In a speech commemorating the 85th anniversary of Estonian independence on 24 February, Arnold Ruutel said the great progress that Estonia has made in recent years has come at a regrettably high social price

In a speech commemorating the 85th anniversary of Estonian independence on 24 February, Arnold Ruutel said the great progress that Estonia has made in recent years has come at a regrettably high social price. He stressed that a low birthrate, incomplete education, a dangerously high crime rate, and stratification of society are serious warning signs. Ruutel affirmed that if Estonia wants to secure its independent statehood and restore societal confidence, it must "set common goals, comprehensible to everyone, and agree upon an action plan to achieve them." Although the aging of and decline in the population are cited as major problems, little attention is paid to the lives that are lost through violence, injury, or growing alcoholism, he added.