There will not be life or the state of Estonia without children
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Editor-in-Chief of Riigikogu Toimetised
Throughout history, the Estonian people have repeatedly been on the brink of extinction. Perhaps the most critical moment was the Great Northern War, when the number of population reportedly fell to 100,000.
However, we still survived as a nation because the birth rate was high and families often had ten or more children.
Although life is much easier today than it was in the past, we have far fewer children than we need to keep the population stable, not to mention increasing it.
The issue has been addressed, and there has been some progress. However, the decline in the birth rate has continued in recent decades. Although the picture is critical, we are not yet in a situation where nothing can be done. This issue of the Proceedings of the Riigikogu explores what exactly has been done, and how. Politicians from all parliamentary groups present their opinions on this topic in the discussion panel, and we also have a block of thematic articles.
This is the 50th issue of Riigikogu Toimetised, the Proceedings of the Riigikogu. On this occasion, we asked Aare Kasemets, the founder and the first editor, to recall the birth of the journal.
As the journal is published twice a year, it means that this publication with a mission to share information on science and policy has been on your desks for 25 years. This is a very long time, during which a great number of important fundamental texts have been printed. In addition to paper issues, all the articles are now easily accessible on the Riigikogu Toimetised website.