VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTL #0988 3071034
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031034Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9205

UNCLAS TALLINN 000988 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EN RS PHUM SOCI
SUBJECT:  ESTONIA OFFERS FREE CITIZENSHIP COURSES 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary.  The number of stateless people living in 
Estonia has declined significantly since 1992.  A new 
program to provide citizenship training to non-citizens is 
being jointly funded by the GOE and the EU.  It will help 
up to 10,000 more stateless people meet the qualifications 
for citizenship.  Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has 
pledged to increase by one third the 2006 budget of the 
Non-Estonian Integration Foundation, which administers the 
courses and conducts other work designed to integrate non- 
citizens into Estonian society.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) Since 1992, Estonian citizenship by naturalization 
has been granted to about 140,000 people.  Last November, 
the number of those naturalized surpassed that of stateless 
people, so-called "gray passport holders," who currently 
make up approximately 9 percent of Estonia's population, or about 
131,000 individuals.  To become Estonian citizens, gray 
passport holders must fulfill certain residency 
requirements, earn an Estonian language lower-level 
proficiency certificate, and pass a citizenship exam.  As 
the citizenship exam is given only in Estonian, poor 
language skills present a significant obstacle to many 
Russian speakers wishing to obtain citizenship. 
 
¶3.  (U) The Non-Estonians' Integration Foundation (NEIF) is 
a GOE-founded and funded institution with the objective of 
initiating, supporting, and coordinating projects aimed at 
the integration of Estonian society.  According to surveys 
conducted by the NEIF, approximately 60 percent of the 
remaining stateless people would like to acquire Estonian 
citizenship.  In response to these findings, last summer 
the NEIF announced a joint 7.98 million EEK effort 
(approximately USD $652,000) with the EU to offer free 
nationwide citizenship courses.  Training will be organized 
for up to 10,000 people, including 3,000 school children 
attending Russian language schools.  A total of 80 
instructors were trained and certified to teach the 
courses.  While instruction is mainly in Estonian, 
instructors are equipped to switch back and forth between 
Estonian and Russian to ensure classroom comprehension. 
Starting on July 31, the NEIF began offering the course in 
Tallinn, Johvi, Narva, and Tartu.  To date, a total of 
2,341 people have registered for the extended (25-hour) and 
the abbreviated (5-hour) courses; 494 students have 
completed the long course and 215 the short course.  The 
program also offers its graduates the opportunity to take 
the citizenship exam at the different class sites each 
week.  Normally, the exam is only offered once a month at 
the Examination and Qualification Centers in Tallinn, 
Narva, Tartu, and Kohtla Jarve. 
 
¶4.  (U) Although many course attendees still lack 
sufficient Estonian language skills to pass the citizenship 
exam, the NEIF points out that in taking the initiative to 
attend after-work classes, stateless people are 
demonstrating their motivation and perseverance to become 
Estonian citizens.  A Political Section Assistant recently 
attended one of the Tallinn classes and was encouraged by 
the level of student participation and motivation he 
witnessed.  When asked, many students indicated that they 
would also be interested in attending after-work Estonian 
language courses if offered.  (Note.  Currently, those who 
successfully obtain an Estonian language lower-level 
proficiency certificate may apply to the Government for 
reimbursement of the cost of the Estonian language classes 
they took in preparation for the exam.  The Government will 
not, however, pre-pay for the classes.  End Note.)  The 
citizenship project, which is scheduled to run through 
August 2007, also includes an information campaign to 
promote more citizenship applications.  In recognition of 
the effectiveness of the citizenship programs, the Ministry 
of Education has pledged to increase the NEIF's 2006 budget 
by one third, from 20 to 30 million Kroons, (approximately 
from USD $1,634,000 to USD $2,451,000). 
 
WOS