According to the Act, it will be possible to delete from the register vehicles that no longer exist or are unaccounted for. In 2025, the deletion of such vehicles from the register will be free of state fee, while a state fee of EUR 15 will have to be paid in 2026. In 2025 and 2026, a vehicle can be deleted from the register in this way if the registry entry for the vehicle has been suspended or if the vehicle has been temporarily deleted and has not passed a roadworthiness test for at least the last two years. From 2027, the state fee for deleting a destroyed or unaccounted-for vehicle from the register will be EUR 800. If a vehicle is handed over to a waste handler, the vehicle will be deleted from the register free of charge on the basis of a certificate of destruction.

From 2025, registry entries for vehicles will no longer be automatically suspended. The aim is to nudge owners to decide what to do with a vehicle that is not being used – whether to transfer it, take it to a scrap yard or temporarily delete it from the register in order to put it back into service later.

According to the Act, it will be possible to tow a parked vehicle from a public road if it does not have a registration plate, if the vehicle has not been registered for more than three months or if the vehicle is not complete, i.e. if it is a “scrap vehicle”. In addition to the right of the police and local authorities to tow vehicles the Transport Board is also given the right to tow vehicles in the case of national roads.

The Riigikogu also amended the Motor Vehicle Tax Act to specify the taxation of vehicles that are temporarily deleted and the registry entry for which is suspended. Such vehicles will be subject to a transitional period until the end of 2026 during which they will not be taxed. An amendment specifies that if a temporary deletion is terminated or a registry entry is reinstated, the motor vehicle tax will be due from the date of entry of the vehicle in the active part of the motor register to the end of the year.

Parliament also included a provision in the Act under which vehicles temporarily deleted from the motor register will be exempted from motor vehicle tax starting in 2027, in order to exempt from the tax burden persons who are not using their vehicle for a longer period due to it being restored, for example. If a temporary deletion is terminated, the tax will be due for the entire current year.

As of 1 November 2026, vehicles the registry entry for which has been suspended for more than seven years as of 1 July of the same year will be automatically deleted from the register. If the owner knows the location of the vehicle, they will have to have a roadworthiness test for the vehicle and insure it, temporarily delete the vehicle from the register or hand it over to a waste handler for destruction. A fine is provided for failure to perform the act.

In order to organize the register, the Transport Administration will have the right to temporarily delete vehicles from it if at least one year has elapsed since the death of the owner or at least one month has elapsed since the owner who is a legal person was deleted from the register. Since temporarily deleted vehicles are deemed to be unregistered vehicles and their use in traffic is not allowed, this should motivate the users and owners of such vehicles to update registry entries more quickly.

The Act creates the possibility for over-30-year-old vehicles with historical value to be deleted for up to five years, and vintage vehicles for the entire period of recognition as vintage vehicles. The status of a vintage vehicle must be renewed every 12 years. Vehicles of historical value will have to be stored in facilities with a rainproof and impermeable surface to avoid environmental disturbance.

End-of-life vehicles that have been deleted from the motor register will have to be handed over to a waste handler holding an environmental protection permit who has a contract with the producer or a producers’ responsibility organisation.

During the debate, Andres Metsoja took the floor on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Rain Epler on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Lauri Laats on behalf of the Estonian Centre Party Group, Igor Taro on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Anti Allas on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group.

50 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and 16 were against it.

The second reading of a Bill was concluded

The Bill on Amendments to the Status of Member of Riigikogu Act (545 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, Toomas Kivimägi and Arvo Aller and Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group, the Estonian Reform Party Parliamentary Group and the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group, passed the second reading.

The Bill will provide for lowering the upper limit for the reimbursement of work-related expenses of members of Riigikogu from 30 per cent to 25 percent of the salary of the members of the Riigikogu which is currently EUR 5,979.95. The salary of members of the Riigikogu changes on April 1 every year as a result of indexation.

As a result of the amendment proposed by the Bill it will be possible for the state to save approximately 400,000 euro annually. In the opinion of the initiators of the bill, reducing the limit for the reimbursement of work-related expenses of members of Riigikogu by one-sixth is reasonable, and the work of the 15th Riigikogu will not suffer as a result. Work-related expenses are reimbursed on the basis of expense receipts.

If the Act is passed, it is planned to enter into force on 1 January 2025.

The Riigikogu heard presentations by the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs

Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta presented to the Riigikogu a report on the implementation of “The Fundamentals of Criminal Policy until 2030”.

Pakosta said that right choices had been made in criminal policy for years and by and large our society was safe. She stated, however, that while crime had been on a downward trend in Estonia for over a decade, the number of recorded crimes had started to rise in 2023, and the total number of recorded crimes was continuing to grow this year as well. “Scams account for the largest part of the growth,” said Pakosta, pointing out the significant increase in computer scams and scam calls.

In her presentation, the minister also focused on juvenile delinquency. She pointed out that offences by minors were on a downward trend but recidivism among young people released from prison was high. At the same time, the minister emphasized the importance of prevention in her presentation.

Pakosta also addressed issues related to addiction disorders. She noted that harms from drug use, including overdoses, were on the rise. Speaking about drunk driving, she said that such offences had decreased. She pointed out that, since last year, first-time offenders were given the opportunity to change their behaviour without having their driving privileges revoked.

Pakosta also said that the use of digital solutions had made procedures faster for people, including in the case of international procedures.

During the debate, Jaanus Karilaid took the floor on behalf Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Anti Haugas on behalf of the Estonian Reform Party Group, Andre Hanimägi on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group, Kert Kingo on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Igor Taro on behalf of the Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group. Minister Liisa Pakosta also took the floor.

The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs also gave to the Riigikogu an overview of the implementation of “The Fundamentals of Legislative Drafting Policy until 2030” in 2023, focusing on the legislative situation in Estonia.

According to Pakosta, 64 percent of existing laws were amended last year, which is worrying and indicates that more stable legislation is needed, as amending laws too often reduces trust in the state and burdens both people and businesses.

In her presentation, the minister also talked about the problems related to the involvement of interest groups. According to her, interest groups are often involved too late and given too little time to express their opinion. According to Pakosta, in the case of bills related to the state budget, the average coordination time last year was only five days, which is not enough time to discuss complex issues.

In her presentation, Pakosta also highlighted examples of good legislation and acknowledged that all drafts and legislative intents were public, and everyone could express their opinion. According to her, a feedback loop between ministries is also important in the interests of better legislation. She also stressed the importance of the constitutionality and constitutional review of legislation.

During the debate, Varro Vooglaid took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Igor Taro on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Riina Solman on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group. Minister Liisa Pakosta also took the floor.

During the open microphone Igor Taro from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Rain Epler and Anti Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group took the floor.

After the sitting, it is planned to form the Estonia-Syria Parliamentary Friendship Group on the initiative of Eerik-Niiles Kross.

The sitting ended at 6.45 p.m.

