LENNART MERI – president 1992–2001
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1992:
“I have never promised pots of meat, mountains of porridge or rivers of milk. And yet, tonight I want to remind you all that Worry is always born together with its twin brother, whose name is Hope. There is no shadow without light; night is always followed by day. No matter how modest your dinnertable may be this evening, Hope is seated there with you, and in the light of dawn, its features are already visible.”
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1993:
“The winter of our gloom stems from our impatience. But rebuilding a state is not like flipping a light switch that suddenly produces biblical light. A state is born like a child: with pain and hardship. But like a child, it is born of love and in turn gives rise to love.”
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1994:
“Let us, for a moment, recall within ourselves memories from the time of Russian rule — memories of a Politburo that could, on the spur of the moment, decide to deport entire peoples to the forests of Siberia or the deserts of Central Asia, or decree that Estonia be transformed into an all-Union phosphorite mine or pig farm. Those times will never return; they are gone for good, and for that we owe our thanks to your work and to your Estonian stubbornness.”
Estonian President Lennart Meri. Source: Heidi Maasikmets/ERR archives
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1995:
“As a state, we are still going through adolescence. We must learn how to act like a state. We must think with a million minds but speak with one voice. This demands discipline and a sense of responsibility even from the highest state officials. Unfortunately, we learn slowly, lazily and reluctantly. […] The coming year will be a harsh one for Estonia if we allow ourselves to be lulled by our past achievements. That is why we must give the new year the right momentum and direction already from the start: let it be a year of self-cleansing and clarity.”
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1996:
“What worries me is that elections have begun to turn into an end in themselves — something pursued for its own sake. We are less engaged in real work and more preoccupied with elections — today and tomorrow alike. That is what worries both you and me. Democracy is not merely election results. Democracy is, above all, the ability to act like a statesman in one’s own country. That is the duty of every citizen of the Republic of Estonia. We are an adult nation. And the greatest misfortune of an adult nation is an immature state.”
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1997:
“We must look far beyond the horizon and know what kind of education Estonia will need in 2010 and 2015, when today’s children are graduating from school and university. The Republic of Estonia does not have Teacher Lauri to console us by saying, ‘If you can’t manage both assignments, do just one!’ And I long for the day the phrase ‘honest Estonian work’ comes back into use. Because education is a skill, and skills are education. That is why I speak of the need for educated Estonians — people who may leap like a tiger but avoid the rise of a tiger society. So it should come as no surprise if social issues become the central questions facing Estonia in the years ahead. After all, the state is what keeps society and the world in balance; without it, we’d still be living in herds.”
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1998:
“The past year diminished Estonia’s self-confidence. We saw bank fraud, asset stripping and abuses of office. Courts work slowly, guilt fades, and as a result, the state loses credibility in the eyes of its people. All of you have surely noticed that foolishness or deceit, in time, go unnamed and end up blamed on the state. Don’t let a wedge come between you and the state! Above all, the state is you — an important reminder nine weeks before the elections.”
Estonian President Lennart Meri. Source: Toomas Tuul/ERR archives
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 1999:
“A state, like a growing plant, requires care. A state is a political plant that must be watered and fed. But a state is not a potted plant tended for aesthetic pleasure. In sustaining and advancing the state, we are first and foremost sustaining and advancing our own goals and protecting our interests. Just as every individual must continue to work and learn throughout life in order to remain capable ten, twenty-five or fifty years from now, so too the Estonian state is never truly finished. It is in all our interests that we achieve our goals in a changed and changing world. In today’s Europe, citizens’ welfare can no longer be advanced if a state shuts itself into its shell. We must be better and work better than our continental neighbors. We must compare ourselves daily with those who outperform us, because only this way can we achieve the quality of life we desire. Measuring yourself against those weaker than you is merely self-delusion for the weak.”
Lennart Meri, New Year’s Eve 2000:
“True warmth comes from the love of parents. I’m thinking of all the young folks brave enough to have children and raise them with love and by example. This is no easy task today, since the pressure of a market economy cast even children primarily as consumers. We need to free ourselves from the pressures of the tabloid media and remember that, as Juhan Smuul said, it is primarily parents’ care and dedication that pass on a culture of heart, love and values to children.
ARNOLD RÜÜTEL – president 2001–2006
Arnold Rüütel, New Year’s Eve 2001:
“That is why it seems especially fitting, here in the final moments of the year, to emphasize just how much we need new dialogue in our society — dialogue not based solely on the right of the majority over the minority, or of those in power over the people, but on the right of every individual, age group and interest group, and ultimately the entire nation, to dignity. This is all the more important now, as Estonia faces major decisions ahead — joining the European Union and NATO — for which we have already traveled a long and difficult road.”
