On April 15, the draft of the national sustainable development strategy "Sustainable Estonia 21" will be introduced and a public hearing of the Strategic Environmental Assessment concerning the strategy will be held at the Ministry of the Environment. The strategy "Sustainable Estonia 21 " (SE21) has according to the opinion of the national Academy of Sciences been developed using a new conceptual approach as compared to other similar strategies. According to Ms. Ruuta Ruttas, Coordinator of the SE21 project, neither short-term objectives nor detailed action plan are presented in the strategy - instead, four potential scenarios are presented. Three of those may become realized as a result of continuing natural development, implementation of the fourth scenario would be necessary for speeding up development. "In order for the development to proceed towards the desired aims, preparation of the society as a whole for shaping the competencies required for such development should be started in the opinion of the strategy developers - this would also include training of Estonia’s new elite," said Ms. Ruttas. According to Ms. Ruttas, a recommendation has been made to establish an institution focusing on strategic planning (similar to the Finnish SITRA), and to set up a development commision of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia). In the strategy "Sustainable Estonia 21" interrelated development of the social, economic and environmental sphere is outlined and long-term development goals for Estonia for 30 years are defined. The main development goals specified in the draft strategy are viability of the Estonian cultural space, increase of welfare, interrelated society, and ecological balance. The main directions for activity with the aim to reach these objectives are also outlined. The strategy will need to be approved by the Riigikogu. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the draft SE21 was performed by Tallmac Ltd. The purpose of the SEA was to identify, assess and describe the expected environmental impacts of the activities planned in the strategy, to analyze the possibilities for prevention or mitigation of those impacts, and to make recommendations for selection of suitable alternatives. The development process of the strategy is organized by a consortium lead by the Tallinn Pedagogical University. Relevant materials are accessible via the website of the Ministry of the Environment at under Sustainable Development / Estonia, or via the website of the Tallinn Pedagogical University at under Scientific Activity. The Strategic Environmental Assessment Report is accessible via the website of the Ministry of the Environment at . The SEA programme can be seen at the same website under Sustainable Development / Estonia. For additional information please contact: Concerning Strategic Environmental Assessment: |
