VZCZCXYZ0015
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTL #0974/01 2991503
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261503Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9182
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS TALLINN 000974 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/NB KAYE LEE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS KFRD EUN EN
SUBJECT: ESTONIA PREPARES FOR SCHENGEN IMPLEMENTATION 
 
 
¶1. Summary: GOE officials expect implementation of the 
Schengen Agreement to be delayed until early 2009, because 
of a delay in the European Commission's introduction of the 
second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II).  In 
preparation for accession, the GOE is focused on bringing 
border control and police cooperation into compliance with 
Schengen standards.  Timing depends in part on the GOE's 
ability to finish construction of a new terminal in Tallinn 
Airport by the end of 2008.  The GOE has directed more than 
half of the assistance it has received from the EU Schengen 
Facility toward upgrading border guard capabilities.  End 
Summary. 
 
Estonia's Preparation and Evaluation 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. In May 2006, EU officials began conducting assessments 
of Estonia's preparedness to meet Schengen requirements in 
four areas:  air borders, visas, police cooperation and 
personal data protection.  (Note:  The date for the EU's 
evaluation of Estonian compliance with SIS has not yet been 
scheduled. End note.)  According to Jaanus Kirikmae, 
Director General, Consular Department of the MFA, EU 
assessments have been "positive" and Estonia is in a "good 
position to implement Schengen."  It is expected that for 
Estonia, all evaluation reports will be completed by this 
December (with the exception of SIS) when the EU's Justice 
and Home Affairs Council plans to review the reports for 
all of the countries wanting to fully implement Schengen. 
 
¶3. Air borders is the only sector where the GOE may have 
difficulty in meeting its timetable.  Estonia needs to 
build a separate terminal at the Tallinn Airport that will 
allow for the separation of travel to and from Schengen and 
non-Schengen countries. MFA and Ministry of Interior 
Officials could not confirm the specific schedule for 
construction, but highlighted that the aim is to have the 
new terminal built by the end of 2008. 
 
¶4. Estonia has received 76 million Euros (USD 95 million) 
from the EU Schengen Facility for the period 2004-2006. 
While the GOE has established 86 objectives in preparation 
for Schengen implementation, its priority is upgrading 
border guard capabilities and equipment.  46 million Euros 
(USD 58 million) have been dedicated to this sector.  The 
remainder of the money is being used in a variety of other 
projects, including establishment of a national SIS and 
enhanced electronic surveillance. 
 
¶5. Estonia is in the process of renewing or establishing 
new bilateral agreements with Latvia and Finland, in order 
to ensure smooth implementation of Schengen.  According to 
Piret Lillevali, an Advisor to the Ministry of Internal 
Affairs, while there are various bilateral agreements that 
relate to Schengen implementation the most numerous concern 
cross-border police cooperation.  In August 2006, Estonian 
Minister of Interior Kalle Laanet, and his Latvian 
counterpart Dzintars Jaundzeikars met in Valk, Latvia to 
sign an agreement on cross-border police cooperation. 
Estonia and Finland are currently negotiating a similar 
agreement. 
 
New Schengen Implementation Date for Estonia 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. Estonia originally planned to implement Schengen by the 
fall of 2007.  However, now it appears this will not happen 
until late 2008 or early 2009 due to a delay in the EU's 
introduction of SIS II.  A key aspect of Schengen 
implementation is full integration into the SIS, which 
provides personal identity and other data throughout the 
Schengen area.  SIS was created to allow police forces and 
consular agents from Schengen countries to access data on 
specific individuals (e.g. criminals and missing persons) 
and on goods which have been lost or stolen.  The European 
Commission is currently revising technological aspects of 
the SIS, (to become SIS II) in order to integrate new 
member states and to allow the database to be accessible to 
a larger number of institutions and legal authorities 
within Schengen countries. 
 
¶7. On September 7, 2006 an EU Council working group 
discussed a new timetable for the completion of the SIS II. 
According to this timetable, SIS II will not be ready to 
integrate the information systems of new member states 
until June 2008.  According to officials from both the MFA 
and the MOI, this could delay Estonia's implementation of 
Schengen to at least October 2008 or even more likely early 
¶2009.  Once Estonia has completed the steps necessary to 
integrate its systems with SIS II, the EU will still have 
to assess Estonian compliance with Schengen standards. 
 
Anticipated Effects of Schengen on Estonia 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. As yet, GOE officials do not appear concerned that 
adoption of Schengen will result in serious asylum or 
illegal migration problems in Estonia.  According to Ele 
Russak, an Adviser in the Citizenship and Migration Policy 
Department of the Interior Ministry, Estonia receives very 
few asylum applications and the number has not increased 
since Estonia's accession to the EU in 2004.  (Note: 
Estonia received 15 asylum applications in 2004, 11 in 2005 
and 3 to date in 2006.  End note.)  Russak told us that she 
does not foresee Schengen per se increasing the numbers, 
but noted that the GOE is still in the process of reviewing 
the potential impact of Schengen on asylum applications. 
 
¶9. The Estonian Citizenship and Migration Board (CMB) is 
working on a system to shorten the average time it takes to 
process asylum applications and to prevent and reduce the 
misuse of the asylum system. In 2004 Estonia began 
exchanging information with the EURODAC Register - the EU's 
digital system for comparison of fingerprints of asylum 
seekers and illegal immigrants.  The register allows 
participating countries to ascertain if an alien has 
already applied for asylum in another EU member state. 
According to MFA's Jaanus Kirikmae, in cases where asylum 
seekers have already requested asylum elsewhere within the 
EU, those asylum seekers would be sent back to where the 
original application was filed. In 2000, the GOE opened a 
new Estonian Asylum Seekers Reception Center in Ida-Virumaa 
Country, in the northeast corner of Estonia.  The Center 
has rooms for receiving and interviewing applicants as well 
as temporary accommodations. 
 
¶10. To address issues related to illegal migration, the CMB 
established migration bureaus at four regional points in 
Tallinn, Johvi, Parnu and Tartu in 2004 and set up a 
database of illegal aliens in Estonia in 2005.  The CMB 
supports voluntary departure of aliens; it only expels them 
to their country of origin if they fail to leave 
voluntarily. Those awaiting expulsion are detained at the 
Repatriation Center. Since the Center's establishment in 
2003, it has accommodated only 53 people, the majority 
coming from Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. 
 
¶11. GOE officials have only begun to consider the impact of 
Schengen on economic migration.  The MOI's Russak told us 
that the Ministry of Economy recently established a working 
group to analyze labor migration, with the aim of "possibly 
simplifying work permits."  She noted that preference will 
be given to EU nationals.  Russak also acknowledged that 
Estonia is facing a growing labor shortage which will also 
need to be considered during discussions on labor 
migration. 
 
Estonian Criticism of Delay 
-------------------------- 
 
¶12. Estonia's preparations for Schengen implementation 
appear to be progressing well. However given the magnitude 
of the airport terminal construction initiative and the 
EU's delay in implementing the SIS II, it is very possible 
that full implementation of the treaty could slip further. 
In a meeting September 29 in the Estonian island of 
Saaremaa, the chairpersons of the European Affairs 
committees of 8 EU member state national parliaments 
(Baltics, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Denmark) 
expressed support for an Estonian-initiated draft 
resolution criticizing the European Commission for the 
delay in the lauch of SIS II.  The draft resolution will be 
discussed further at a conference in Helsinki this 
November. 
 
WOS