Arnold Rüütel, New Year’s Eve 2002:
“It is essential for the survival and development of our nation to ensure a general rise in economic well-being and a meaningful strengthening of the state’s internal security. Add to this a balanced relationship between local and central authorities, and you have the key tasks that require broad societal agreement. Reaching such a general consensus requires extensive social dialogue at both higher and lower levels.”
Estonian President Arnold Rüütel. Source: Ülo Josing/ERR archives
Arnold Rüütel, New Year’s Eve 2003:
“The past year was remarkable in that it highlighted more sharply than ever the need for a change in mindset. In several popular initiatives, we saw the same traits emerge that we remember from the Singing Revolution days 15 years ago. But perhaps only now have we truly recognized the need for participatory democracy to rise alongside representative democracy. This is a sign that the slogan of the people as the bearer of supreme power is starting to become reality.”
Arnold Rüütel, New Year’s Eve 2004:
“Many conflicts and crises, both at home and in the wider world, could have been avoided if there had been more understanding, human warmth and a sense of responsibility. In the new year, we should try to understand more, instead of constantly condemning and fueling resentment. It shouldn’t be impossibly difficult to show human greatness and a willingness to reconcile and reach agreements.”
Arnold Rüütel, New Year’s Eve 2005:
“A family in which a child is supported by both mother and father is one of society’s enduring core values. Yet casual parental breakups and the public glorification of pleasure-seeking have come to be treated almost as the norm. This causes painful experiences for children. It also harms society and offends dignified people who value hard work and education — and who raise their children precisely on the foundation of these values.”
TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES – president 2006–2016
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2006:
“Estonia is doing well. Estonia is doing better and better, and we are more prosperous than ever before. The year just drawing to a close left us nearly 15,000 children richer — more than in the previous twelve years combined. There are more marriages and fewer divorces in Estonia. While this doesn’t yet stop our population decline, it does show that we believe in the future, and that we are calmer, more self-assured and more optimistic.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2007:
“Let us take the current state of the economy as a moment to set new goals and reflect. We need to lay the foundation for an economy no longer based on cheap labor, but on brainpower and the effective use of cutting-edge technology. Estonia is capable of reorganizing its economy. We have already done this in rebuilding our country — and under far more challenging circumstances.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2008:
“By our economic benchmarks, the coming year may be the most difficult Estonia has faced this century. Today we are only just reaching the bottom of the economic recession. How long that valley is, and how far the climb — that I don’t know. None of us knows. […] What we do know is that Estonia’s next rise will come if we can maintain resolve and not doubt what matters most: our country and our own abilities. The coming year is like yet another test of Estonia’s maturity. It will reveal what we are truly worth, how wise and foresighted we are, and whether our spirit can endure the hard times as well. Yes, we will endure — let there be no doubt about that.”
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Source: Ülo Josing/ERR archives
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2009:
“What truly defines us is not the depth of a crisis, but how we act during it. Shortcuts to happiness often lead into the mud; firm footing is usually found along a winding path. If there are no shortcuts to happiness for individuals or families, there are just as few for the government and state. We are often dissatisfied with and angry at our political decision-makers. Tonight, I want to commend them.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2010:
“I’m astonished when I hear complaints that Estonia no longer has a major shared goal to move toward together. Because we’re also seeing stagnation in Estonia. We shouldn’t cling to the dogmas of the past or believe that every solution of yesteryear will work forever.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2011:
“I believe we could, with the composure of adults, rely on reason — and as a nation, on our experience as well. And finally set aside our childhood toys. Stop complaining that the world doesn’t understand us. Abandon the stubborn excuses that ‘others do it too’ when we’ve done something wrong. Understand that no one is inherently pure or corrupt merely by virtue of their office — but that there are offices that must remain pure.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2012:
“We know that less stratified societies are generally more successful and happier. Differences will never disappear completely — rural and city life differ everywhere. But state agencies don’t all need to be concentrated in the capital. Roads and other infrastructure should be developed more robustly outside the capital. Electricity and other essentials should be more affordable in rural areas. People must feel that police and emergency services are close by everywhere. In a successful and developed country, the ability to live somewhere shouldn’t depend on how many kilometers away the capital is.”
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Source: Ülo Josing/ERR archives
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2013:
“Already today, we are concerned by a general tendency not to listen to one another — by the belief that we ourselves are always the smartest. All of us, from Abja-Paluoja to Toompea, could stand to question our infallibility more and pay more attention to others’ opinions. But this is only possible if we ourselves speak politely, offering not insults but our own alternative solutions and proposals that others may also critique. Ideas must compete, not insults.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2014:
“Erudition also means openness — openness to the world, to dialogue and to debate. An educated person does not fear differing opinions and does not descend into intolerance or provincialism. Neither intolerance nor hatred are forces that will carry us forward.”
