Section2.Estonia

** 1.History/Background of E.U. Country **

Click on picture to see an amazing view of an Estonian village. || Vikings passed through the region of Estonia on their explorations because, by the end of the Middle Ages, the land that is now present-day Estonia belonged to Sweden ( the picture to the left is an old church the vikings regularly went to). After about five years, Estonia regained independence. Their ancestors lived in ancient pre-christian times. The ancient Estonians believed that every animal, bird, tree, stone, and plant had a soul.Families in Estonia are usually very small. They only have about one to three kids. Grandparents will watch the children while the parents are at work. Most families live in urban buildings built in the 1970s and 1980s. Most Estonians speak Finno, an Urgic language. Estonia's population is 1.32 million people but is decreasing rapidly by 64%. The main religions in Estonia are Lutheran and Orthodox. Many people in Estonia make religion apart of their daily lives. ||
 * [[image:bild1.jpg width="240" height="160" link="http://www.360cities.net/image/tallin-square-estonia-tallinn"]]


 * 2. Year of Admission to E.U. History and General Information about the E.U.**
 * [[image:http://www.worldgeography.abc-clio.com/Images/DBImages/3667/366760w.jpg width="369" height="236" align="top" caption="Title: European Union flag"]] || Estonia was admitted to the European Union in May of 2004 along with nine other countries. When they became a member of the E.U. it provided full support of stabilizing and restructuring of Estonia's roads, buildings, and poor economy. Estonia ratified the new E.U. constitution in May 2006 and was the 15th member to do so. The E.U. is a supranational cooperation that has 27 member countries. They share common goals and it unites the countries together as citizens of Europe. The E.U. has three different government branches which are The Council of the European Union, European Comission (EC), and the European Parliament. To let a country into the E.U. they have to give up some power to the European Union. They have created their own flag, anthem, and holiday that is Europe Day. ||


 * 3. How does the E.U. and your country feel about global temperatures/climate change? (//environmental issue)// **
 * [[image:http://www.7is7.com/otto/estonia/iceroad_hiiumaa_saaremaa-coastline.jpg width="329" height="232" caption="Frozen sea coastline"]]

This picture shows how different the climate can be in Estonia. Normally their winters don't have a lot of snow and are decently moderate. This is a picture of a frozen sea coastline. || The E.U. is already the biggest donor of climate-related development aid, world wid today. The E.U.'s dependence on imported fossil fuels has increased more rapidly in the period since the 4th NC, leading to concernces about energy security. A successful conclusion to the international climate change negotations at the Copenhagen in December 2009 is a key priority of the European Comission (EC). Our country has been working very actively for a global climate agreement to agree on climate change. The citizens of Estonia has been adapting very well to the climate change. Estonia itself has wet, moderate winters, and cool summers. Even though the Estonians are trying their best, their air is polluted with sulfur dioxide. They don't have any control over this but, are trying to resolve the problem.

Not only Estonia but most of the E.U. is being very patient about global warming. media type="file" key="Ally 1.wav" width="300" height="50" Click on the link to hear our view! ||

This is the flag of Afghanistan. || The E.U. is one of Afghanistan's largest donors. Since 2006 Afghanistan been one of Estonia's priority partner countries for development cooperation.The number of troops sent in 2008 increased three times as much. Estonia has over 140 troops in Afghanistan right now. There has been 1.5 million dollars sent to Afghanistan from Estonians to help rebuild their damaged cities while Estonia keeps sending over more money.The European Council has recently adopted the Declaration of Afghanistan stating that they will help to make Afghanistan a better, beautiful country and not just known for fighting and war. media type="file" key="ally 2.wav" width="300" height="50" Click on the link to hear our view ! ||
 * 4. How does the E.U. and your country feel about supporting the war in Afghanistan? //(political issue)// **
 * [[image:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/flags/large/af-lgflag.gif width="208" height="205" caption="Flag of Afghanistan" link="@https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/flags/flagtemplate_af.html"]]


 * 5. What is the economic background of your country and how does your country feel about supporting the economies of weaker countries in the E.U? //(economic issue)// **
 * [[image:http://www.andrewpatton.com/large/tallinn04.jpg width="318" height="226"]]

This is the Parliament House of Estonia. || Estonia hasn't adopted the Euro yet, so they still have the Kroon. Estonia //wanted// to adopted the euro by 2008, but is now working on fulfilling the necessary conditions to have the Euro in 2011.Once Estonia gained their independence, in August of 1991, they had a free market economy.In 1998 there was a financial crisis in Russia that damaged Estonia's economy the following year. They are still working on getting their economy to the best it can be. They have succeeded very much, so much that the rapid growth in their economy has named their country's economy the "Baltic Tiger". They also have one of the strongest economies in all of the E.U.Their main natural resource is oil shale, which gets them most of the money they need. They are also very big on phosphates, which is used for detergent, fertilizers, and is a type of salt. media type="file" key="All 3.wav" width="300" height="50" Click on the link to hear our view! ||