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
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed an Act to reduce the number of end-of-life vehicles

Taro pointed out that it was important to claim compensation for the environmental damage caused to Ukraine by Russia’s aggression. “In addition to the loss of human life and destruction, Russia’s aggression is causing enormous damage to the environment, which must be compensated, and the aggressor must be held accountable for its crimes. Estonia is ready to share its experience in calculating the environmental damage caused by the Soviet occupation. We can also share our experience in adopting environmental legislation as a member of the European Union,” Taro said.

At the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation wished to hear about the experience of the Environment Committee of the Riigikogu in the application of EU law in the field of environment protection and civil protection, and the challenges connected with it, as well as about the organisation of waste management, the protection of forest resources, the establishment of national parks and the management of natural resources.

President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar also met with the representatives of the Ukrainian parliamentary committee. He affirmed Estonia’s strong support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia that was continuing a war of aggression.

He said that yesterday the Riigikogu had passed the next year’s state budget, where nearly 100 million euros had been allocated to supporting Ukraine, and Estonia would continue providing military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of at least 0.25 per cent of GDP also in the coming years. “We are working to encourage our allies and partners to increase their support to Ukraine. We also support the tightening of sanctions against Russia,” said Hussar, who also expressed strong support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and NATO.

Three-member delegation of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management of the Verkhovna Rada that is headed by Deputy Chair of the Committee Olena Kryvoruchkina is on a visit to Estonia since Tuesday. At the Riigikogu, they also had meetings with the members of the National Defence Committee and the Estonia-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group. The Ukrainian delegation will also meet with Minister of Climate Yoko Alender and Director General of the Estonian Rescue Board Margo Klaos.

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Environment Committee discussed environmental protection with Ukrainian counterparts

Taro also pointed out the results of the nuclear energy life cycle analysis, which show that even when the environmental impact of the whole process is taken into account, its carbon footprint remains in the same range as that of low-emission solar and wind energy. The emission impacts of other alternatives that are based on fossil or biofuels exceed it by dozens of times. “Indeed, nuclear energy comes with its own set of challenges, the most serious of which is the final disposal of nuclear waste and the security risks that the next presenters will talk about. Many of these challenges can be solved during the development of nuclear energy framework. The Chairman sees it as a task of the Riigikogu to set out the minimal environmental and safety standards that every nuclear project developer should be required to respect. It is also up to the Riigikogu to decide how much we are willing to contribute financially to ensuring the option of rapidly implementing an additional emissions free energy production approach in 10-, 15-, or 20-years’ time. 

“The cost of all this is definitely a relevant question; however, it would be even more important to ask ourselves today how much excluding of this option would cost to Estonia’s economy and society in the long run. Historically, nuclear energy has prevented more than 1.8 million premature deaths from excessive air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In mid-century perspective, this emissions-free energy generation solution might save another 500,000 to 7 million lives if we give up fossil fuels,” he stated, emphasising that the point of the debate could thus be the focus on the long-term plan in light of environmental and climate goals.

The Head of Radiation and Nuclear Safety of the Ministry of Climate Reelika Runnel was the second to speak. She presented the final report of the Nuclear Energy Working Group “Possibilities for the Implementation of Nuclear Energy in Estonia”. Runnel outlined the drafting of the analysis. The whole material input for the analysis was assessed during an expert mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency. “The mission checked whether we have the necessary grasp on all the commitments that come with the use of nuclear energy and whether we have given full consideration to all the topics linked to using this source of energy. The experts concluded that the analyses of the Working Group and the preparations for implementing nuclear energy have been thorough and sufficient to allow us to make a conscious decision on using this source of energy,” she said.

At the end of last year, the Working Group finally reached a conclusion that it was possible to implement nuclear energy in Estonia if the planning was timely, the funding sufficient, and there was support from the policies and the general public. “Implementing nuclear energy would support our objectives in ensuring climate goals and supply security, provide stable power generation, promote research and development, bring economic gain, and create jobs for locals,” she explained.

“We need to remember that in a country which has not used this energy source before, implementing nuclear energy requires fundamental preparation and it would take at least a decade before a nuclear power plant would be up and running,” Runnel stressed. The first reactors that would be more or less feasible in Estonia would be built in the West by the end of this decade; technologically speaking, these would be smaller versions of water-cooled reactors, i.e. a technology that has been tried and tested around the world during the past 70 years.

Runnel also highlighted the key problem in discussions on the use of nuclear energy—namely the concerns around nuclear waste, which has produced a multitude of indelible myths and false perceptions in the public consciousness. One such is that the use of nuclear energy produces huge amounts of nuclear waste, a problem which supposedly has not been solved. “The study commissioned by the Working Group showed that a small reactor would generate around 12 tonnes of nuclear fuel a year. Over the lifecycle of the reactor, which is at least 60 years, 720 tonnes of fuel would be generated per reactor and this would be stored in an interim disposal site on the territory of the plant. “As a comparison, the total waste generated in Estonia in a year is 23 million tonnes. This includes 1.6 million tonnes of hazardous waste.” 96 percent of nuclear fuel can be recycled and recovered, and there are also numerous options for waste treatment and final disposal. Support for nuclear energy has remained at close to 60 percent.

The third presentation was by the Director of the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre Lauri Tammiste, who spoke about the role of nuclear energy in achieving climate neutral power generation in Estonia by year 2050. Tammiste started with a caveat that his presentation was based on the 2022 study, which was in dire need of updating. “The key message gleaned from that modelling was that the future production portfolio needs to be diverse. We cannot decide to only do wind, or only do sun, or only do nuclear, or only do biogas. In real life, we need a highly diversified generation portfolio,” he stressed as a corner stone of climate neutrality. Tammiste explained that only two models out of the eight dealt with nuclear power stations, and that it was important to remember that in the only functioning nuclear energy scenario the station itself made up nearly one quarter of the whole generation portfolio. “It must still be supported by wind, sun, and other technologies,” he said. 

“As the report of the Nuclear Energy Working Group said, nuclear energy should in no way negatively affect the implementation of renewable sources in Estonia. This means that we need to carry out what we already have the technology for, what is ripe for use—such as wind, sun, consumption management, storage,” Tammiste emphasised.

Adviser of the Ministry of the Interior Aigo Allmäe explained the fundamental principles of nuclear security and highlighted how important it was for Estonia that the responsibility of the state remained inalienable and that the ensuring of security was our priority. “Although some nuclear security functions are fulfilled by the operator or the nuclear facility, the regime for this is put in place and checked by the state through competent authorities. The future nuclear power station operator must draft a physical security plan as part of its licence application. This must be based on risk assessments or modelled threats, also contain project blueprints, description of the assessment, implementation, and maintenance of the physical protection system, and emergency plans,” he explained.

