Kārlis Skalbe’s fairy tale 'How I Went to Look for the Daughter of the North' tells of one young person’s perception of the world. K. Skalbe encourages us to think about the love of freedom and to feel like a person with a true longing for spiritual fulfilment. For Latvia and Latvians, it seems that the desire to belong to the community of Northern European cultural nations is already embedded in the subconscious. In the European context, the North is not merely a geographical designation – the North is a concept of the cultural and political quality of nations and the well-being of their people. However, Latvia has not been successful in affirming its belonging to the Northern cultural and political region; since the restoration of independence, our country has been stuck in constant “searches” and “reforms”: of identity, economic model, welfare, education, nature management, governance, etc. and so on. It seems the Estonians have managed to find the right course for their ship, while we are rowing in all directions, sometimes forgetting to hoist the sails.
What are the Nordic countries?
The treaty signed in Helsinki on 23 March 1962 laid the foundation for close cooperation between Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. The Nordic community was created, and in modern times, the three Baltic states have also joined it.
The first article of the treaty outlines the primary areas of cooperation: legislation, culture, social security, the economy, transport, communication and environmental protection. However, Nordic cooperation is, of course, not limited to what is listed – close cooperation and coordination determine a unified position in many key areas of international policy, such as the use of the Arctic region or the ecology and security of the Baltic Sea. The orientation towards a common mentality and traditions characteristic of the Nordic countries also facilitated a very logical cooperation with the Baltic states as early as the period of the restoration of their statehood in the late 1980s. After regaining independence, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia became observer states of the Nordic Council, while since 2000, the term NB8 has been in circulation – a cooperation format for the five Nordic and three Baltic countries. It looked excellent – the three Baltic states are a “very similar” region to the Nordic countries, and now a wave of success should be expected. However, there are differences and, unfortunately, it must be admitted that Estonia is rapidly distancing itself from us (and Lithuania).
For example, the average lifespan of a government in Latvia is 344 days, whereas in Estonia it is 575.
In Latvia, there is no clearly defined goal to strive towards. In Estonia, there is much more clarity in both domestic and foreign policy. Estonians link their economic future to the e-sphere, digitalisation in public administration, etc. In foreign policy, Estonia wants to become a Nordic country. Since the 1990s, Estonians have been consistently working towards this without major disputes. The longer and more effectively a government works, the more successfully a strategy can be implemented. It must be understood: a compromise does not mean agreeing to do nothing!
Latvia’s so-called “politics” is not consistent; Latvia lacks selfless, farsighted politicians with a broad perspective, which is why the economic crisis of 2008-2010 was much deeper in Latvia.
In the Saeima, a member must be (must work) in several committees. Can a deputy who is a doctor or a deputy who is an athlete judge issues that are complex (unfamiliar) to them, for example, in the Economic Committee? In Estonia, it is possible to commission a study from the relevant legislative analysis department. This can be ordered by either a faction or an individual deputy, and the relevant experts prepare the information. The Saeima does not have such a research department because “the money for it has not been found in the budget”... Our deputies lack information that is explained and presented in an understandable way. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp sector-specific nuances or issues that are important to the economy and vital for the future. Everything dissolves into speeches and loud, senseless slogans, seemingly worried about “what society will say” and “how can we not make promises”. Compared to the parliaments of other countries, the Saeima is small and salaries are not competitive, but we need qualified specialists so that we do not wander in the dark and confusion, as the Estonians have long since stopped doing.
An impression is created that Latvians have a special way of thinking, traditions and a strong Soviet legacy; Latvia had a high proportion of Soviet migrant settlers, which is why our corruption is higher, with all of it blamed on the peculiarities of the Latvian mentality. Let us be honest – the history of Estonia and the Estonian people is very, very similar to the history of Latvia and the Latvians; for several hundred years, our lands were in the same state – the Livonian Confederation, and subsequent events also differed little. It is fair to think that the greatest changes in Latvia took place precisely during the Soviet years, whereas Estonians were able to maintain greater self-respect, purposefulness and, of course, their attitude towards their land and country. An Estonian will not say: “I love this land, but I do not respect the state.” For Estonians, their land and their state are one whole. Perhaps that is where the key to success lies...
Speaking of public administration, Estonians made more serious changes in the early 90s, such as judicial reform, effectively replacing the generation of judges and getting rid of the Soviet burden (generation) in this area.
