NordenBladet —
According to Deputy Chairman of the National Defence Committee Leo Kunnas, who chaired the sitting, the Committee thinks that the tasks of the Defence Forces should be specified and wants to move on with the amendments rapidly, so that they could be passed as an Act by the Riigikogu already this spring. He added that before the second reading, the Committee planned to make some changes to the wording of the Bill.
The Bill clarifies the tasks of the Defence Forces, and the use of direct coercion and military force in the territorial waters of Estonia in enhancing Estonia’s maritime security. The Bill will ensure that the Defence Forces will have sufficient flexibility to operate at sea, so that they would be ready to respond rapidly to threats that come from the sea.
According to the Bill, the Defence Forces will be given the right to respond to the threats directed against the infrastructure ensuring the resilience of essential services, as well as the threats against national defence objects, ports or other civil engineering works or equipment in the territorial waters of Estonia. Among other things, the measures to be used by the Defence Forces in the performance of their functions in Estonia’s economic zone will be specified. Currently, the state supervision tasks of the Defence Forces in the territorial waters of Estonia are mainly connected with guarding the state border.
At the Committee sitting, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, Commander of the Defence Forces, Major General Andrus Merilo and Head of Legal Department of the Ministry of Defence Kristel Urke gave an overview of the changes planned to be made with the Bill.
The National Defence Committee decided to move to include the Bill on Amendments to the Estonian Defence Forces Organisation Act and the Economic Zone Act (enhancing maritime security) (565 SE) in the agenda of the plenary sitting on 19 February, and to conclude the first reading of the Bill.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The National Defence Committee sent a Bill aimed at strengthening maritime security to the plenary
Source: Parliament of Estonia