The national nuclear security regime must ensure that the competent authorities and authorised persons are ready to respond to nuclear security events at the local, national, as well as international level. “Readiness needs additional development as well as closer cooperation. For the benefit of the future, we need to contribute to evacuation organisation capacity, the details of which can be clarified in the next stages, based on the safety analysis. We also need to enhance the existing radiation monitoring capacity and tailor the current programme more specifically for nuclear power, as well as increase lab capability and general crisis management competence. The responding authorities need to procure personal protective equipment. In healthcare, we need to equip hospitals with specialist competence, as well as with a variety of medical devices and pharmaceuticals. To increase the rescue capability, we need to develop the comprehensive concept of decontamination capability. We need to increase the radiation awareness of the authorities involved in intervention and to ensure the readiness of first responders to act during possible incidents. And as the programme continues, investments into knowledge are key,” he concluded.

During the debate, Yoko Alender (Reform Party), Aivar Kokk (Isamaa), Rain Epler (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Priit Lomp (Social Democratic Party), Liisa Pakosta (Estonia 200), Mario Kadastik (Reform Party), Anti Poolamets (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), and Martin Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

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

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

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
maris.meiessaar@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Riigikogu deliberated nuclear energy as a matter of significant national importance

When introducing the development plan, the Minister of the Environment Madis Kallas said that, under the conditions of the changing climate, an increasingly more critical issue was the good state of health of forests which ensured their capability to capture carbon and to resist the ever more frequent and intensive disturbances due to climate change. He gave the example of the damages caused by the spruce bark beetle in Southern Estonia.

The minister said that it would be necessary to carry out correctly planned and timed improvement cuttings on a significantly larger area than before in order to shape stands that would be more resistant to climate change and to secure the most efficient use of forest land. He added that concentrations of large plain areas had to be avoided when planning loggings. The annex to the development plan states that the prescribed cut should be of an even volume and range of nine to eleven million solid cubic metres per year.

Kallas emphasised that more wood should reach refiners instead of being exported from Estonia. “We are exporting around two million solid cubic metres of unprocessed coniferous and broadleaved pulp wood every year as there is no industry for chemical processing and refining of wood in necessary quantities locally,” the Minister said. In his words, the greatest challenge of the coming periods will be to enable high-technology processing of wood so that the export of unprocessed wood would decrease, at the same time avoiding a negative impact on the environment and an increase in the pressure to cut on Estonian forests. He underlined that the development of high-technology refining of wood was important in order that the maximum use would be made of wood and that only low-value wood would be used in the energy sector.

In the discussion, attention was also paid to a potential loss or creation of jobs in the forestry sector. The Minister of the Environment said that, hopefully, with the help of the investments to be made, jobs requiring higher levels would emerge close to the raw material, that is, in rural areas. He underlined that one aim of the development plan was the creation of more jobs in the country and pointed out that the objective was to refine more wood locally and to export less wood.

Under the Forest Act, a forestry development plan for the directing of forestry is prepared for every ten years which sets out the objectives of forestry development and describes the measures and means necessary for the achievement of the objectives. This development plan is the third forestry development document and a continuation of “The Estonian Forestry Development Plan 2011–2020”. Under the Forest Act, the forestry development plan will be approved by the Riigikogu.

During the debate, Tõnis Mölder took the floor on behalf of the Centre Party Faction, Peeter Ernits on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction, Toomas Jürgenstein on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Faction, Heiki Hepner on behalf of Faction Isamaa and Yoko Alender on behalf of the Reform Party Faction.

The Estonian Centre Party Faction and the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to reject the draft Resolution at the first reading. 22 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection and 43 voted against. Thus the motion was not supported and the first reading of the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Approval of the Forestry Development Plan until 2030” (774 OE), submitted by the Government, was concluded.

Two Bills passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act (765 SE), initiated by the Environment Committee, will amend the obligation to register products, equipment and systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in FOKA registry (the register of the products, equipment, systems and containers containing fluorinated greenhouse gases and substances that deplete the ozone layer and of their handling operations).

According to the Bill, all products, equipment and systems that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases in quantities of 5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent or more specified in the relevant EU Regulations will have to be registered in the register in order to ensure that the state has an overview of them. A wider aim of the Bill is to reduce the quantities of fluorinated greenhouse gases and substances that deplete the ozone layer emitted into the atmosphere.

The explanatory memorandum points out that the European Commission is preparing a tightening of the regulations concerning F-gases and if the state has an insufficient overview of the situation due to a deficient registry it will be impossible to respond promptly and adequately.

During the debate, Merry Aart took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction. The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 15 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 34 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported, and the first reading of the Bill was concluded.

The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Land Cadastre Act, the Law of Property Act and Other Acts (761 SE), initiated by the Government, is to ensure truthful data on ownership in order to protect the rights of land owners including to ensure fair tax incentives and exemptions and to facilitate real estate turnover.

Landscape facilities change as a result of natural processes, human activities and more accurate mapping and therefore the data registered in the cadastre may become inaccurate. Cadastre data are also the basis for the taxation of land. Thus, it is in conflict with the principle of uniform and fair taxation if the land owner pays land tax for a land area that is permanently under water as a result of natural changes. Many public duties are also performed using these data. So it is important that cadastre data could be relied on, the data would be integral and the quality of these data would be reliable. The data registered in national registries must reflect the actual situation in the field.

The Bill proposes a simple administrative procedure as little burdensome as possible to improve the data related to ownership. The Bill will enable smoother and less bureaucratic use and disposal of possessions. With a view to achieving these aims, the data on boundaries that have become inaccurate will be corrected, and the creation and disclosure of the spatial information concerning the rights of use of land will be regulated more precisely.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone: +372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
E-mail: merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Forestry development plan passed the first reading in the Riigikogu

In the Riigikogu, Metsola will also meet with Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Riina Sikkut, Chairman of the National Defence Committee Enn Eesmaa and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mihhail Lotman. The discussions at the meeting will focus particularly on the issues relating to the Conference on the Future of Europe, the Belarusian hybrid attack and illegal migration.

Metsola will also have a meeting with Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Riina Sikkut, members of the European Union Affairs Committee Urve Tiidus and Timo Suslov, Chair of the Environment Committee of the Riigikogu Yoko Alender and member of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Annely Akkerman to discuss the European Union’s climate policy package “Fit for 55”.

The Vice-President of the European Parliament will also meet with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Undersecretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Märt Volmer and Director of the Estonian Centre for International Development Kadri Maasik. She will visit the Experience Europe Centre and have a video discussion with students on the future of Europe and migration.

Before leaving Estonia, Metsola will have a meeting with Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Colonel Jaak Tarien and Chief of Staff of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Hoffman.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone: +372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
E-mail: merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: First Vice-President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is on a visit to Estonia

By 2030, landfilling of municipal waste will have to be reduced to 10 % or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated. In addition, new targets are set for preparing for re-use and recycling of municipal waste and recycling of packaging waste. From 2025, municipal waste will have to be prepared for re-use and recycled to a minimum of 55 %; in five years’ time, it will have to be a minimum of 60 % and by 2035, the recycling will have to be increased to 65 %. Under the Act, the recycling of packaging waste will have to reach 65 % by 2025 and 70 % by 2030. In addition, recycling targets are set for packaging materials by categories.