In Estonia, there are no distinct parties for only Russian-speaking residents. The Estonian Centre Party is a social-democratic oriented party and represents both Estonian-speaking and a large number of Russian-speaking voters.
Even road construction in Estonia is based on logic and an interest in performing the work to a high standard.
Estonia has been more successful in solving financial problems, including the funding allocated for roads from the state budget. In Estonia, 75% of the fuel excise tax is given to roads. Moreover, citizens of the neighbouring country do not have to pay a road tax - it is calculated and proportionally included in the fuel excise duty. In Estonia, construction methods related to minor roads are used more successfully. In Estonia, local rural roads have been converted into roads with blacktop surfacing, and care has been taken so that both cyclists and pedestrians can use hard-surfaced roads, as a marked, one-metre-wide hard-surfaced edge has been left along each side. In Estonia, bus stops are not demolished or defaced, and waste does not accumulate in them. A very stark contrast when entering from Estonia: in Latvia, there is litter, graffitied bus stops, bad, unkempt roads, dilapidated houses and ruins from the Soviet era. Latvia has a long road ahead to reach Nordic status. Money for defence, health, pensioners and education is also necessary in Estonia, but since the excise law came into force in 1995, no Estonian politician has ever thought to redistribute the money due to roads for other needs.
Undeniably, the topic of roads is very important wherever a country is planning development, but in Latvia, it seems no one really believes that they will function well, which is why sufficient funds are not invested. We see how roads are built in Latvia, and perhaps this fuels disbelief and a lack of trust in road (and street) builders. Some time ago, “Latvijas valsts ceļi” calculated that because of the catastrophic state of the roads, our national economy loses about 700 million EUR per year. This sum is made up of both operating expenses and the increase in travel time costs.
If we look again at the potential causes for the differences between the countries, for the sake of fairness, it must be noted that Estonians did not experience the refugee flows that emptied Kurzeme and Zemgale during World War I, where hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their well-tended farms… This, by the way, is one of the reasons why Estonians managed to declare their independence earlier than Latvians, because Estonians did not go into exile and maintained their national strength. It is possible that we are still feeling the consequences of World War I today, even though more than a hundred years have passed. After regaining independence, Estonians acted more pragmatically, patriotically and reasonably than we did. It must certainly be mentioned that our neighbours were helped by the very significant support from the Finns. Estonia has had more honest politics - without oligarchs, dishonest cliques and self-serving interests. Estonian state officials have been more responsible towards their land and country, have treated them with respect, and understood more seriously that their own country is a true asset! It is no surprise that in Estonia, average wages, benefits and pensions are all higher. Most importantly, the population decline in Estonia has stopped. This is what correct, smart and farsighted state policy looks like. Estonia is a land with a worse climate and more barren, rockier soil than Latvia. We have many things that grow better, our land is more spacious, and we have more inhabitants, but that has not been enough for us to be on par with or ahead of our northern neighbours, as we were in the pre-war years.
Latvia has very good potential indicators, and when evaluated by agricultural land per capita, Latvia ranks 2nd in the European Union. Latvia has no problems with the availability of fresh water, and the country has favourable climatic conditions for the production of agricultural goods. At the same time, the value of primary produce per hectare in Latvia is among the lowest in the European Union, which is why there is significant potential for increasing the production of bioresources. It must be remembered that Latvia is a country rich in forest resources. This is a huge asset that must be used rationally and effectively for the country’s development. Evaluated by forest area per capita, Latvia ranks 4th in the EU (after Finland, Sweden and Estonia). Compared to the first half of the last century, the forest area in Latvia has doubled, and the total timber volume in the forests has increased almost three times.
The growth of timber in forests exceeds the volume of logging, and without risk to the resource flow in the long term, there is potential to increase the volume of timber harvesting by 6–8 million m3, as there are large reserves in forests that have reached logging age, and the annual logging volume is less than the annual increase in timber volume, making up about 63% of the total annual growth in forest areas available for timber harvesting. Latvia has excellent opportunities not only to be on par with our neighbours but also to surpass them.
Therefore, we must remember and live with the thought: our land and country are one whole, which must be cared for and managed with foresight. Only then will we be a Nordic country, not just on a formal document or in a study. Decisions must be taken by ourselves, here in Latvia!