adversities and our linguistic kinship has no doubt brought us closer. The Second World War, the subsequent occupation of Estonia and the Soviet era separated us from each other. Since you regained your independence, cooperation between our two countries has grown in all sorts of fields and at every level.

I have personally had the opportunity to follow Estonia's development since the 1990 song festival, where I was your guest as Finland's Minister of Justice. Since then I have visited your beautiful and friendly country countless times in my work and privately. I am here today at your invitation. Please accept my words as the words of a friend who respects your independence to make your own decisions.

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Estonia - if the people so choose - will soon be a member of the European Union. For us Finns seeing a close neighbour and kindred people join the Union would be a welcome matter. Finland itself joined the Union in 1995 after careful consideration and thorough preparation. At that time a decision in principle had already been made concerning the next enlargement and the first concrete steps were taken on the path of economic and monetary union.

I was here at the University of Tartu as Finland's foreign minister in 1997 to speak about our experience of the European Union. We Finns considered the challenges to be great but we believed they were important for Europe's democratic development, stability and people's welfare and we supported them enthusiastically.

The enlargement of the EU has proceeded briskly and the euro is now a reality. Both decisions have already proved correct from the Finnish viewpoint. The enlargement of the Union EU has resulted in unparalleled development to achieve democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Countless cooperation projects have been started in different sectors of society. This has placed enormous requirements on Estonia and the other applicant countries. But the goal has been worth it, since European stability and prosperity are indivisible. The euro has stabilized the economy in the entire euro zone as well as in Finland, increased its predictability and facilitated trade.

When Finns were debating whether to join the European Union, attention was focused on both the positive effects and the downside of membership. We knew not to expect a rose garden, but we believed that with hard work we could achieve results better inside the Union than outside it. We have not been disappointed.

Our experience of membership has mainly been positive. The European Union requires hard work and the monitoring of one's own interests, however. It requires citizens' support. In the Finnish decision-making system Parliament plays a key role in guiding and supervising the Government.

Within the EU Finland has striven to participate constructively and extensively in the handling of matters. We actively promote the Union's common interests, through which we can also effectively defend our own special interests. A member state cannot achieve all its objectives, but even small countries can influence decisions. Perhaps the thing that bothers us most in the Nordic countries is bureaucracy in Brussels.

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What kind of Union are we inviting Estonians to join? The European Union is still going through a period of change. The enlargement of the Union has demanded internal reform. As a small country Finland defends strong Union institutions and balance between them. We do not consider a radical change in present structures necessary.

The Convention on the Future of the European Union can be regarded as a success for the most part. We consider it important, however, for the draft constitution to be corrected at the Intergovernmental Conference beginning in October in certain areas. These particularly concern the European Union's defence and crisis management as well the Union's organs. I believe that a good result can be achieved through diligent work and in this you yourself will have an opportunity to participate.

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Membership of the European Union signifies both opportunities and challenges for relations between our countries.

Building cooperation between Finland and Estonia is easy because the foundation is so strong. This foundation has been created over the past decade by citizens and their organizations. Officials' direct contacts between ministries are also going well. At the Government level possibilities to improve official cooperation are currently being studied.

Issues concerning labour and businesses' operating conditions have received a lot of attention in Finnish-Estonian public discussion in recent years. Open discussion between Finland and Estonia concerning social issues, including those that may seem difficult, is a sign that the relation is important to both countries and is worth fostering.

Estonia's social and economic development in recent years has been admirably rapid. Finnish society and Estonian society are not always commensurable nor do they need to develop that way. Although the European Union influences many issues, this does not mean that social decision-making should be placed in hands that are less familiar with national conditions. In Finland we have been able to emphasize the primary importance of social security in our social policy - and we are also ready to pay the price in the form of higher taxes than in other parts of the Union. Emphasis must be placed on independent decision-making, understanding that social models cannot be exported and that the same good result can be achieved following different paths.

In the Union coalitions are formed on the basis of political considerations, similar objectives and often regional considerations as well. The countries in the Baltic Sea region have many common interests, including cooperation with Russia, which is a strategic partner. Finland and Estonia share a common environment. There is certainly good reason to look for common interests with regard to trade and transport in the Union's transport policy. Cooperation between countries on the Union's external border in justice and home affairs also makes sense. Cooperation partners vary according to the issue, but I believe that we are likely to find each other promoting the same things.

The European Union's opportunities and challenges directly concern citizens in the member states. According to its basic philosophy the EU is a community of European nations and peoples. For citizens this means easier travel and better opportunities for young people to study abroad. The European Union requires the governments and legislation in the member states to respect citizens' fundamental rights. It also offers - for example through structural funds - material support to build society and develop basic services. Many of the Union's challenges are connected to ordinary people's lives. There is talk of new threats, in matters related to health, the environment, border control and crime. The Union is an effective means to resolve these problems as well.

The enlargement of the European Union is an historically important milestone for European culture. The Union increases cooperation among scholars and artists in the member states and supports European cultural diversity through the programmes it finances. Openness and the free exchange of cultural influences have always been part of European culture, art and science. I believe that Estonia's membership of the Union would also promote cultural cooperation between our two countries.

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The European Union is not only about European matters. The Union also has global challenges. The European Union provides its members a means to influence matters involving our environment and the whole world, and we hope that our influence in this area is actually increasing. Discussion is presently going on in the Union concerning internal reform and how to make decision-making more effective, the European Union's international competitiveness, relations with the United States, relations with Russia and matters related to globalization. Small member states should in their own interest participate actively and influence the outcome of these key issues for the Union's success.

I wish the University of Tartu, its teachers and students a busy autumn term and success in the pursuit of knowledge! Jõudu tööle!