The obligations relating to extended producer responsibility are also specified. For example, the mandatory limit for the audit of packaging reports is increased in order to direct resources specifically to the packaging undertakings who place on the market the larger share of the weight of packaging and to reduce the resource cost for small packaging undertakings. Up until now, undertakings who placed on the market packaged goods with a weight of packaging of more than five tonnes per year had to undergo audits but the limit will be 20 tonnes per year in the future. In the future, the packaging undertakings whose packaging records are in order will have to undergo audits with only a three-year interval. In the case of producers of products of concern and producers’ responsibility organisations, the Environmental Board may request audits where appropriate.

The wordings of the liability provisions are specified and the maximum possible sanction rates for legal persons are increased. Instead of the current 32,000 euro, the maximum sanction rate will be 400,000 euro in the future.

During the debate, Yoko Alender (Reform Party), Erki Savisaar (Centre Party) and Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

82 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Act, and there was one abstention.

Two Bills passed the second reading

The amendments to be made under the Bill on Amendments to the Customs Act (311 SE), initiated by the Government, lay down national implementing provisions for smoother transposition of European Union law in two areas. They are the customs clearance rules for postal packages and courier shipments of negligible value ordered from non-Union countries, in particular from online stores, as well as the control rules for the import and export of cash.

On 1 July 2021, all EU Member States will start to tax consignments of negligible value in the same manner and the exemption from VAT of consignments with a value of up to 22 euro will be eliminated. The taxation of such consignments may bring about a multiplication of the amount of customs declarations submitted. With a view to ensuring rapid movement of consignments to customers and preventing the need for large-scale storage of consignments by businesses engaged in the transport of postal packages and courier shipments, which would inevitably involve additional costs for the customer, the possibility for persons to lodge customs declarations already before the consignments arrive in Estonia will be created.

Concerning cash control, the provisions regulating the procedure for the declaration of cash of a value of EUR 10 000 or more entering or leaving Estonia will be omitted from the current Customs Act. In summer 2021, a new EU Regulation on controls on cash will come into force that sets out a requirement to declare in writing at EU level, thus the relevant national provisions cannot remain simultaneously in force. In addition, the right of the customs to detain cash will be extended to three working days compared to the current provision, which is 48 hours. Union law gives Member States the possibility to provide for a period of detention of up to 30 days.

The initiation of the Bill on Amendments to the Auditors Activities Act, the Accounting Act and the Securities Market Act (313 SE), initiated by the Government, was motivated by the assessment of the European Commission that Estonia had not correctly transposed the provisions pertaining to the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings in the relevant directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The Bill will specify the obligations of auditors for auditing medium-sized undertakings, large undertakings and public-interest entities. In the future, auditors will be required to state in the audit report whether the management report is consistent with the financial statements and the applicable legal requirements. The purpose of the amendment is to strengthen investors and other interested persons’ confidence in the information published in the management reports of undertakings. In addition, the Bill specifies the requirements regarding the information that large undertakings that are public-interest entities with more than 500 employees will have to reflect in their management reports. Analogous amendments will also be made as regards consolidated accounts. The aim of the amendments is to better identify sustainability risks and to increase investors and consumers’ confidence. As a result of the Bill, the audit fees of medium-sized and large undertakings will rise slightly and the volume of the reporting obligation of some large undertakings will increase slightly.

Five Bills passed the first reading

The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Political Parties Act and the Code of Enforcement Procedure (321 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction and Member of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid, had been adjourned the day before due to the end of the sitting and was continued. The aim is to increase the credibility of democratic policy by increasing the control of the transparency of the funding of political parties. For this, the Bill will specify the rights of the Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee and will clarify the sanctions imposed for violations. For the performance of additional tasks, an increase in the budget of the Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee will also be provided for.

Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party) and Paul Puustusmaa (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor in the debate yesterday, and Oudekki Loone (Centre Party) spoke today.

On behalf of his faction, Puustusmaa moved to reject the Bill. 17 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 66 voted against.

Among the major amendments proposed in the Bill on Amendments to the Information Society Services Act (359 SE), initiated by the Government, the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority will be designated to exercise supervision over providers of online intermediation services and search engines. The Bill will specify the penalty payment and fine rates for failure to comply with precepts and obligations. An information society service provider will be obliged to render accessible its VAT identification number where the service provider undertakes an activity that is subject to VAT.

Online intermediation services include information society services that allow business users to offer goods or services to consumers, with a view to facilitating the initiating of direct transactions.

The European Union is aiming to ensure a fair and trusted online business environment that would function on uniform bases throughout the EU internal market. Information society services, including online intermediation services and search engines are important in business and commerce. Information society services enable new business models and innovation and they offer access to new markets and commercial opportunities. However, platform economy also raises challenges that need to be addressed in order to ensure legal certainty. The amendments proposed in the Bill will ensure that the EU’s Platforms Regulation and the e-Commerce Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council are enforced adequately and effectively in Estonia.

According to the amendments proposed by the Bill on Amendments to the Act on the Ratification of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (364 SE), initiated by the Government, the Ministry of the Environment will arrange for compliance with the convention in Estonia. Compared to the procedure in place at the time of the adoption of the Act, the requirements of the Rules for Good Legislative Practice and Legislative Drafting have changed and, according to the rules in force, a provision delegating authority and the arrangement for compliance with the convention must no longer be regulated in a single provision of the Act but in different provisions.

According to the Bill, the provision delegating the authority to establish the procedure for handling oil and oil products in the sea, Lake Peipus, Lake Pskov and the river Narva and arranging for compliance with the convention will be eliminated from the section concerning the responsibilities of the Government of the Republic. The provision delegating authority has been transferred to the Water Act and the Government has established a Regulation on the basis of it.

The Bill on Amendments to the Employment Contracts Act and Amendments to Other Associated Act (361 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose the EU directive specifying the right of workers and officials with caring responsibilities to ask for flexible working or service conditions, e.g. part-time work or flexible working schedules, remote working arrangements, etc. The right to ask for flexible working conditions will not bring about an obligation for employers and administrative agencies to offer the conditions asked for but employers will have to provide reasons for a refusal in such situations. In addition, workers and officials with caring responsibilities will be provided additional protection upon cancellation of an employment contract or release from service and a reverse burden of proof in disputes on cancellation of employment contract or release from service.

In addition, upon entry into an employment contract with a 13-14-year-old minor, the waiting period of ten working days from the registration of the minor with the employment register will no longer apply. In the future, the relevant obligation will remain in place only upon employment of 7–12-year-olds. The purpose of the amendment is to reduce both employers’ and the Labour Inspectorate’s workload in respect of recruitment of 13-14-year-old young people. The amendment will help create more flexible working opportunities, while at the same time ensuring effective protection of minors in employment relationships. The Government cabinet gave its approval to the amendment on 18 June 2020.

The child leave regulation adopted with the amendments to the parental leave and benefit system in October 2018 will also be improved. From 1 April 2022, all parents of children under 14 years of age will be entitled to a child leave of ten working days for each child under 14 years of age. It will be calculated from the end of a parental benefit period and the amount of the remuneration paid for it will be 50 per cent of the average salary of the parent.

