According to the explanatory memorandum of the Resolution, Russia’s influence activities in Estonia are part of a broader strategy that seeks to weaken the security and resilience of the Estonian state, targets Estonia’s Russian-speaking population and social cohesion, and spreads narratives that are damaging to the Estonian state and its allies. “The committee will be needed to assess funding chains, identify the potential role of public sector support, analyse the participation of NGOs, individuals and networks, assess the damage to internal security and social cohesion, and make proposals for mitigating risks,” the proposers of the Resolution noted.

According to the Resolution, the committee of investigation will focus on four main topics: the financing of Russia’s influence activities in Estonia, the possible role of the Estonian public sector, the impact of propaganda on Estonia’s population, and the framework of hybrid warfare. Among other things, the committee will have to find out to what extent projects, associations and activities promoting the interests of the Russian Federation have received direct or indirect funding from Estonia’s state agencies, local governments, local government divisions, and companies controlled by them.

The committee will also have to clarify to what extent organizations, associations and individuals operating in Estonia have participated in or been involved in Russia’s influence and divisive activities. According to the amendment made during the proceedings, the committee must also clarify the extent to which companies operating in Estonia have participated in or been involved in Russia’s influence and divisive activities.

The committee’s task will be to provide the Riigikogu with a comprehensive overview of the extent of influence activities and to make proposals for legislative, organizational, and security measures. Together with independent experts, the committee will have to develop proposals on how to prevent and reduce the risks associated with influence and divisive activities, and improve the capacity of authorities to identify threats, as well as make proposals for legal, organizational, and financial changes.

The formation of the committee of investigation will be based on the same principle that has been agreed upon for the establishment of the select committees of the Riigikogu, according to which the coalition and the opposition are equally represented in the committee. The committee will have to submit its final report to the Riigikogu and the public by 1 February 2027 at the latest.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
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karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu established a committee of investigation for Russia’s influence activities

The Draft Resolution on forming a committee of investigation was submitted last week by members of the Riigikogu Eerik-Niiles Kross, Toomas Uibo, Riina Sikkut, Ants Frosch and Peeter Tali. According to the Draft, a committee of investigation consisting of representatives from all parliamentary groups will be established in the Riigikogu to systematically analyse the influence activities of the Russian Federation, ways of funding them, connections with Estonia’s public sector, propaganda projects, and the risks associated with them.

The initiators of the Draft Resolution pointed out that Russia’s influence activities in Estonia were part of a broader strategy that aimed to weaken Estonia’s national security and resilience, was targeted at Estonia’s Russian-speaking population and social cohesion, and spread narratives that were damaging to Estonia and its allies. “The committee is necessary in order to assess funding chains, identify the possible role of public sector support, analyse the involvement of NGOs, individuals, and networks, assess the damage to internal security and social cohesion, and make proposals to mitigate the risks,” they noted in the explanatory memorandum.

According to the Draft Resolution, the committee of investigation will focus on four main topics: the financing of Russia’s influence activities in Estonia, the possible role of Estonia’s public sector, the impact of propaganda on Estonia’s population, and the framework of hybrid warfare. Among other things, the committee must find out to what extent the projects, associations, or activities promoting the interests of the Russian Federation have received direct or indirect funding from Estonia’s state agencies, local governments, local government agencies, or companies controlled by them. The committee must also determine to what extent the organisations, associations, or individuals operating in Estonia have participated in or been involved in Russia’s influence and divisive activities.

According to the Draft Resolution, the committee’s task is to provide the Riigikogu with a comprehensive overview of the extent of influence activities and to make proposals for legislative, organisational, and security measures. In cooperation with independent experts, the committee must draw up proposals on how to prevent and reduce the risks associated with influence and divisive activities and improve the capacity of public authorities to identify threats, as well as make proposals for legal, organisational, or financial changes.

The explanatory memorandum states that the establishment of the committee of investigation will be based on the same principle that was agreed upon when establishing the select committees of the Riigikogu, namely that the coalition and the opposition are equally represented in the committee. The committee must submit its final report to the Riigikogu and the public by 1 February 2027 at the latest.

