Last night President Meri received the Chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Committee, Professor Karl-Heinz Hornhues, accompanied by Mr Bernd Mützelburg, Ambassador of Germany to Estonia. Also present at the meeting was the Director of the President’s Office, Mr Jaanus Pikani.

The conversation between President Meri and Professor Hornhues was centrally concerned with the subject of the European Union. Attention focused in particular on the hitherto neglected possibilities of informing the local population by disseminating broad materials related to the issues of the European Union and its enlargement.

An increasing role of the Government and local media channels in the notification of the public about those issues was pointed out in the course of the discussion.

The recommendation of the European Commission to start accession negotiations with Estonia in the first round was welcomed by President Meri and Professor Hornhues as a breakthrough in the integration into the European Union, one that is useful and important not only to Estonia but to the Baltic states as a whole.

Speaking of challenges to future EU members, Professor Hornhues said, “One must learn to think as far as Portugal.”

At the end of the meeting Professor Hornhues gave an assurance of Germany’s full support to Estonia’s integration into the European Union, making a point of stressing Estonia’s continued will to work and not only her good achievements so far.


Information Service of the President’s Office
Kadriorg, August 12, 1997

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