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The President of the Republic is continuing his tour of Lääne-Virumaa24.10.2002
The President of the Republic and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel today in Lääne-Virumaa continued their working visit having started yesterday, during which the Head of State's interest is focused on local enterprise.The building materials plant of Aeroc Ltd in the rural municipality of Sõmeru visited this morning is a good example of what Estonian private capital can accomplish and of excellent co-operation between enterprise and municipality. The total investment in the plant, built in an empty field, amounts to 100 million kroons, and the plant's capacity is 120,000 cubic metres of porous concrete products a year. Participating in this year's contest of the foundation Enterprise Estonia, Aeroc made it to the five most successful enterprises.
The municipality of Sõmeru has tried in every way to promote investments on its territory, notably, making available all necessary information incl. long-term budgetary and economic plans. At the same time, the leaders of Sõmeru expressed the opinion that the state had many more possibilities to promote local enterprise. So, according to their proposal, the fuel excise duty could partly be used to upgrade local roads, and the government could stop demanding local governments to return energy loans, instead enabling to use these sums in the case of Sõmeru two million kroons for developing infrastructure. In the municipality leaders' view, it is also necessary to launch a national programme for developing infrastructure in rural centres, which is a vital prerequisite of enterprise.
Similar ideas were also expressed by Lääne-Virumaa's most successful businessmen with whom the President last night discussed preconditions of enterprise outside Tallinn. Since rural regions are not able to compete with the capital city regarding infrastructure and public utilities, the businessmen wanted that national development programmes of peripheral areas be drafted and adopted. On top of that, they expect subsidies to establish industrial parks and to carry out high-tech projects. They also would like the legislation to be more specific - enacting the duties of both entrepreneurs and state, and the ministry of education to be more willing to comply with the needs of enterprises in the field of training skilled workers.
Yesterday, the President's tour took him also to the private limited company Tender Ehitus manufacturing log cabins for the Scandinavian market, and to the fish farming of Põlula, which is the only state-run station for reproduction of salmon stock in Estonia. A historical event was President's visit to Tudu, because before that, Estonia's Head of State for the last time had been there 65 years ago. Among those having come to welcome President Rüütel were residents of Tudu who could still remember President Päts' visit in 1937.
This morning, artist Riho Hütt in his studio at Rakvere initiated the President and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel into the art of producing fine glass articles. Before noon at Kunda, the Head of State familiarized himself with the production in the cement factory which is becoming more and more environment-friendly, and with plans to build a wood pulp factory. As noted by the Mayor of Kunda, Anne Tasuja, the planned investment of 1,33 billion kroons will create 70 new jobs in the factory and employ a few hundred people more in related industries.
Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 24, 2002
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