According to the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act, the Riigikogu may form committees of investigation in order to investigate the circumstances of events of public interest. A committee of investigation has the right to summon persons to appear before the committee, and the summoned person is obligated to appear, provide explanations, and reply to questions. The committee also has the right to require the presentation of data and documents necessary for the performance of its duties. The Riigikogu last formed such a committee in 2015, when a committee of investigation was established to identify possible corruption risks in Port of Tallinn Ltd.

The Constitutional Committee decided to make a proposal to the Board of the Riigikogu to include the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Riigikogu committee of investigation to investigate the influence activities of the Russian Federation, ways of funding them, and related risks” (770 OE) on the agenda for the sitting on 17 December, and to conclude its first reading. In order to be passed, the Draft Resolution will also have to pass a second reading in the Riigikogu.

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Karin Kangro
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Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Constitutional Committee supports forming a committee of investigation for Russia’s influence activities

At the new debate on the Act on Amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act (570 UA), the Chairman of the Constitutional Committee Ando Kiviberg and member of the Legal Affairs Committee Andre Hanimägi explained the discussions in their Committees and replied to questions.

Kiviberg quoted the President as saying that cutting dangerous administrative ties was probably in conformity with the Constitution and followed the main goal of the Act; however, the problem lied in the definition of the basis for teaching, and which instructional ties could remain and which had to be cut. Kiviberg suggested assessing the elements as part of a whole. He added that the Bill did not concern freedom of religion and that congregations could continue their religious practices even with the new Act in force.

Hanimägi reported that the sitting of the Legal Affairs Committee had focused on whether the Act was in conformity with the Constitution. “Restricting the freedom of religion has never been the intent of the Bill. This has also been emphasised by the Ministry of the Interior and great many other experts,” he said. Hanimägi also answered questions, saying that different legal experts have often retained different opinions on the Act and that it was therefore not at all wrong to let the judges decide the right position.

“Ensuring security is a basic function of the state and even the President of the Republic has not fundamentally questioned the need to possibly restrict the activities of religious associations for reasons of security,” said the Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee Madis Timpson. He added that the President had not contested the purpose of the Bill, that there was no conflict of values in that respect and that the dispute concerned proportionality.

The Bill makes a value-based judgement as an abstract standard—the Republic of Estonia does not tolerate interference into the internal matters of the state under the cover of freedom of religion and canonical activities. “These amendments do not restrict anyone’s freedom of religion, ban any religion in Estonia, dissolve any church, congregation, convent, or union of congregations,” Timpson assured and added that there was room for discretion when interpreting the Act.

The Riigikogu first passed the Churches and Congregations Act on 9 April. The purpose of the Act is to ensure, among other things, that religious organisations operating in Estonia cannot be used to spread hostile influence, disseminate extremist ideologies, or incite violence under the guise of freedom of religion and freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution. According to the explanatory memorandum, Estonia stands for freedom of religion, and everyone has the freedom to choose whether to follow a religion and which religion to follow. However, in addition to respecting the freedom of religion, belief, and association, the state must also take into account the challenges that threaten national security and security in the society.

The President did not proclaim the Act on 24 April, arguing that it created disproportionate restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of association. On 14 May, the plenary of the Riigikogu decided that it would not pass the Act again without amendments but would begin to amend it. While discussing the Act again, the Riigikogu made several amendments, such as repealing the prohibition on being guided by a person of significant influence who resides abroad and extended the transitional period for introducing the necessary changes from two to six months. The Riigikogu passed the amended version of the Act on 18 June.

However, the President again refused to proclaim the Act on 3 July. He acknowledged that the Riigikogu had changed the text of the Act somewhat but not enough. He continued to see a violation with three provisions of the Constitution and a disproportionate restriction to the freedom of association and religion. He made a proposal to the Riigikogu to discuss the Act again and bring it into conformity with the Constitution. The Riigikogu decided to make no further amendments to the Act.

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Merilin Kruuse
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Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu adopted the Churches and Congregations Act again

At the final vote, 93 members of the Riigikogu submitted the passing of the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (536 SE), initiated by 61 Members of the Riigikogu. Seven members voted against it. A two-thirds majority of the votes of the members of the Riigikogu, that is, at least 68 votes, were needed for the Bill to amend the Constitution to be passed.

Initially the Bill provided that Estonian citizens and stateless residents as well as citizens of the European Union and NATO countries would be allowed to participate in municipal council elections. As a resolution of the plenary, a motion to amend submitted by 55 members of the Riigikogu was included the Act today, according to which the right to vote in local elections will be revoked for third-country nationals residing in Estonia and, from the next elections after the coming elections, stateless persons will also not be allowed to vote in local elections.

