Communiqué, issue 5, 2004
Articles
- Quality of life in an enlarged Europe: challenges and opportunities
- Parental leave in the European Union
- Fewer redundancies, more jobs created
- Comparing quality of life in Estonia with the rest of Europe
- Industrial relations in Europe – a snapshot
- EWCs lead to better industrial relations at company level
- Highest home-ownership levels in the new Member States
- New chairman of Foundation’s Administrative Board
Previous issues of Communiqué
The Estonian labour force shows strong signs of modernisation with high levels of Internet use and training opportunities, in comparison to other EU Member States and Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. These were some of the findings of the Foundation’s European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), revealed at the first international European Quality of Life seminar, held in Tallinn on 22 and 23 September, 2004.
Willy Buschak, the Foundation's Acting Director, with Külvar Mand, Estonian Deputy Minister for Social Affairs.
Discussions with experts from neighbouring Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania, focused on the high percentage of real house ownership in the new Member States. More than two-thirds of Estonians (66%) own their home without a mortgage, almost twice as many as in the former EU15 (38%). However, Estonia scores highest on the index of poor housing quality, quoting shortage of space, rotting windows, doors or floors, damp or leaks, and lack of indoor flushing toilets, (36% in Estonia, compared to 22% for all 10 new Member States and 9% for the former EU15).
First of four international seminars across Europe
The event in Tallinn, which brought together some 60 government experts, trade unions, employer organisations, civil and statistical bodies, was the first in a series of four similar events across Europe. The aim is to present the initial findings of the European Quality of Life survey and discuss the implications of cultural or other differences. The second seminar was held in Nicosia, Cyprus on 25–27 October. During November, an international seminar was held in Bratislava, Slovakia, (9–11 November) and another in Paris, France (23 November).