The Estonian wood and paper industry resisted the economic impacts of the first wave of the coronavirus better than the average, the Foresight Centre report “The Impact of Virus Crisis on the Estonian Economy” shows. The turnovers of the industry started to recover already in June.
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In Estonia, the information technology and communications sector was the least hit by the first wave of the coronavirus in spring, while accommodation providers, caterers and travel agents found themselves in the most difficult situation, the Foresight Centre report “The Impact of Virus Crisis on the Estonian Economy” shows.
The funding crisis in Estonian health care will arrive already in the next five years, the report “Estonian Healthcare in the Future – Key Trends and Exemplary Countries” published by the Foresight Centre today shows. The increase in costs could be slowed down by the improvement of the health behaviour of the people of Estonia and making financing of health care more performance-based.
The Foresight Centre and the Riigikogu organised a hydrogen conference “Is Estonia About to Miss the Hydrogen Train?” in Tallinn Creative Hub to look into options for replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen-based solutions in Estonia.
One new ship under the Estonian flag could generate EUR 45,000–240,000 in tax revenue for the state budget, says the Foresight Centre report “The Future of Estonia as a Flag State. Development Scenarios up to 2040“. One proposed path for Estonia’s development is putting the emphasis on environmental sustainability and becoming a “flag state for green ships”.
The Foresight Centre conference “A Different Kind of Future”, which was held on 30 September, focused on changes in global power relations and Estonia’s position in the post-corona world.
Among the major ports on the East coast of the Baltic Sea, Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish, and Russian ports have experienced a growth in trade volumes over the last decades (2010–2018), says the Foresight Centre report “The Future of Maritime Trade in Estonia. Development Scenarios up to 2040“.
The new Foresight Council that started its work in September elected entrepreneur Jaan Pillesaar as its new Chairman. The Foresight Council approves the annual national action plan of foresight and makes proposals for the selection of principal trends and topics of foresight to the Foresight Centre formed under the Chancellery of the Riigikogu.
The Foresight Centre is conducting a study on the impact of COVID-19. The aim of the study is to provide assessment of the upcoming changes in economy, considering the risks and opportunities.
Within the framework of the recently competed study project, the Foresight Centre analysed the significance of the changes in global forces for Estonia in such strategic fields like energy, digital infrastructure and technology. As a result of the research, the Centre sets out four possible development scenarios together with decision points and choices.