Stateless persons will be allowed to vote at this year’s local elections. The presenters of this proposal said that it would give stateless persons sufficient time to apply for Estonian citizenship if they so wish, and to participate in the next local elections as Estonian citizens. The amendment also excluded the right to vote of the citizens of NATO countries.

Citizens of Estonia and the European Union and stateless residents will be allowed to participate in municipal council elections this year, and from the next elections onwards, only the citizens of Estonia and the EU will be able to participate in local elections.

The second motion to amend, which was submitted by 26 members of the Riigikogu, failed to receive necessary support in the plenary assembly. According to this amendment, the right to vote would have been revoked for both the third-country nationals residing in Estonia and for stateless persons starting from the local elections taking place in October this year.

Under the current law, in addition to Estonian and EU citizens, the right to participate in local elections extends also to aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence permit or the permanent right of residence, who have attained 16 years of age by the election day and whose permanent place of residence is located in the corresponding rural municipality or city.

Next municipal council elections in Estonia will take place on 19 October this year.

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Voting results

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

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Karin Kangro
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Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed constitutional amendment restricting the right to vote

Members of the Riigikogu submitted two motions to amend to the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution by deadline, and the Committee decided to support both. According to Terras, this means that the plenary of the Riigikogu will have to choose between the motions to amend.

The Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (536 SE), initiated by 61 Members of the Riigikogu, originally provided that Estonian citizens and stateless residents as well as citizens of European Union and NATO countries would be allowed to participate in municipal council elections. At present, in addition to Estonian and EU citizens, the right to participate in local elections extends to aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence permit or the permanent right of residence, who have attained 16 years of age by the election day and whose permanent place of residence is located in the corresponding rural municipality or city.

According to one motion to amend, which was submitted by 55 members of the Riigikogu, the right to vote in local elections would be revoked for third-country nationals residing in Estonia and, from the next elections onwards, stateless persons would not be allowed to vote in local elections as well. Stateless persons would be allowed to vote at this year’s local elections. The presenters of this proposal said that it would give stateless persons sufficient time to apply for Estonian citizenship if they so wish and to participate in the next local elections as Estonian citizens.

According to the second motion to amend, which was submitted by 26 members of the Riigikogu, the right to vote would be revoked from this year’s local elections for both the third-country nationals residing in Estonia and for stateless persons. As a result of the amendment, only the citizens of Estonia and the EU countries would be able to participate in local elections.

At the third reading of the Bill to amend the Constitution in the plenary of the Riigikogu, a representative of the Constitutional Committee will deliver a report, and after the questions and answers session, a debate will be held where the representatives of parliamentary groups can take the floor. Then, the submitted motions to amend will be reviewed, and the method of amending the Constitution will be decided. In order to adopt the resolution to consider the Bill to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency, a four-fifths majority of the Riigikogu is required. This means that at least four times as many members of the Riigikogu must vote in favour of amending the Constitution as a matter of urgency than against it.

If the method of amending the Constitution receives the required majority of votes, the Riigikogu will decide to pass the Bill as an Act. A two-thirds majority of the votes of the members of the Riigikogu, that is, at least 68 votes, will be needed for the Bill to amend the Constitution to be passed.

If none of the two votes – on the method of amending the Constitution, or passing the Bill – receives the required majority of votes, the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution is deemed to have been rejected, and it will be dropped from the proceedings.

The next municipal council elections will take place in Estonia on 19 October this year.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
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Link uudisele: The Constitutional Committee proposes to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency

Chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu Hendrik Johannes Terras said that the creation of a legal regulation for using the frozen assets was a complicated challenge that several allied countries and international organisations were working on, and Estonia had a pioneering role to here. “Russia is an aggressor state, and the burden of compensating the war damage caused by it cannot be left to Ukraine and its allies. Russia is responsible for causing the damages and must bear that responsibility,” he pointed out.

According to Terras, the assets that have already been frozen under international sanctions and which in any case cannot be used or disposed of by their owners can be used to compensate for the damage caused by the war of aggression in Ukraine. “With the Act that was passed today, Estonia is proposing a mechanism that provides for the liability of the people and companies directly involved in or contributing to the aggression,” he said, adding that the Constitutional Committee had been discussing the creation of such a regulation in great detail with various parties, including foreign experts, for more than six months.

