I am glad to greet you and all those present on the eightieth anniversary of the Estonian Bar Association. The Estonian Bar Association has made an important contribution to the establishment and restoration of the statehood of Estonia. It is appropriate today to remember ten members of the Estonian Bar Association that have served our homeland as heads of state or government.

You belong to the generation whose task is to restore a sovereign state subject to the rule of law. Through the work of lawyers, state power is enforced, professional level of the scholars of law moulds the face of the state. In the course of the restoration of the rule of law, several essential shortcomings have still remained and our European colleagues have been right in pointing them out to us. The reputation of the Estonian judicial system is unfortunately very low in the eyes of our citizens.

Dear attorneys at law, I am convinced that these and other serious issues give you a brimful of things to discuss on the eightieth anniversary of your professional association and will pave the way of Estonia to the family of active states upholding the rule of law!

back | archive of statements | main page