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President Ilves: Estonia must be made into an attractive living environment, not a tax environment

14.08.2007

Yesterday, the President's Academic Advisory Board gathered in Paslepa, and this time, focused on research, economic and innovation issues, and their mutual connections.

Summarizing the Advisory Board's meeting, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that unless Estonia makes greater investments into research, development, and more broadly, education, our gap with the richer countries of Europe will not decrease, but rather increase.

“I agree with the argument heard at the meeting that economic growth does not necessarily mean economic development. The question is in directing growth into the development of the living environment,” said the Estonian Head of State, emphasizing that Estonia must be made into an attractive living environment, not tax environment.

“If Estonia wants to be a country with an innovative economy, we have to think about ways to lure the best brains from elsewhere to Estonia, especially those who have departed and their descendents,” said President Ilves.

The meeting of the President's Advisory Board was also attended by Minister of Finance Ivari Padar and Tõnis Lukas, the Minister of Education and Research. Presentations were made by by academician Jaan Einasto, Ott Pärna, the Chairman of the Development Fund, and Marek Tiits from the Baltic Research Institute.

The next meeting of the Advisory Board will be public, entitled “The President's Noisemakers”, and take place on October 10, 2007 in Pärnu in cooperation with the Open Estonia Foundation and the Pärnu Management Conference.

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