Key developments since May 2005: During 2005, planned clearance operations destroyed 2,066 items of unexploded ordnance, including more than 890 items in the south, more than 400 on Saaremaa Island and more than 400 in the northeast of the country; only four of these items were mines. From 1 January to 7 May, 559 explosive items were found, two of which were mines.
The Republic of Estonia acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 12 May 2004, and the treaty entered into force on 1 November 2004. Estonia’s security concerns, which it previously said prevented accession, were eased when it joined NATO and the European Union in 2004.
With respect to national implementation measures, Estonia states that the “Convention is part of our national legal system.... Violations of the provisions of the Convention committed by persons will be punished according to the Estonian Penal Code.”[1] Under the Strategic Goods Act, which entered into force on 5 February 2004, it is prohibited to export and transit antipersonnel mines (including related services).[2]
Estonia submitted its second Article 7 transparency report on 24 April 2006 covering calendar year 2005. The report included optional Form J, which detailed Estonia’s mine action contributions.
Estonia participated in the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005, but did not make any statements. Estonia also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2005 and May 2006 where its delegation made a statement on Estonian assistance to mine action in other countries.
Estonia acceded to the Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Amended Protocol II in April 2000. It attended the Seventh Annual Conference of States Parties to the protocol in November 2005, and submitted an annual national report as required by Article 13 of the Protocol in September 2005.
Estonia has not made its views known on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3, and the issues of joint military operations with non-States Parties, foreign stockpiling and transit of antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.
In its initial Article 7 report, Estonia confirmed that there are no production facilities in the country.[3] Estonia has banned export and transit of antipersonnel mines since 1999.[4] Estonia declared no stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in its initial Article 7 report: “Estonia does not possess APMs.”[5] It also did not declare any antipersonnel mines retained for research and training purposes.[6] However, in March 2000, a Foreign Ministry official told Landmine Monitor that Estonia possessed “less than 1,000” antipersonnel mines that it used for training.[7]
Estonia is primarily affected by explosive remnants of war (ERW), including unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned ammunition. The Estonian Rescue Board has estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of items of UXO remaining, mainly from World War II but also from World War I. Main UXO-affected areas are Männiku forest (approximately 15 kilometers south of the capital), Sinimäe (between Kohtla-Järve and Narva in northeastern Estonia), Jõgeveste (10 kilometers east of Tõrva in southern Estonia), Sõrve peninsula on the island of Saaremaa, and the Pakri islands.[8] Landmines appear to be only a small residual problem.
In accordance with national law, the Estonian Rescue Board, which operates under the Ministry of the Interior, is responsible for all clearance operations.[9] In 2001, the Explosive Ordnance Center (EODOC) was established with US assistance. EODOC conducts civilian explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations and training; it is equipped with the Information Management System for Mine Action.[10] The Rescue Board was restructured in July 2005 to include EODOC, the Northern Bomb Group based in Tallinn and three regional bomb groups.[11] The new bomb groups are staffed wholly by professional civilian deminers, with military EOD specialists performing clearance tasks only on military bases and ranges and in Estonian territorial waters.[12]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Estonia must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 November 2014. Estonia has stated on several occasions that there are no mined or mine-suspected areas within its borders.[13] Landmine Monitor does not contest this assertion based on available information.
