President Lennart Meri met with Commissioner-designate for Enlargement of the European Union Günther Verheugen in Kadriorg Palace today morning, and the main issues discussed at the meeting were the structure of the enlarging Europe and the attitude of Estonians towards the European Union.

Günther Verheugen said there was no need to confirm again that Estonia is going to become a member of the European Union in the first round of enlargement, because preparations and readiness are strong. The Commissioner-designate for Enlargement wanted to know why the public opinion poll results show that support to accession to the European Union has decreased noticeably. The President explained that some of the reasons stem from Estonia, some from the European Union. President Meri said that Estonians are interested in issues related to the transition period in free movement of labour, he added that Estonians love their home and come back from foreign trips and after studying abroad. Günther Verheugen said that the decision on the length of the transition period in free movement of labour is an issue for negotiations between Estonia and the European Union.


Press Service of the Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia
Kadriorg, April 19, 2001

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