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The President of the Republic on the tour of Lääne-Virumaa23.10.2002
The President of the Republic and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel this morning started a two-day working visit to Lääne-Virumaa.
The entrepreneurs and members of the voluntary fire brigade of Vajangu showed the Presidential Couple the local village hall, which they intend to do up by the next Midsummer Day. The President praised Vajangu for their social activities and spirit of initiative thanks to which also the seventy-plus-year-old village hall will be repaired and decorated.
At the subsequent meeting in the town government of Tamsalu, the Head of State discussed with the Board of the Joint Local Government of Lääne-Virumaa the role of local government associations. In the view of the leader of the joint local government, Mayor of Tamsalu Urmas Tamme, the importance of the role of local government associations in the European Union is growing, and in Estonia, too, their position should be established by law. The President agreed to that, like also to their opinion that they should have a stronger say in allocating state's budgetary funds, and that the budget should be based on analysis rather than on politically biased preferences.
At Mart Lepik's farm by the name of Kaarli, the President in addition to the household met the leaders and entrepreneurs of the Väike-Maarja community. During the exchange of ideas there, the hosts were in favour of the European approach to farming as to a way of life, this being the very reason for supporting it. Yet the attitude, quite widespread in Estonia, as if agriculture were no different than other branches of economy, in the opinion of Väike-Maarja's businessmen, could not be upheld.
At the Technical College of Lääne Virumaa at Mõdriku, the Head of State was welcomed by Rector Helle Noorväli, who as a student of the Estonian Academy of Agriculture had been supervised while writing her term papers by the then Rector Arnold Rüütel. Talking to students, the President took interest in why they had chosen just this college. Mostly it was explained by Mõdriku's high-standard education, proximity to the home and the tradition parents of quite many present students had studied in that very place. The college having one thousand students also provides facilities for in-service training and keeps up close ties with local employers. The President acknowledged the school's well-devised activities targeting at future and having also an additional dimension of regional policy.
In the afternoon, the Head of State had a talk with people gathered around a bonfire at the swing spot of the Palasi village about the village movement and home decoration - activities for which Palasi this year was awarded by the President. The President was pleased to see that quite a lot of young families had settled in this village surrounded by woods.
In the evening, the President is going to visit two more enterprises and to have an exchange of ideas with businessmen of Lääne-Virumaa, which complies with the purpose of the tour - to gain firsthand knowledge of the opportunities of training and enterprise in the county and of how the businessmen and local governments are collaborating.
Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 23, 2002
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