The Act on Amendments to the International Sanctions Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (332 SE), initiated by the Government, will create a national mechanism to ensure the financial liability of an aggressor state for the damage caused by the most serious violations of international law. The amendment will enable the use of assets of individuals and companies that have contributed to Russia’s wrongful acts, which have been frozen under sanctions, as an advance payment for damages owed by Russia to Ukraine.

Before the second reading, the Constitutional Committee had incorporated into the Act an amendment according to which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will decide on the use of the assets as an advance payment for compensation for damage in the course of administrative procedure. According to the initial wording, it would have been necessary to apply for authorisation from administrative court to use the assets.

According to the Act, a decision on the use of assets as an advance payment for compensation for damage can be made where damage has been caused by a wrongful act and the damage has been proved and must be compensated for under international law, and the foreign state that has sustained damage has submitted a relevant claim to the foreign state that has caused the damage, and the state that has caused the damage has not met the claim within a reasonable period of time. In order to launch proceedings on the use of assets in Estonia, a relevant request will have to be submitted to Estonia and the conditions for the use of the assets as an advance payment for compensation for damage and for assigning the right of claim to the owner of the assets will have to be agreed upon with the state that has submitted the request. In addition, the link between the owner of the assets and the wrongful act must be sufficiently proven.

The amendment provides that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have to determine all the facts and ownership relations relating to the assets and make sure that there are no exceptional circumstances that would make the individual’s interests outweigh the need to apply the measure. According to the Act, the owner of the assets will have the right to contest the decision on the use of the assets in administrative court.

The amendment to the Act also clarifies the competences of state agencies in the implementation of international sanctions and gives them clearer legal bases for the implementation of sanctions and for supervision.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
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Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed the Act enabling the use of Russia’s frozen assets

At a secret ballot, 61 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of Oliver Kask a Justice of the Supreme Court” (424 OE), submitted by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Seven voted against and there was one abstention.

The Pre-school Education Bill passed the first reading

The Pre-school Education Bill (419 SE), initiated by the Government, will establish a comprehensive pre-school education system, make the childcare service part of the pre-school education system and  harmonise the requirements for childcare facilities and existing crèches. The childcare service will remain a social service only for the cases where a child has a high need for care and assistance.

The Bill will raise the qualification requirements in place for the staff of preschool child care institutions. According to the Bill, the director of a preschool will have to have at least a master’s degree; a childminder will have to have at least a secondary education and a level 4 qualification as a childminder; and an assistant teacher will have to have at least a secondary education, a level 4 qualification as a childminder, or pedagogical competences. In the future, childcare facilities will have to draw up a childcare curriculum, similarly to the current crèches. Pre-school education in preschool and childcare will have to be organised in Estonian according to the national pre-school education curriculum.

The Bill is also intended to eliminate waiting lists for preschool. To this end, the Bill provides that local governments will have to guarantee a place in a childcare facility for all children aged between 1.5 and 3 years, and in a preschool for children aged between 3 and 7 years, at the request of a parent. If there are no vacancies at the parent’s preferred institutions, a place will have to be offered in a childcare facility or preschool close to home. Under the Bill, local governments will be able to determine when a parent can submit an application for a place before the child reaches the age of one and a half. A two-month time limit will be provided for the municipality to process the application.

The service may also be provided on the territory of another city or municipality if there is a relevant agreement between the local governments. In addition, the Bill will support cooperation with the private sector in the guaranteeing of childcare and preschool places, as it is possible for local governments to buy services from private companies. In such cases, the requirements in place for municipal preschools will extend to private preschools. In private preschools that have not been mandated by the local government to carry out their task, instruction may continue in another language, but Estonian language training will have to be ensured according to the national pre-school education curriculum.

In general, the Bill will make no changes to the system for funding pre-school education. While under the current Act the state budget provides, where possible, for support to local governments for the creation of places in child care institutions and for renovation, for the development of the learning environment in child care institutions and for the salaries of teachers in child care institutions, the Bill will provide for the possibility of supporting local governments from the state budget for the continuing training of teachers, for Estonian language instruction and for the acquisition of teaching materials.

