Ivar Raig ought to know....he left the EU working group because he saw that the upside of EU membership was not going to bring the promised fruits as early as most Estonians imagined it would. There is no question in my mind that the EU is very impressed with Estonia's record of GDP annual increase, and the fact that we have managed to keep a very firm lid on salary increases. This is the root cause of why foreign investment has increased dramatically during the past few years. However, Estonians have somehow been led to believe that EL membership will automatically bring about the much-awaited pay rise that will increase that average life span and considerably reduce the much talked about stress level measured in the average Estonian. But there seems to be a much more sober outlook towards the EU these days, and it looks like the initial dreams of improvement in quality of life for Estonians is not going to come about with milk and honey flowing out of EU financial coffers....and the reality that Estonians are not going to get much larger pay packets than they currently take home is the most devastating reality that is the message concerning EU membership.

I agree with what my namesake wrote - the land of milk and honey is, as we know, a distant promise. Like religion it requires the illogical acceptance of blind faith. The EU membership is bound to bring more hardship for the majority of the population in the new member countries. It is much like the American dream - only 5% make it rich, far too many dream and dream and dream.......

Uninformed EU-supporting dolts would expect that EU membership is accompanied with a cornucopia of abundance with a rapid increase in quality of life. More realistic EU advocates expect moderate positive developments over time. Let's ask EU skeptics: explain how an isolated Estonia might advance in an increasingly competitive international environment. The skeptics' typical examples of Norway and Switzerland are absolutely inappropriate.

Estonian desire to participate in EU was based more upon political expecations and support, as opposed to thinking through the economic impact of becoming a bit player in the globalization play by large multinationals and banks.
The reality was that an indepedent Estonia had in 13 years built up an economy that was working as it was delivering growth, and was often cited as the leading economy from the former communist bloc. To have continued longer along this independent path would not have been a bad idea, especially once participation in NATO had been achieved.
Of course, then Siim Kallas would not be "earning" 300,000 kroons every month in Brussels.