The Bill on Amendments to the Identity Documents Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (366 SE) initiated by the Government, will create a legal basis for the establishment of an automated biometric identification system database ABIS.

At present, several databases are in use at the same time in Estonia that contain biometric personal data and are located in the areas of administration of different ministries. The purpose of the database ABIS will be to create a central database on the basis thereof that will help increase the objective certainty of identification and the verification of identity.

The establishment of the ABIS database and the resulting capacity to cross-check biometric data will have a positive impact on the national internal security by helping law enforcement authorities solve crimes.

When processing the data in the ABIS database, all data protection principles will be followed and lawful and transparent use of the data will be ensured. The person is the owner of the data concerning him or her stored in ABIS, and, under the Personal Data Protection Act, everyone has the right to know who accesses his or her data.

Only officials who have a legal basis and are specifically authorised thereto will have access to ABIS database to perform their functions arising from the law. The data in ABIS will be processed as little as possible and only as much as is necessary to achieve the aim of conducting proceedings.

During the debate, Kert Kingo (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor and moved to reject the Bill on behalf of her faction. 18 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 59 voted against.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video recording of the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Riigikogu Press Service
Veiko Pesur
Phone: +372 631 6353, +372 5559 0595
E-mail: veiko.pesur@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu amended the Waste Act to promote waste re-use

Vasser spoke about the public initiative “Climate Neutral Estonia 2035”, to which signatures had been collected already a year and a half ago. “At that time, the world was somewhat different. For example, the European Parliament had not declared climate emergency yet. There was also no global pandemic and no changes in way of life, that probably were rather unthinkable at that time,” Vasser said.

Vasser pointed out that the people and organisations that had signed the petition wanted the government of Estonia to act quickly and decisively in order to stop the climate change. “Estonia must achieve climate neutrality through science-based solutions that involve the whole society. These solutions must be fair, environmentally sustainable and smart. All this must be done by 2035,” the speaker said.

He asked a rhetorical question: what is climate neutrality. “It means the greenhouse gases emissions and their sequestration reaching zero in total in Estonia. No matter how much emissions we release into the atmosphere, we must be able also to remove the same amount from there over the year. But I want to underline that is not just one agreed-upon date or year, like 2035, it is more of a gradual process of how to reach that target and afterwards retain what has been achieved,” Vasser said.

In conclusion, Vasser said, “Climate-neutral Estonia 2035 is necessary, because in that way, we can be the bellwethers of the green transition and not be blown around by it. And it is possible because the awareness of the necessity of those changes has spread in society and various measures have been sufficiently analysed. This goal is valuable because it gives a brave purpose to society, a clear framework to the private sector and a greater weight to biological diversity.”

Alender said that in her opinion, this was one of the most substantial and serious petitions she had had the honour to deal with during her five years in the Riigikogu. The Environment Committee has discussed the petition in 2019 and 2020 at altogether seven sittings, and has consulted with other committees.

Alender highlighted some initiatives that were important from the climate point of view and were being dealt with. “The energy sector development plan is being updated and the transition to renewable energy in both production and consumption is sped up. The Ministry of Defence is about to acquire radars that will free territories in East-Viru County for the production of wind energy. The maritime areas thematic plan will be completed in order to speed up establishing of offshore wind farms. Preparation of hydrogen roadmap is also under way, first Estonian companies are trying to participate in the all-European financing scheme of the sector,” Alender noted.

She added that in order to motivate people to get involved in the energy sector as community, the emergence and functioning of local renewable energy cooperative societies is encouraged. The local benefit instrument developed by the Ministry of Public Administration should motivate the local governments to bring investments to their region. “Green energy transition could actually be carries out gradually in the whole public sector, being an example and transferring to the use of renewable energy. Increasing of energy efficiency is naturally also continued,” Alender explained.

She also pointed out some specific recent proposals that could be tackled together. “Following the example of other Nordic countries, a Climate Council consisting of leaders of the state, scientists and business people could be established at the Government Office. Together, the Climate Council would draw up a roadmap for Estonia for achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The private sector has already gone half of the way here. Let us meet them and move on faster together,” Alender said.

Chair of the Environment Committee underlined that from now on, we would set climate neutrality as a national target, and initiate the updating of the Fundamentals of Climate Policy until 2050.

Mölder emphasised that the Estonian climate policy was influenced not only by Estonia, and a global approach was necessary here. “The decisions made at the UN and also at the European Union level will certainly influence Estonia’s views in these issues in many aspects,” the Minister of the Environment said. He explained that in 2016, Estonia had ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, and its target was to keep the rise of global average temperature preferably below 1.5 C in comparison to the pre-industrial time. At the European level, the European Green Deal has also been adopted, and this is the action plan of changing the sustainability of the European Union economy. Reaching climate neutral European Union by 2050, at the same time ensuring fair transition, is the foundation for achieving that.

“A legally binding climate neutrality target is that soon these major goals will also be enshrined in European climate legislation. Estonia supports climate neutrality across the European Union by 2050 and agreeing about the activities of the European Union to achieve that,” Mölder said. In his opinion, in this way we can ensure that all Member States will contribute to achieving this target and we will create equal conditions on the market.

The Minister of the Environment explained that the objectives of Estonian climate policy were formulated in two documents adopted in 2017. “Fundamentals of Climate Policy until 2050” sets reducing the emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by the year 2050 as the long-term aim of Estonia. In order to achieve that, an interim target has been set that by 2030 we will reduce the amount of emissions nearly 70%.

“One of the great priorities of the Government is to raise Estonia’s climate ambition, including achieving total climate neutrality by 2050. This target is already integrated in the development strategy “Estonia 2035”, which at the moment is being discussed in the Riigikogu,” Mölder said. He added that we were planning to include the grater climate ambition also in the national development documents.

Mölder explained that, in order to achieve climate neutrality, exiting fossil fuels, including oil shale as energy sources had a central and key role. Therefore, the Government has set the target of ending electricity production from oil shale by 2035. He underlined the word ‘electricity’. “We can see already today that besides environment protection, producing electricity from oil shale is no longer competitive namely from the economic point of view.

Mölder considers it important that the transition to climate neutrality should take place step-by-step and in such a way that the planned investments could be implemented in reality. “The decisions and investments we make in the next ten years are of key importance to achieving our targets,” the Minister of the Environment said.

In the opinion Annela Anger-Kraavi, climate neutrality as such is a theoretical concept. “It is a time point when it will be achieved,” she said. She spoke of emissions we could not reduce, among which often international aviation and shipping were mentioned, or there were other sectors, for example, agriculture had emissions that were hard to reduce. All these should be extracted from the air in some way, be it other natural means, like forest, grasslands or wetlands, or with the help of technologies. “In the second half of this century, at some moment, there should be a point when the emissions we still emit and those we extract achieve balance. Now we have to think what will come after that,” Anger-Kraavi said. In her opinion, it is necessary to offer a longer-term vision than climate neutrality by 2035 or 2050. “Ideally, the amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases extracted after that should be greater than the amount we emit,” Anger-Kraavi said. She called the situation a striped zone. “Otherwise, without that, we will not achieve limiting or cannot limit the global man-made warming to 1.5 C in comparison to pre-industrial revolution time,” she explained.