During the debate, Tõnis Lukas took the floor on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Heljo Pikhof on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group and Margit Sutrop on behalf of the Estonian Reform Party Group. Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas also participated in the debate.

A Bill was rejected

The Bill on Amendments to the Language Act and the Public Transport Act (397 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, was intended to update the legal framework for language.

Major amendments would have concerned the administration procedures in the Estonian language at legal persons governed by public law, and the use of language in trade marks in foreign languages, in audio advertisements and in the web addresses of state and municipal agencies, as well as the language requirements for people performing platform work.

In addition, it was intended to provide for in the Act that taxi drivers would have to meet the required level of Estonian language skills in order to obtain a service provider card. According to the explanatory memorandum, a Government Regulation currently sets out the requirement of B1 level language proficiency for drivers of public transport vehicles but despite this a large number of people whose Estonian language skills do not meet the requirements work as taxi drivers.

During the debate, Evelin Poolamets took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Tõnis Lukas on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group.

The lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 39 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 15 voted against. Thus, the motion was supported, and the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings of the Riigikogu.

Establishment of a Hiiumaa support group

After the sitting, members of the Riigikogu are planning to form the Hiiumaa Support Group on the initiative of Member of the Riigikogu Reili Rand.

Photos (Author: Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
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Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu appointed Oliver Kask a justice of Supreme Court

In this Statement, the Riigikogu strongly condemns the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the unlawful annexation of the territory conquered in the course of the aggression, and notes that Putin’s terrorist regime with its threats of nuclear weapon has become the key menace to peace in Europe and the whole world.

“Ever since the Russian Federation launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus has expressed his public support to the act of aggression of the terrorist regime of the Russian Federation. The leaders of the Moscow Patriarchate and Patriarch Kirill are using the Russian World ideology as a tool to promote the war; it is utilised to destroy the last manifestations of Russian democracy, militarise Russian society, and justify the aggression in order to extend the Russian Federation to all the territories dominated by it in the past, including Ukraine,” the Riigikogu says in its Statement.

The Statement evokes the policy document “The present and future of the Russian world” adopted by the World Russian People’s Council, which has been established under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church and is led by the Moscow Patriarch; the document describes the war of aggression in Ukraine as a holy war both against Ukraine and the whole West, and also views a wider expanse of territories than the former Russian empire as part of the sphere of influence of the Russian Federation. “The calls of the Moscow Patriarchate contain an inherent danger to Estonia’s security and survival, including a direct threat to the public and constitutional order in Estonia,” the Estonian parliament says.

The Statement defines Estonia as a democratic state that stands for religious freedom; the state must also ensure everyone’s freedom to choose the religion to follow. “In the world today, the state also needs to protect people from terrorist and other hostile propaganda as well as incitements to violence. Protection from such propaganda also applies to Orthodox residents of Estonia, regardless of their language, ethnicity, or canonical association,” the Riigikogu declares and expresses disgust for the abuse and distortion of the tradition of religion and orthodoxy by the Moscow Patriarchate and the current regime in Moscow. “In light of the actions of the Moscow Patriarchate so far, there is a persistent threat of people being influenced in this pseudo-religious context.”

The Riigikogu affirms its repudiation of the actions of the Moscow Patriarchate as an institution that justifies and supports the aggression of the Russian Federation and feels validated in declaring the Moscow Patriarchate an institution sponsoring Russia’s military aggression. The Riigikogu calls on all states and the international community to suppress the hostile influencing activities of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Riigikogu also emphasises that declaring the Moscow Patriarchate an institution sponsoring Russia’s military aggression concerns the Moscow Patriarchate as an institution and a directing body, not the people who follow the orthodox traditions. “Orthodox associations and congregations should also carry out their own assessment of the threat to public order and to their members caused by the hostile influencing activities, and take the necessary steps to cut the ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Republic of Estonia must preserve the constitutional right to religious freedom, with full consideration for the rights and freedoms of everyone living here,” the Riigikogu declares in its Statement.

• Statement

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Karin Kangro
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Link uudisele: Riigikogu declared the Moscow Patriarchate an institution sponsoring Russia’s military aggression

The Committee made seven amendments to the Bill before the second reading, including an amendment setting out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the body who decides on the use of assets as an advance payment for the damages by administrative procedure. The initial wording had set out the administrative court as the receiver of the applications.

