On 1 December 2020, Estonia officially joined the other 22 Member States of ECMWF. The Centre's Director-General, Dr Florence Rabier, welcomed Estonia's accession to full membership, saying that this new phase will make the collaboration between ECMWF and Estonia stronger and even more vibrant.
“We take pride in the close working relationship ECMWF has with its Member States, and we know that it is the key to our success,” she stated. “I am delighted to see Estonia join our closely knit family and I know that their contribution to our collective work will help us as a community to continue to advance weather science. Each of us in our meteorological community has something to bring to the table, and each of us has to learn from others.”
Taimar Ala, Director General of the Estonian Environment Agency, stated: “I am very pleased that the Government of the Republic of Estonia has recognised the significance of the accession to ECMWF despite the difficult circumstances we have recently been experiencing. The full membership of ECMWF has been a goal for Estonia for more than a decade. Now, when we have entered an era of rapid innovation and evolving demand, this kind of affiliation becomes even more valuable. We are looking forward to enhanced usage of ECMWF's products and supercomputer resources for our official duty. I sincerely hope that Estonia has some positive impacts to bring back into this great community.”
Gen. Isp. G.A. Silvio Cau, Head of the National Meteorological Service of the Italian Air Force and President of the ECMWF Council, said: “As President of Council, on behalf of ECMWF Member States, I am glad and proud to welcome Estonia as it accedes to full membership of ECMWF, having been a Co-operating State since 2005. As the Centre’s governing body, the Council’s role of providing strategic guidance is critical and requires all of us to work closely together. We must at all times protect our own citizens, but also work for the greater good of our community. So, Estonia, already very familiar with the Centre’s practices, will be on board with us for the implementation of a new ECMWF ten-year Strategy. There could not have been a better time to welcome Estonia as our newest Member State."
As a Member State, Estonia is gaining access to a share of the Centre’s supercomputing and archive resources for its own use. It will also have voting rights at the ECMWF Council. Estonia will continue to have full access to ECMWF’s products and services as it did under the co-operation agreement.
Top image: © Stephen Shepherd