She also spoke of IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “It is their 1.5 C report, the special report that was adopted in 2018, which shows us where we are now,” Anger-Kraavi explained. She noted that the diagram started with 2010, and at present the emissions were increasing, but by 2030, the global emissions should have been reduced by half, and from then on, in about 2055 or 2050, they should be at zero.

“After that, the emissions should be negative, which means that more CO2 is absorbed from the air that emitted there,” Anger-Kraavi said.  However, in her opinion, it is important to keep in mind that besides CO-gases, there are also other climate factors, other greenhouse gases, as well as soot. They, too, should be reduced in order to achieve climate neutrality. “When we speak of climate neutrality, we actually speak of reducing the amounts of all gases that affect climate, also black carbon or soot. So that catching carbon dioxide from the air partially compensates also the fact that those other greenhouse gases or factors cannot be reduced to zero,” she explained.

IPPC proposes four scenarios on how, and what could be done, to achieve climate neutrality, to achieve that we absorb carbon dioxide from the air. After that report, in 2020, when the UN Convention on Climate Change called on countries to present long-term climate change strategies, strategies for fighting against climate change, several countries have already promised that they wanted to achieve their climate neutrality by one or another moment in time.

Anger-Kraavi asked a rhetorical question whether Estonia should achieve climate neutrality by 2035. “In Principle, yes. I think, as I said before, that it is necessary to see beyond that, what comes after that.”

During the debate, Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party), Üllar Saaremäe (Isamaa), Imre Sooäär (Centre Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Annely Akkermann (Reform Party) and Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.

Photos (Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)                                                              

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian):

The video recording of the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu discussed achieving climate neutrality

The main purpose of the EU Regulation is to ensure a better and more uniform implementation of the requirements in Member States. This is taken to mean equal treatment of economic operators that operate in the sector and the free movement of explosives precursors in the internal market, including through e-commerce. In addition, it is intended to ensure that explosives precursors are used for the intended purposes.

For more effective implementation of the requirements for explosives precursors, economic operators, professional users and online marketplaces must inform the Police and Border Guard Board of suspicious transactions. This applies in the case when they make explosives precursors available to the general public. Stricter requirements have also been established for the background check of persons who wish to acquire precursors.

The maintenance and development of the register of economic activities and the performance of the tasks of product contact points, which up until now has been the responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, is transferred to the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority. Already now, the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority is carrying out acts of monitoring compliance with requirements for products, including certain chemicals, in trade.

90 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act.

The Riigikogu passed another Act

The Act on Amendments to the Code of Enforcement Procedure and the Enforcement Agents Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (291 SE), initiated by the Government, amends the current model for distributing the claims of public authorities so that, similarly to private claim owners, owners of public law claims are able to choose enforcement agents for themselves. The Act also amends the provisions on enforcement agents’ fees. The enforcement agent’s principal fee is lowered to 50 per cent of the fee rate where the debtor fulfils a claim on the basis of a payment schedule and the payment schedule is entered into within the time limit granted for voluntary compliance with the claim. The lower fee should motivate debtors to look for solutions.

A new official operation of an enforcement agent is established, namely drawing up an enforcement profile of the debtor. The official operation is intended to assist parties seeking enforcement in assessing the viability of collecting a claim. For that, an enforcement agent is able to give the party seeking enforcement a complete overview of the enforcement proceedings initiated against the debtor and the economic situation of the debtor, which would enable the party seeking enforcement to decide whether it is expedient to submit an application to initiate enforcement proceedings. The cost of the official operation is 15 euro and it is paid by the party seeking enforcement.

Under the Act, proceedings in an enforcement case can be transferred to another enforcement agent if the case has been going on for at least three years. Under the current law, this can be done when an enforcement agent has been conducting proceedings concerning a claim for at least four years. A prior consent of the uptaking enforcement agent is needed to transfer an enforcement case and a transfer must be completed within three months from obtaining the consent of the enforcement agent. The enforcement agent who first conducted proceedings in the enforcement case has a right to charge the debtor the fee for commencement of enforcement proceedings and any enforcement expenses that have become due, and the enforcement agent to whom the case is assigned has a right to require the party seeking enforcement to make an advance payment towards the enforcement agent’s fee. The enforcement agent to whom the case is assigned collects from the debtor the fee for commencement of enforcement proceedings and any enforcement expenses that have become due and transfers them to the enforcement agent who conducted proceedings in the enforcement case earlier.

The current enforcement agents system has been experiencing operational difficulties for several years due to decreasing revenues. Therefore, practice is inconsistent and some enforcement agents are unable to ensure the rights of parties to proceedings. Under the Act, the state will begin to pay a fee to enforcement agents for collecting monthly maintenance. Covering the costs involved in proceedings is the debtor’s obligation, and collecting maintenance is an unprofitable activity for enforcement agents, as an enforcement agent can ask a fee of 292 euro just once, on the initiation of an enforcement case, for compulsory enforcement proceedings that can last for 18 years or more. Under the Act adopted, the amount of the fee paid by the state for collecting maintenance is up to 100 euro in a year for an enforcement case. The estimated annual budget cost is 500,000 euro.

At the same time, the Act establishes a new central enforcement register maintained by the Ministry of Justice that will perform the functions of the enforcement proceedings register and the electronic attachment system. Until now, there has been no good solution for a party to proceedings to get a comprehensive overview of the enforcement proceedings going on with regard to him or her, the enforcement of the claim and the attachments imposed. The register to be established will enable parties to proceedings to obtain all the information through a self-service portal. The enforcement register will also include the functionality of the entire current electronic attachment system – the attachment of accounts in credit and payment institutions and the forwarding of and responding to information queries between the authorities that have the right and duty to do so arising from law. The register will be implemented on 1 January 2024.

87 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act.

Three Bills passed the second reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Anti-corruption Act (compliance with GRECO’s recommendations and restriction on the public availability of the declarations of interests of heads of security authorities) (323 SE), initiated by the Government, provides an obligation to submit a declaration of interests for political advisers of ministers, and restricts the disclosure of the declaration of interests of the head of a security authority.

The obligation to extend the circle of the people who must submit a declaration of interests derives from GRECO, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body. Its aim is to include among the people who must submit a declaration of interests the political advisers to ministers, that is, advisers who perform support or advisory functions with the Prime Minister and other ministers under the Civil Service Act and with whom an employment contract is entered into for a specified term.

According to an amendment made to the Bill during the second reading, the obligation to disclose the declaration of interests will extend to deputy secretaries general.

The Bill will preserve the current regulation on the submission of the declarations of interests of the heads of the Internal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service but provides that, differently to the current law, their declarations of interest are not public.

During the debate, Paul Puustusmaa (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa), Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party), Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party), Toomas Kivimägi (Reform Party) and Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to suspend the proceedings on the Bill at the second reading. 19 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 72 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported and the second reading of the Bill was concluded.

