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JOINT STATEMENT The President of the Republic, Speaker of the Riigikogu and Prime Minister on 14 September 2003
14.09.2003


Today, at the referendum, the people of Estonia made a decision on the accession to the European Union and an amendment of the Constitution.

The active participation in the referendum displayed that the people as the carrier of the supreme power of state were aware of their responsibility for the fate of the people in future. We would like to extend our gratitude to everybody participating in the referendum.

The people of Estonia have had little chance in the history to decide and shape its destiny. We have acted in unison restoring and securing our independence. The referendum has been one of the most significant choices in the history of the people of Estonia and a setting-up of a guarantee for independence and national security.

At the referendum, the people of Estonia displayed their firm commitment to the common values of Europe. Acceding to the European Union and joining NATO next year, the people of Estonia will be ready to bear the responsibility for the future of Europe together with other European states.

The decision of the referendum means taking responsibility for the present and future generations in order to secure our survival as a nation, preservation of our culture and language through history, as well as economic development and an increase in the living standard.

We realise that the outcome of the referendum is binding and a mandate for the Riigikogu, the President of the Republic and the Government to implement consistently a policy developed after the restoration of independence and which complies with the public expectation, as well as to bear joint responsibility for the people.

The outcome of the referendum commits us to find in our upcoming choices a common foundation uniting the people. This process should derive from a discussion and dialogue of development opportunities, choices and threats similar to the pre-election period.

The result of the referendum is a kind of national agreement, which should set a foundation for wider confidence and cooperation between the state, local authorities and civil society in taking decisions to determine the development of Estonia.

The people of Estonia have chosen steady development and safe future and we are committed to move along that road firmly and with responsibility.


President of the Republic
Speaker of the Riigikogu
Prime Minister


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