Abstract
Is Estonian transit sector in trouble after the EU accession and sanctions against Russia? A qualitative study of transit flows
Highlights
In principle, due to its favourable geographical location between Russia and the West, the economic transit transport should be one of the areas where the country should have permanent advantage
The current study investigates the factors behind the changes in the transit flows in Estonia over the last two decades and estimates the future outlook of the Estonian transit sector
The study is by large based on a qualitative survey on the expectations and views of local entrepreneurs and experts in Estonia conducted in the first half of 2019
Summary
Due to its favourable geographical location between Russia and the West, the economic transit transport should be one of the areas where the country should have permanent advantage. In the 1990s and early 2000s, economic transit by rail and through the ports which are both main transit channels in Estonia has steadily increased, but some time after Estonia’s EU accession in 2004 the transit volumes have substantially decreased in Estonia and remain relatively low today This development could potentially be linked to Estonia’s efforts to gradually change the focus of its partnership priorities after the collapse of the Soviet Union and to diminish contacts with Russia. Since the article includes a comparison of the results of the qualitative survey and of other analytical studies in this field, the current study allows us to compare what academic researchers, entrepreneurs and policy analysts have to say about the factors that could potentially affect Estonia’s economic transit over the last 20-30 years.
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