Under the Bill on Amendments to § 15 of the Military Service Act (324 SE), initiated by the Government, in the future, decisions and other documents will be forwarded to persons liable to national defence obligation electronically through the government portal “eesti.ee” instead of paper. A document will be deemed to be delivered after 30 calendar days have passed from sending. On a reasoned request by a person liable to national defence obligation or on other considerations of the authority who has drafted the document, documents concerning the national defence obligation may also be delivered through another channel or in another way, for example, by post.

During the debate, Leo Kunnas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) took the floor.

The Bill on Amendments to the Financial Supervision Authority Act and Other Acts (326 SE), initiated by the Government, will bring Estonian law into conformity with directives on the business of insurance and reinsurance, as well as markets in financial instruments and the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing.

Six Bills passed the first reading

Under the Bill on the State’s Supplementary Budget for 2021 (357 SE), initiated by the Government, the size of the supplementary budget is 641 million euro that are intended to assist Estonian people, businesses, society and health care system. The package of measures contains funds to pay remuneration support in the economic sectors where the volume of work is decreasing due to restrictions, continuation of the compensation of sickness benefits from the second day of sick leave, additional measures for the maintenance of mental health and for special welfare and rehabilitation, additional funds for medicines, vaccination and crisis management and support measures for the tourism sector, cultural organisers and creative persons. The compensation to the extent of 117 million euro planned for persons who suspend their contributions into the second pillar pension scheme that was not taken into account in the state budget for 2021 has also been included in the supplementary budget.

The impact of the supplementary budget on the budget position is smaller than the total expenditure of the budget as the use of the supports will bring some of the tax money back to the state. The negative impact of the supplementary budget on the Government’s nominal budget position will be 453 million euro, that is, 1.6 per cent of GDP this year. A new economic forecast of the Ministry of Finance will be disclosed on 5 April and this forecast will take into account the impact of the supplementary budget on the public finances and the economy to the full extent.

When presenting the Bill, the Minister of Finance Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said that the aim of the supplementary budget for 2021 was to steer Estonia out of the crisis with as few losses as possible, to recover quickly and to reopen Estonia. In her words, steering the country out of the current crisis presumes that the sectors that have been hit the hardest during restrictions will receive support.

“This support is temporally limited and targeted as precisely as possible. We are doing this in order that the preservation of as many incomes, jobs and businesses as possible would be ensured and supported. We will also cover the necessary costs of vaccination, virus testing and treatment. We will help alleviate the gaps that inevitably result from this very long period of distant learning in education. We will support the maintenance and nurturing of mental health,” Pentus-Rosimannus said.

The minister specified that the supplementary budget would allocate 150 million euro to health care, including for covering the extraordinary crisis expenses as well as for vaccines, the organisation of vaccination, tests, the procurement of a coronavirus remedy and the restoration of the reserve capital of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.

The payment of sickness benefits from the second day of sick leave will continue until the end of this year and the cost of this measure in the supplementary budget is 12 million euro. In order to continue the wage support in March and April, the supplementary budget contains 102.2 million euro to which 38 million euro of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund’s money will be added. The supplementary budget contains an extraordinary business support package of 44 million euro for the accommodation and catering sector, spas, tour operators and retail business, which is intended to cover expenses that are not salary costs as there are employers to whom wage support is not of sufficient help. Pentus-Rosimannus added that, once the supplementary budget would be passed, it would be possible to apply for support to the extent of 50–70 per cent of salary costs through Enterprise Estonia to cover the remaining unavoidable costs.

The supplementary budget provides for 12 million euro for the education sector to support the bridging of learning gaps. The mental health support package contains the therapy fund for family physicians, greater support to clinical psychologists as well as for example the e-psychologist booking system. “In addition to the above-mentioned, a great number of other measures in this supplementary budget support more indirectly such maintenance and nurturing of mental health,” the minister said. The cultural sector together with the sports sector will receive support in an amount of approximately 39 million euro from the supplementary budget.

During the debate, Kersti Sarapuu (Centre Party), Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party), Aivar Kokk (Isamaa), Aivar Sõerd (Reform Party), Martin Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Mart Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

The Bill on Amendments to the Electronic Communications Act, the Building Code and the State Fees Act (301 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose into Estonian law the European Union directive establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (the communications directive).

The explanatory memorandum notes that, in connection with the rapid development of the electronic communications market, consumers’ behavioural habits have changed. New data-transmission-based “OTT services” (Over The Top service), such as Skype, WhatsApp, Viber and Facebook Messenger are increasingly more used instead of traditional communications services and telephone and mobile telephone services. In order to ensure equitable protection of the rights of consumers, as is the case with traditional communications services, OTT services will also be brought under the concept of communications service. When all communications companies operating in the communications market are brought under the communications regulation, all electronic communications services companies operating in the communications market will be treated equally.

The Bill will increase consumer rights, in particular with the requirement to provide the pre-contractual information and the contract summary of the communications service contract. With pre-contractual information, the consumer is provided with as detailed an overview as possible of the communications service offered, which should prevent misunderstandings on the communications service laid out in the contract and the actual service. With the contract summary, the consumer is provided with an overview of the most important clauses in the communications contract – a description of the communications service, charge, the duration, renewal and termination of the contract, etc.

For the purpose of ensuring a single European Union communications market, the rules for the deployment of radio frequency bands are harmonised in the EU. Common deadlines for deployment of new radio frequencies are also set.

The purpose of the Bill is also to facilitate the construction of 5G networks and to support the development of mobile communications networks. For the purpose of the construction of very high capacity communications networks, the Bill will facilitate the deployment of small-area wireless access points (small cells) for construction works owned or used by the state or local authorities, for example public construction works, street lamps and traffic lights. In terms of technology, very high capacity communications networks need deployment of a large number of small-area wireless access points (small cells) that ensure the availability of the communications network and uninterrupted coverage. Thus, it will be necessary to make public buildings and other public infrastructure available on reasonable conditions for the deployment of small-cells.

Andres Metsoja (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.

The Bill on Amendments to the Electricity Market Act (344 SE), initiated by the Government, will create a regulation that will enable today’s and future large consumers of electrical energy to pay the renewable energy charge at a lower rate from 2023 than they are doing now.

The Bill will increase the competitive position of the Estonian large consumers of electrical energy on the international market and will create opportunities for additional investments into energy-intensive sectors. The Bill will create preconditions for reducing the final price of electricity for all final consumers as potentially increasing consumption means an increase in the contribution into the renewable energy and sets the bases for reducing the network service price.

During the debate, Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) and Imre Sooäär (Centre Party) took the floor.

The Social Democratic Party Faction moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. Seven members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 80 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported and the first reading of the Bill was concluded.

The Bill on Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (347 SE), initiated by the Government.

The main amendments that will help support the Health Board in resolving a health care emergency, including in the exercise of supervision, are connected with the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Act.

