H. E. Mr. Mait Martinson:

I thank the Chairman. It is unusual for me to be seated on this side of the room rather than in the Visitors Gallery. I thank the committee for its kind invitation to make a presentation to it and to discuss with members Estonia's experience within the European Union. It is especially good to discuss this matter in a country which held the Presidency when Estonia and nine other successful candidate countries joined the Union. As member may recall, the accession ceremony took place on a lovely sunny day in May 2004 at Farmleigh House in Dublin. During its seventh Presidency earlier this year, Ireland brought in another new member state, namely, Croatia. We can see from this that Ireland has adhered to the policy of enlargement and that it has delivered very nicely on the motto of its recent Presidency, that is, "Stability, jobs and growth". In respect of the latter, I could refer to the EU budget, the adoption of the multi-annual finance framework, MFF, trade agreements, patent law, Common Agricultural Policy reforms, advancement on the digital single market and so on.

The experience of my own country in the EU has been mostly positive. We have learned and gained a great deal from our membership. In essence, Estonia has become probably the most integrated country in the Nordic-Baltic region. Estonia is a member of the EU, the eurozone, NATO, the OECD and the Schengen area. It is not always recognised but our Government and people took clear decisions to join these. Our positive experience within the EU may have led Estonia - the position may be the same for other member states - into what might be termed a comfort zone. A great deal of rebuilding needs to be done in the context of the EU's structures and functions. Not only must we be bear in mind that strategical issues in this regard, we are also obliged to engage in firefighting on a daily basis. In such circumstances, our target is clear. We must bring the European Union out of its comfort zone. In that context, we should increase the level of responsibility among member states, enhance to rules that apply and strengthen the capacity of both the Union and the eurozone. In essence, this is the Government of Estonia's view of what should happen in the EU in the coming years.

It is not good for Estonia when Europe is tottering. On the other hand, however, Ireland is recovering and this is good not only for other countries such as Portugal but also because it provides relief to the entire euro area. It also provides encouragement to Estonia that even difficult issues relating to peripheral areas located to the very north and west of the Union can be resolved.

What about the future? It is not only the need to engage in firefighting which we must consider. We must also examine ways in which the EU can be advanced in order that all of its citizens will be of the view that it continues to serve both the common interest and the needs of individual nations. Let us consider what the future will bring in terms of sovereignty issues. This matter will be debated in the context of the European Parliament elections to be held next spring. Will individual states' sovereignty be lost or will sovereignty be shared or combined? Our view is that most probably a combination of sovereignty through integration of our strengths in different fields might be one way to proceed. Joint interests should be properly financed, represented and protected by the Union and what is not part of EU competences could be flexibility handled by member states. A balance will have to be struck and I am glad all the nations are working to achieve this.

Estonia is not protecting its own narrow national interests. Instead, it is aiming to push policies that will give rise to higher growth and job creation, reduce barriers and advance European security. We are very glad that the agenda relating to the single digital market was afforded high priority during Ireland's Presidency. We see this as one of the areas in respect of which all member states - but, more particularly, the smaller ones - will benefit if barriers are removed and if services are allowed to flow, in a really free way, across internal European borders. Public support for the European Union in Estonia is strong. According to the most recent Eurobarometer survey, some 70% of Estonians consider themselves to be citizens of the European Union. This means that the solid two-to-one majority achieved in the referendum on accession ten years ago remains intact.

I believe I have covered the European issues.

I would not be fair if I were to say that everything is rosy, but I am glad that we see advancements in some of the concerns - transport, connections from peripheral areas to the core, energy, the Common Agricultural Policy or Cohesion Funds. I hope some expectations in those areas that have not been met during the almost first decade of membership will be addressed and dealt with under future Presidencies and successfully agreed multi-annual financial frameworks.