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, New Year’s Eve 2015:
“Europe and Europeans are at a crossroads. Even here we hear dithering or even downright dangerous egoism. As Europeans, we should understand that migration from East to West and from South to North is a shared challenge for us all. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking we can isolate ourselves. In our Europe, I don’t recommend that anyone stand alone — especially not in this corner. As history has shown us, we cannot manage alone.”
KERSTI KALJULAID – president 2016–2021
Kersti Kaljulaid, New Year’s Eve 2016:
“It’s especially crucial just now, as the world around us is uncertain and difficult to interpret, to support one another. To think about what small steps each of us can take each day to make things better. Major, global problems are no excuse to leave local and smaller ones unresolved. On the contrary — major challenges will never catch those who stick together through smaller acts. We need smart ideas and solutions that don’t come at each other’s expense, but amplify one another’s wishes and intentions. And to do better, it’s sometimes wise to offer constructive criticism.”
Kersti Kaljulaid, New Year’s Eve 2017:
“As a seamless society grows and strengthens, the state increasingly becomes an enabler and supporter. This doesn’t mean the state’s role in our lives diminishes — rather, it transforms. Security, healthcare, education, coping with life’s major hardships — within reasonable means, the state provides these in ways we, through our taxes, are willing to sustain. If we want to do more to save someone, preserve something — or simply, as today, lift our spirits — we can and we may. But as the organizers of the [spontaneous] dance festival in Freedom Square emphasized at every step along the way — never in opposition. That dance festival was not a protest against the decision to protect younger children and lightly dressed gymnasts. It was the youth’s own contribution to making the collective Dance Festival experience better — even better than the circumstances of this summer’s Dance Festival allowed.”
Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid. Source: Anna Aurelia Minev/ERR
Kersti Kaljulaid, New Year’s Eve 2018:
“It’s a joy to see that Estonia is more prosperous than ever before. Objectively, we are doing better all the time. But the concern is that many single mothers raising disabled children don’t feel this. Many elderly people in the autumn of their lives — whether in care homes or living alone at home — don’t feel this. Those who have endured violence for years — or even just once — don’t feel this. Do the more vulnerable feel included? Or do they feel abandoned at a time when Estonia is truly wealthier than ever before? This is a question worth asking even on this festive evening.”
Kersti Kaljulaid, New Year’s Eve 2019:
“Calm dialogue between those who place their faith in technology and tend to value internationalism, and those who place more value on tradition has given us the Estonia we know today. One side seeks to make us increasingly prosperous; the other has the skills to preserve what makes us happy — a green, flavorful and mitten-patterned Estonia. Neither side could imagine Estonia without the other.”
Kersti Kaljulaid, New Year’s Eve 2020:
“It’s been a very difficult and challenging year. We’ve seen premature deaths and prolonged suffering, even as our doctors continue to achieve some of the best outcomes in Europe and the world for severe COVID cases. They can only keep doing this if society as a whole works to keep new cases under control, so access to medical care isn’t compromised. But the new year comes with renewed hope — scientifically grounded and carefully controlled. We have vaccines, and soon frontline workers and the elderly will be protected — followed gradually by everyone else.”
ALAR KARIS – president 2021–…
Alar Karis, New Year’s Eve 2021:
“Fear does not help — neither in domestic nor international concerns. Together with our friends on either side of the Atlantic, we will also withstand attempts to lead the world back into the previous century, where great powers decided to whose sphere of influence small nations belonged. Estonia is not alone, and Estonia will not be left alone if we are able to see the world around us and identify not just the threats, but also the opportunities. And just as importantly, Estonia will not leave its friends alone when they need help.”
Alar Karis, New Year’s Eve 2022:
“Let us be demanding of ourselves and of those who we elect in early March to lead our country. Let’s not allow the election campaign to dissolve into empty words and promises, but look critically at what’s behind them — which of them are designed to contribute to the greatness of only certain parties and which will make Estonia stronger, more successful and more secure.”
Alar Karis, New Year’s Eve 2023:
“The idea that countries are not defended and protected by weapons alone, but above all by people, is a simple one. Translating that into reality is much more complicated, because it makes people’s will to defend dependent on the relationship between the state and its citizens and places enormous significance on reciprocal respect. This is an important lesson for all those involved in the affairs of the state.”
Alar Karis, New Year’s Eve 2024:
“A close-knit community — that is our true strength. This means noticing and supporting the people around us. Unfortunately, too many of us say they are struggling financially. But the more people there are who don’t feel left behind and who are managing to get by in life, the better things will be for all of us — for all of Estonia.”
Estonian President Alar Karis. Source: Kairit Leibold/ERR
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