Already now the Act provides that, in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, employers compensate for sickness leave from the second to the fifth day of sick leave and the Estonian Health Insurance Fund compensates from the sixth day of sick leave. While under the current Act such a procedure for the payment of sickness benefit was due to be in force from 1 January to 30 April, under the Bill it will continue until the end of 2021. In order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, close contacts of infected people also receive benefit under the same conditions when they are on sick leave.

Earlier compensation for days of sick leave reduces the risk of people going to work when ill and thereby helps restrict the spread of COVID-19 because it enables people to remain at home already when the first symptoms of illness appear, which helps preserve their income. The amendment will require 12 million euro of additional funds this year half of which will be covered from the state budget and half from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.

As another amendment, the Bill will specify the competences of the Government and the Health Board and will amend the Act by adding a clear legal basis that will enable to oblige people to follow the precautionary measures for infection control in the event of the spread of an infectious disease. In addition, the Bill specifies that the Health Board and the Government may close schools, child care institutions and institutions providing social services as well as restrict their activities temporarily. Already now the Act provides for the possibility to request disinfection, disinsection, pest control or cleaning to be organised and medical examination of people to be arranged for and diagnosis of infectious disease or arrangement therefor to prevent the epidemic spread of infectious diseases. The Health Board and the Government may also oblige hospitals and institutions providing social services to impose visiting restrictions.

According to the Bill, in the event of an especially dangerous infectious disease, the Health Board and the Government will also be able to close institutions or restrict their activities temporarily in the case of unavoidable necessity. Besides setting the conditions for prohibiting meetings and events, the Bill will also allow requirements to be established for holding them. Already now it is also possible to impose other restrictions on the freedom of movement under law.

The Bill will include in the Act the possibility to involve the police and other law enforcement agencies in the performance of the functions of the Health Board. Up until now, there has been no regulation of involvement and therefore the Health Board has been able to cooperate with law enforcement agencies only through applications for professional assistance or exchange of officials. The establishment of the regulation will simplify and speed up involvement. According to the Bill, the more specific conditions and procedure for involvement will be established by a Regulation of the Government.

Under the current Act, breach of quarantine rules is punishable under misdemeanour procedure. However, according to the Bill, an opportunity will also be created to hold people liable when they breach the requirements established by the Government or the Health Board, for example the obligation to wear a face mask or the restrictions on movement or the organisation of events. According to the Bill, violation of the requirements for the prevention of the epidemic spread of an infectious disease will be punishable by a fine of up to 200 fine units, that is, 800 euro. A fine of up to 32 000 euro will be provided for legal persons.

During the debate, Priit Sibul (Isamaa), Tiiu Aro (Reform Party), Kert Kingo (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.

The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 18 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 62 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported and the first reading of the Bill was concluded.

The Bill on Amendments to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act (349 SE), initiated by the Government, will create an opportunity to postpone holding examinations and to schedule additional times for examinations as necessary in this academic year. The state examination in the Estonian language is due as the first on 19 April.

According to the Bill, by way of exception, graduation examinations will not have to be a condition for graduating from upper secondary school where organisation of graduation examinations is not possible within a reasonable period of time due to restrictions put in place by the Government.

The Bill will also allow for the use of descriptive verbal assessment that has no numerical equivalent and that does not need to be translated into the five-point system grade scale when assessing students at basic school and upper secondary school this academic year.

Marko Šorin (Centre Party) took the floor during the debate.

The Bill on Amendments to the Fisheries Market Organisation Act and the Criminal Records Database Act (310 SE), initiated by the Government, was drafted mainly due to the need to ensure that persons engaged in commercial fishing on sea and in inland water bodies are treated equally upon the grant of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) supports.

Under the current Act, applications for EMFF support by persons who commit serious infringements of certain fishing requirements are inadmissible only in the case of persons engaged in commercial fishing on sea. The Bill will create a situation where the applications for EMFF support by persons having committed similar serious infringements of fishing requirements either on sea or in inland water bodies will be inadmissible for a certain period of time.

The Bill will also amend certain provisions of the Fisheries Market Organisation Act. The need to amend them has emerged from the current experience of implementation of EMFF and this will enable to reduce administrative burden upon implementation of EMFF.

At the same time, the Act will be amended by adding provisions that will enable, upon grant of state aid to fisheries, de minimis aid to fisheries and other aid to fisheries, to approve conforming applications within the limits of the budget funds earmarked for granting this category of aid in a situation where the amounts applied for in the applications exceed the funds earmarked for that.

The sitting ended at 2.02 a.m. on 25 March.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video recording of the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone: +372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
E-mail: merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu restricted the availability of explosives precursors

“The Environment Committee essentially decided to send the hunting tourists to school, so that those who wish to hunt birds in Estonia would have adequate knowledge of the hunting regulations in force in Estonia and the good hunting practice in Estonia, as a precondition for lawful behaviour,” Vakra said. “Therefore we amend the Hunting Act by adding the requirement that a person who has been given a hunting certificate in Estonia on the basis of a valid hunting certificate issued in a foreign state will get a small game hunting permit for hunting waterfowl after he or she has undergone training on hunting rules,” he explained. Vakra added that the requirements for the training and the training provider and the volume of the training, and the procedure for conducting the training would be established by a regulation of the Minister of the Environment. Water birds include anseriformes, coots, cormorants and gulls; mainly anseriformes are hunted.

The need for making the amendment to the Act was powerfully pointed out in the collective proposal of the Estonian Ornithological Society to end the indiscriminate killing of waterfowl, which was signed by 2569 persons. The amendments were prepared in close cooperation of the Estonian Ornithological Society, the Estonian Hunters’ Society and the Ministry of the Environment.

50 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of the passing of the Act on Amendments to the Hunting Act and the Administrative Co-operation Act (633 SE), initiated by the Environment Committee. Two members of the Riigikogu were against and three abstained.

For further information, please contact: Rainer Vakra +372 5800 2828

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal,
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu established compulsory training for waterfowl hunting tourists

Head of the Unit of Energy Security of the Joint Research Centre Marcelo Masera, and researchers of the JRC Energy Security, Systems and Market Unit Arturs Purvins and Nicola Zaccarelli have been invited to attend the sitting. Masera will give an overview of the public opinion poll on energy security in the EU countries; Purvins will speak about synchronising the Baltic power networks with the European power networks, and Zaccarelli about the risk assessment of the functioning of the gas market, and steps for improving supply security.

It is also planned to hold discussions on the perspectives of the synchronisation of the Estonian energy system and on the future needs of the Estonian gas market, which will be started by Ando Leppiman, Deputy Secretary General for Energy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

The sitting is a part of the JRC initiative “Science Meets Parliaments”, which aims to increase contacts between the members of national parliaments and the researchers.

The sitting is held at the Riigikogu Conference Hall today, beginning at 2 p.m., and will be streamed online on the Riigikogu website.

A conference on the same topic (in English and Estonian) will be held at the Estonian Academy of Sciences today at 10 a.m. This conference will also be streamed online.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone +372 631 6353, +372 510 6179
e-mail merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Public sitting of four committees will be held at the Riigikogu