It is reported that during 2005 a total of 2,066 UXO were cleared and destroyed. Of this total, four were mines (one antipersonnel mine and three antivehicle mines). More than 890 UXO were found in southern Estonia, more than 400 on Sõrve peninsula (Saaremaa island) and more than 400 in the Kohtla-Järve area (northeastern Estonia) during planned clearance operations; 2,711 inert munitions/projectiles and more than 374,000 rounds of small arms ammunition were also found and destroyed.[14]
From 1 January to 7 May 2006, 559 UXO were cleared and destroyed, two of which were antipersonnel mines.[15]
There were no demining casualties in Estonia in 2005 and to March 2006.[16]
Estonia has donated US$2,000 to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance each year since 1999.[17]
In 2005-2006, Estonia continued to provide practical assistance to mine action in Afghanistan; a contingent of 10 Estonian demining/EOD personnel participated in International Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan.[18] The Rescue Board’s deminers, dogs and handlers performed a total of five rotations from 25 July 2002 to 1 July 2005 in Afghanistan; each rotation consisted of two dogs, two handlers and three deminers.[19] From March 2003 to July 2005, the Estonian team operated in the Kabul area, from July 2005 to February 2006 in Mazar-e-Sharif province, and since then in Helmand province as part of the Lakhar Gari Provincial Reconstruction Team. As well as carrying out EOD and mine clearance of the reconstruction area, the Estonian team deals with destruction of mines and other explosives detected by other EOD teams. From February 2003 to July 2005, Estonia contributed an explosives detection dog team (two dogs, five personnel) as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; the team operated in Kabul, and the provinces of Bagram, Ghazni and Wordak.[20] During this period, Estonian deminers together with coalition partners, cleared and destroyed 1,667,451 UXO.[21]
The Estonian deployments are funded from the defense budget and national reserves, and its mandate expires at the end of 2007.[22] In March 2006, the Rescue Board noted that it would be reviewing its future mission participation based on available resources and structural changes.[23]
In 2005 and until May 2006, no mine/UXO-related casualties were reported in Estonia.[24] Since 1999, there have been at least 77 mine/UXO casualties (12 people killed and 65 injured), including 21 UXO casualties in 2003.[25]
With regard to mine risk education and other measures to warn the population, the Article 7 report for 2005 indicates that these are not applicable, as there are no mined areas in Estonia.[26]
There are no special programs for mine/UXO survivors, who receive treatment in civilian hospitals. In response to the OSCE questionnaire, Estonia stated that it does not require support for survivor assistance.[27]
Estonia has a law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, and the government generally enforces its provisions. The law does not mandate access to buildings, but new or renovated buildings are generally accessible. In 2005, the government increased services and support for people with disabilities. The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for protecting the rights of people with disabilities.[28]
[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 21 March 2005. The Penal Code (paras. 93, 103) punishes the manufacture, distribution and use of prohibited weapons with three to 12 years’ imprisonment. Email from Kai-Helin Kaldas, Advisor, International Co-operation Department, Ministry of Defense, 23 May 2006.
[2] Article 7 Report, Form A, 21 March 2005.
[3] Article 7 Report, Form E, 21 March 2005; Article 7 Report, Form E, 24 April 2006;
[4] Estonia Response to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Questionnaire, 15 December 2003, p. 2.
[5] Statement by Estonia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 11 May 2006; Article 7 Report, Form B, 24 April 2006; Article 7 Report, Form B, 21 March 2005.
[6] Article 7 Report, Form D, 21 March 2005.
[7] Interview with Malle Talvet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 March 2000.
[8] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 353.
[9] Email from Stan Reber, Senior Specialist, Estonian Rescue Board, 11 May 2006.
[10] Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 April 2006.
[11] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 353.
[12] Email from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 11 May 2006; Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 353.
[13] Statement by Estonia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 11 May 2006; Article 7 Report, Form C, 24 April 2006.
[14] Emails from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 21 March and 11 May 2006.
[15] Email from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 11 May 2006.
[16] Email from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 21 March 2006.
[17] Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 April 2006.
[18] CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form F, 26 September 2005.
[19] Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 April 2006; emails from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 21 March and 15 May 2006.
[20] Statement by Estonia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 11 May 2006; Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 April 2006.
[21] Email from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 15 May 2006.
[22] Statement by Estonia, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 11 May 2006; Article 7 Report, Form J, 24 April 2006.
[23] Email from Stan Reber, Estonian Rescue Board, 21 March 2006.
[24] Interview with Juri Kask, Estonian Rescue Board, Tallinn, 11 July 2005. Although there were media reports of explosion fatalities in Estonia, none were reported as involving landmines or UXO.
[25] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 436.
[26] Article 7 Report, Form I, 24 April 2006.
[27] Estonia Response to OSCE Questionnaire, 24 November 2004; see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 436.
[28] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices–2005: Estonia,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.