Editing History of Estonia (section)

=== Accession of Estonia to the European Union ===
On 14 September 2003, following negotiations that began in 1998, the citizens of Estonia were asked in a referendum whether or not they wished to join the [[European Union]]. With 64% of the electorate turning out the referendum passed with a 66.83% margin in favor, 33.17% against.<ref>{{cite news |title=Estonians Say "Jah" to the EU – DW – 09/15/2003 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/estonians-say-jah-to-the-eu/a-967912 |work=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> Accession to the EU took place the following year, on 1 May 2004. Estonia became [[Schengen Area|Schengen area]] member on 21 December 2007<ref>{{cite web |title=Estonia – EU member country profile {{!}} European Union |url=https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/country-profiles/estonia_en |website=european-union.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

In its [[2004 European Parliament election in Estonia|first European Parliament elections in 2004]], [[Estonia (European Parliament constituency)|Estonia]] elected three [[Member of the European Parliament|MEPs]] for the [[Social Democratic Party (Estonia)|Social Democratic Party]] (PES), while the governing [[Res Publica Party]] and [[People's Union of Estonia|People's Union]] polled poorly, not being able to gain any of the other three MEP posts. The [[voter turnout]] in Estonia was one of the lowest of all member countries, at only 26.8%. A similar trend was visible in most of the new member states that [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|joined the EU in 2004]].

The [[2009 European Parliament election|European Parliament election of 2009 in Estonia]] scored a 43.9% turnout – about 17.1% higher than during the [[2004 European Parliament election in Estonia|previous election]], and slightly above the European average of 42.94%. Six seats were up for taking in this election: two of them were won by the [[Estonian Centre Party]]. [[Estonian Reform Party]], [[Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica]], [[Social Democratic Party (Estonia)|Social Democratic Party]] and an independent candidate [[Indrek Tarand]] (who gathered the support of 102,460 voters, only 1,046 votes less than the winner of the election) all won one seat each. The success of independent candidates has been attributed both to general disillusionment with major parties and the use of closed lists which rendered voters incapable of casting a vote for specific candidates in party lists.

On 1 January 2011 Estonia adopted the [[euro]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-12098513|title = Estonia becomes 17th member of the euro zone|work = BBC News|date = 31 December 2010}}</ref> The enlargement of the [[eurozone]] was hailed as a good sign in a period of global financial crisis. However, the government cut down public service salaries; the only opposition, in the absence of organised unions, came from Estonian teachers, whose salary cuts were therefore limited.<ref name=presseurop>[http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/478531-most-soviet-western-state PressEurope] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129204200/http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/478531-most-soviet-western-state |date=29 January 2011 }}, 26 January 2011</ref>
[[File:The 150th Jubilee of the Estonian Song Festival — Laulipidu 2019.jpg|thumb|[[Estonian Song Festival]] in Tallinn in 2019]]
[[Estonian euro coins]] entered circulation on 1 January 2011. Estonia was the fifth of ten states that joined the EU in 2004, and the first ex-Soviet republic to join the [[eurozone]]. Of the ten new member states, Estonia was the first to unveil its design. It originally planned to adopt the euro on 1 January 2007; however, it did not formally apply when [[Slovenia]] did, and officially changed its target date to 1 January 2008, and later, to 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite news| title=Alcohol and tobacco tax to rise in Estonia next year| url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Alcohol+and+tobacco+tax+to+rise+in+Estonia+next+year/1135227499218| newspaper=Helsingin Sanomat| date=25 May 2007| access-date=1 January 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615201438/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Alcohol+and+tobacco+tax+to+rise+in+Estonia+next+year/1135227499218| archive-date=15 June 2008| df=dmy-all}}</ref> On 12 May 2010 the [[European Commission]] announced that Estonia had met all criteria to join the eurozone.<ref>{{cite news| title=Estonia ready for euro| url=http://ec.europa.eu/news/economy/100512_1_en.htm| publisher=European Commission| date=12 May 2010| access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> On 8 June 2010, the EU finance ministers agreed that Estonia would be able to join the euro on 1 January 2011.<ref>[http://www.actionforex.com/analysis/daily-forex-fundamentals/estonia-to-join-euro-1-january-2011-20100608115064/ Estonia to Join Euro 1 January 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611052826/http://www.actionforex.com/analysis/daily-forex-fundamentals/estonia-to-join-euro-1-january-2011-20100608115064/ |date=11 June 2010 }}</ref> On 13 July 2010, Estonia received the final approval from the ECOFIN to adopt the euro as from 1 January 2011. On the same date the exchange rate at which the [[Estonian kroon|kroon]] would be exchanged for the euro (€1 = 15.6466 krooni) was also announced. On 20 July 2010, mass production of Estonian euro coins began in the [[Mint of Finland]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://eurocollection.ning.com/ |title=EuroHOBBY - Community of Euro Coins Collectors |access-date=29 January 2011 |archive-date=9 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109134053/http://eurocollection.ning.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Being a member of the eurozone, NATO and the European Union, Estonia is the most integrated in Western European organizations of all [[Nordic states]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Estonia in the eurozone – a strategic success |url=https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-commentary/2011-06-20/estonia-eurozone-a-strategic-success |website=OSW Centre for Eastern Studies |language=en |date=20 June 2011}}</ref>