MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

21.5.2007

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Monica Frassoni and Daniel Cohn-Bendit
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on the situation in Estonia

B6‑0217/2007

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Estonia

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas on 26 April 2007 there were clashes between demonstrators (mostly Russian speakers) protesting against relocation of a monument in Tallinn,

B.  whereas there is much evidence of excessive use of force by police,

C.  whereas there are issues inside Estonian society concerning inter-ethnic relations which cannot be reduced to a problem of bilateral relations (Estonia-Russia or EU‑Russia),

1.  Is convinced that this case confirms the need for a European approach to the history of our continent;

2.  Is aware of the fact that the Red Army played an essential role in the liberation of the USSR from the Nazis; is also aware of the fact that the Red Army was an instrument of occupation and repression in the Baltic States after the war and up to independence;

3.  Is convinced that the unrest and controversy aroused by the moving of the statue are also due to a context in which the rights and role of the Russian-speaking minority are still not resolved in terms of full integration and participation in society;

4.  Denounces the attitude of the Russian Government and President Putin, which fuels unrest and fosters division, notably in Estonia and Latvia; declares on this point its full solidarity with the peoples of Estonia and Latvia;

5.  Calls on the Council and the Commission, on the basis of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, to ensure respect by the Estonian authorities of the rights of the Russian-speaking minority in Estonia;

6.  Recalls that Estonia must fulfil its obligations in providing non-discrimination and equal opportunities for all;

7.  Calls on the Estonian Government to pursue more inclusive integration policies and to overcome the alienation of a substantial part of its population;

8.  Urges the Estonian authorities to become more proactive in finding pragmatic and needs‑based solutions to policies towards minorities by, among other things, revising their current definition of what constitutes a national minority, which currently leaves the majority of people who belong to a minority without any minority rights or protection, to review language requirements for employment in the private sector and to review the possibilities for providing affordable, or free, Estonian language teaching for people belonging to the Russian-speaking linguistic minority;

9.  Urges the Estonian Government to consider more proactive ways of combating unemployment among minority communities and legal and practical ways of including minorities in mainstream Estonian society; current legislative changes to the educational system also need to be reviewed in order to ensure that they do not have an adverse effect on some people belonging to a minority and that they do not lead to further social exclusion of already vulnerable groups;

10.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Council of Europe and the Estonian Parliament and Government.