The Estonian NGO Manifesto

Right before the parliamentary elections in Estonia, the Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations (NENO) held a debate titled „What does the Estonian civil society expect from the new parliament?“ between NGO-s and the representatives of major political parties.

The meetings and discussions during the electoral campaign had proved clearly, once again, that strong NGOs are still considered a threat in Estonia, as the attitude of the political culture is tilted strongly to the direction of politicizing the society. Recently, Estonian parliament Riigikogu called off the hearing and discussion on the topic of the development of civil society, which had been planned to take place in February. At the debate, Mall Hellam gave a speech “What was Riigikogu afraid of?”, giving an overview of the topics that would have been discussed at the public hearing. After the speech, the respresentatives of 6 main political parties debated on the promises made in the civil society chapters of their platforms.

In conclusion, althouth the platforms and statements of all political parties in Estonia do have civil society chapters in them finally, the general impression of the texts and rhetoric is still a wild mixture of casual ideas with no considered vision of the society or of the complementing roles of its sectors.


More information:
Mall Hellam
Open Estonia Foundation
+3726313791
mall@oef.org.ee
www.oef.org.ee