The Bill provides that the decision on the use of assets as an advance payment for the damages must be based on the fact that the unlawful act has caused provable damage, which must be compensated for under international law, and that the foreign state who has sustained the damage has submitted a relevant request to the foreign state which has caused the damage, but the latter has failed to meet the request within a reasonable term. In order to launch the proceedings on the use of the assets in Estonia, a relevant request must be submitted to Estonia and the conditions for the use of the assets as an advance payment of damages and for assigning the right of claim to the owner of the assets must have been agreed on with the requesting state. In addition, the link between the owner of the assets and the unlawful act must be sufficiently proven.

Under the amendments to the Bill, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must determine all the facts relating to the assets and their ownership status, and make sure that there are no special circumstances that would set the individual’s interests above the need to apply this measure. The owner of the assets would have the right to contest the decision in administrative court.

The Bill was initiated by the Government and passed the first reading in the Riigikogu in mid-November. Before sending the Bill to the second reading, the Constitutional Committee discussed the introduction of a relevant regulation and its importance with national law and banking experts, foreign policy experts, and representatives of the courts.

The Constitutional Committee proposed the second reading of the Bill for next Wednesday, May 8.

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Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Constitutional Committee sent a Bill on using frozen assets to the second reading

For the second reading, the Constitutional Committee had incorporated into the Bill an amendment according to which the National Electoral Committee would retain its right to establish by its resolution the technical requirements for online voting as the organisation of online voting may change over time. According to an amendment, the National Electoral Committee will establish by its resolution the electronic identification schemes to be used to identify voters. It will create the possibility for voters to identify themselves by Smart-ID in the future. At present, a secure computer with Internet connection, and an ID-card with valid certificates together with a reader, or mobile ID are needed to vote online.

The committee also made an amendment to the Bill to clearly provide for the option of using m-voting in elections in the future. According to an amendment, the National Electoral Committee will assess the suitability of technical solutions before each election and will define by its resolution the operating systems to be used. The Bill will specify that a voter application will be established in particular for more common operating systems and an individual verification application will be established for mobile device operating systems. According to the Bill, a voter application may be established for the latter as well.

The amendments allowing for the use of Smart-ID as well as m-voting are planned to enter into force in October this year. Thus, these options cannot yet be used in the European Parliament elections at the beginning of this June.

In addition, the Bill will specify the tasks and responsibility of the State Electoral Office in the development and management of the information systems relating to elections. The role of the Information System Authority will also be provided for in the Act. According to the Bill, the electoral office will also have the right to involve other competent authorities and persons in the organisation of the development, management and hosting of the election information system and online voting system and in the ensuring of cyber security of such information systems.

During the debate, Mart Maastik, Helir-Valdor Seeder and Aivar Kokk from  Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Jaak Valge, Ants Frosch, Kert Kingo, Mart Helme, Helle-Moonika Helme, Henn Põlluaas, Martin Helme, Evelin Poolamets, Leo Kunnas, Anti Poolamets, Arvo Aller, Siim Pohlak and Alar Laneman from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Lauri Laats, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart and Vadim Belobrovtsev from the Centre Party Group, Hendrik Johannes Terras from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Mario Kadastik from the Reform Party Group took the floor. Unaffiliated Member of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal also made a speech at the debate.

After the debate, the plenary began to review the 96 amendments entered on the list of motions to amend. In the beginning, ten-minute recesses were taken before votings. However, after seven amendments had been voted on, the Council of Elders consisting of members of the Board and chairmen of parliamentary groups convened to discuss the situation. However, they failed to reach an agreement on stopping taking recesses. Thereafter the Board of the Riigikogu also discussed the matter.

Vice-President of the Riigikogu Toomas Kivimägi explained at the sitting that the purpose of the recess granted before a voting was in particular to give members of the Riigikogu an opportunity to coordinate their positions with regard to the voting. “In this case, however, recesses are being taken to hinder the deliberation of an agenda item and thereby the work of the Riigikogu, that is, for the purpose of obstruction,” he said.

According to Kivimägi, two out of three members of the Board had found that, in order to ensure efficient functioning of the Riigikogu, in reviewing the motions to amend the Bill that was being discussed, it was necessary not to allow parliamentary groups to take recesses before voting on the motions to amend. Since there was no unanimity in the Board, the matter was put to a vote in the Riigikogu. In the plenary, 54 members of the Riigikogu supported stopping taking recesses and 19 were against it. Thus, the motion was supported. After the vote, the Riigikogu reviewed all the remaining motions to amend the Bill that had been submitted.

