President of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Villy Søndval at Toompea Castle today. Issues connected with the European Union and the cooperation between the Baltic States and Nordic Countries, and also the bilateral relations of Estonia and Denmark were discussed at the meeting.

Ergma thanked Denmark for the successful Presidency of the EU during the first half of this year, and said that as a small country we are very interested in this experience. “The Committees of the Riigikogu are interested in establishing relations with their colleagues in the Parliament of Denmark in order to gain practical knowledge and skills from their activities during the Presidency,” she said.

The President of the Riigikogu also spoke about the good bilateral relations between the two countries and their successful partnership in international organisations. “There is close cooperation between our states at the regional level, which also includes the Nordic-Baltic, Baltic Sea States and the EU Baltic Sea Strategy framework,” said Ergma. She expressed appreciation of the responsible economic and financial policy of both countries in the EU. “We are connected by common interest that the European Union should be competitive and more committed to dynamic development,” she stressed.

When speaking about energy issues, both Ergma and Søndval emphasized the importance of this sphere and the need for saving energy and using renewable energy. As to the EU agricultural policy, both sides admitted that it needs to be changed, and in regard to unified agricultural subsidies, already by the next budget period.

The issues connected with the Arctic, and the EU Eastern Partnership, including the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, were also discussed. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson also participated in the meeting.

Photos of the meeting are available at: https://fotoalbum.riigikogu.ee/v/2012/Ene_Ergma/Villy_Sovndal/

The Riigikogu Press Service

28 August 2012