COMMITTEE BEGINS CONSIDERATION OF CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON ESTONIA

CERD
61st session
22 August 2002
Morning



The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning started consideration of its draft concluding observations and recommendations on the fifteenth periodic report of Estonia. The conclusions and recommendations will be formally adopted tomorrow.
Among positive aspects cited in the draft text on Estonia, if adopted, the Committee will note appreciation for the increasing debate and recognition in the State party of the multi-cultural nature of Estonian society. The Committee also will welcome the progressive implementation of the State programme "Integration in Estonian Society 2000-2007", which aims at furthering the integration of minorities at the socio-economic level.
According to the draft, the Committee will still be concerned that former Soviet Union military personnel residing in Estonia were prevented from acquiring Estonian citizenship; and it will be of the opinion that applications from former military personnel should be considered on a case-by-case basis, assessing each case on its individual merits.
The Committee is the only United Nations treaty body charged with monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m. it will continue its discussion of draft conclusions on the report of Estonia. It is also expected to deal with other conclusions on country reports already considered this session.

Draft Conclusions on Estonia
The Committee considered its draft concluding observations and recommendations on the fifteenth periodic report of Estonia, which it is expected to formally adopt it on Friday 23 August.
Among positive aspects cited in the draft text, if adopted, the Committee will appreciate the increasing debate and recognition in the State part of the multi-cultural nature of Estonian society. It will welcome the progressive implementation of the State programme "Integration in Estonian Society 2000-2007", aimed at furthering the integration of minorities at the socio-economic level. It will also welcome the enactment of the new Penal Code, which contained provisions relating to the criminalization of incitement to racial hatred and violation of equality. The Committee will also welcome the amendment to the Act of Basic and Upper Secondary Schools, which authorized secondary schools to continue teaching in languages other than Estonian beyond 2007.
When the text will be adopted in its definitive form, the Committee will remain concerned by the significantly high number of stateless people residing in Estonia. Although it will welcome the fact that the procedure of naturalization had been rendered easier for children and disabled people, the Committee will note the existence of a significant discrepancy between the number of people passing the language proficiency test and of those effectively filing applications for Estonian citizenship. The Committee will recommend a thorough investigation into possible barriers which might exist in the procedure for naturalization.
According to the draft, the Committee will still be concerned that former Soviet Union military personnel residing in Estonia were prevented from acquiring Estonian citizenship; and it will be further of the opinion that applications from former military personnel should be considered on a case-by-case basis, assessing each case on its individual merits.
The Committee will be concerned about the restrictive definition of national minorities contained in the 1993 National Minorities Culture Autonomy Act. It will reiterate that such a narrow definition might limit the scope of the State's programme to transform a policy of integration into a policy of assimilation.

It will also express concern over the existence of language requirements in the language law in relation to employment and of the opinion that such a standards could lead to discrimination against minorities in violation of article 5 of the Convention. The Committee will wish to receive specific information explaining the relationship between language skills, ethnic background and employment, as well as information on the wage levels of different ethnic groups.



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