The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Isamaa Parliamentary group and the Centre Party Group moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill, but the motion was not supported. 19 members of the Riigikogu voted for suspension, but 47 were against it.

Two Bills passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Information Society Services Act, the Copyright Act and the Taxation Act (390 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. Its purpose is to ensure implementation of the European Union Digital Services Act Regulation and to better counter the spread of illegal content online, to protect the freedom of speech and of information of users of digital services and to harmonise the requirements applicable to digital services in the EU’s internal market.

The Digital Services Act Regulation imposes strict obligations on very large online platforms and search engines with over 45 million users in the EU. Every year, platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Amazon and Booking.com must assess the risks of their services in terms of dissemination of illegal content, fundamental rights, the protection of public health, and public security, and put in place measures to mitigate risks.

The Regulation will make the activities of online platforms more transparent when it comes to content moderation and making related decisions. For example, users will have the right to be informed when their published content is removed or access to it is disabled. At the same time, online platforms must indicate in a comprehensible way in their terms and conditions on what bases and how they moderate content. The information obtained allows users to contest such decisions and to protect their rights.

In Estonia, the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority will exercise supervision over intermediary service providers in order to ensure the rights of users and transparency of digital services. The Authority will be able to participate in cross-border joint procedures and in the exercise of supervision over very large service providers to protect Estonian users. Among other things, the Authority will be able to assess whether the measures taken by very large service providers are sufficient to mitigate the potential risks the services offered by them present to public security in Estonia.

The Bill on Amendments to the Health Services Organisation Act and Other Acts (401 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the first reading. It will allow family physicians to also service people who are not on their practice list and will make the division of work in primary health care more flexible. Under the Bill, the Estonian Health Insurance Fund will also have the possibility to assign people who are on a list that no longer has a family physician to another list that is not full and that has a service area corresponding to their place of residence.

At the same time, the Bill will create the possibility to authorise the marketing of a medicine without a marketing authorisation in the case of a definite diagnosis in order to ensure uninterrupted availability in Estonia of a medicine significant in terms of human or animal health. In addition, in the interests of legal clarity, family medical care will be introduced into the Act as a new definition instead of general medical care and the definition of health centre will be employed which will give family medical centres an opportunity to carry greater regional responsibility.

Liisa Pakosta from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.

Two drafts were dropped from legislative proceedings

The Riigikogu rejected the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to submit to the Riigikogu an action plan for the development of power generation capacities and power grids to ensure energy security in Estonia” (383 OE), submitted by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. The draft Resolution proposed that the Government submit an action plan by 1 May as to the generation capacities the state wished to promote and the sources thereof, and the role of storage, distributed generation, and consumption management to ensure Estonia’s energy security, security of electricity supply, a competitive price level for businesses and an affordable price for household consumers.

At the final vote, five members of the Riigikogu were in favour of the draft Resolution, one was against and there was one abstention. A majority of the votes of the membership of the Riigikogu, that is, at least 51 votes, would have been needed for the Resolution to be passed.

The Riigikogu also rejected the Bill on Amendments to the State Assets Act and the Land Cadastre Act (380 SE),  initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. It was intended to regulate the specifications for the transfer of national defence land by the state. According to the amendments, persons who buy from the state a registered immovable with the intended purpose of national defence land at a public auction would have been able to be released from any prior detailed spatial plan as well as the intended purpose of national defence land in order to apply for a new relevant intended purpose for the registered immovable they acquire.

35 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Economic Affairs Committee to reject the Bill at the first reading and two voted against it.

The first reading of the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic on the establishment of a temporary solidarity tax for the banking sector” (367 OE), submitted by the Centre Party Group, the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to find a solution to the establishment of an annex to the Estonian National Opera” (410 OE), submitted by the Cultural Affairs Committee, the Bill on Amendments to the Security Authorities Act (330 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, and the Bill on Amendments to the Police and Border Guard Act (370 SE), initiated by Member of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal, was cancelled at today’s sitting due to the absence of the presenters.

The sitting ended at 11.36 p.m.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video can be viewed later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill allowing m-voting