NordenBladet —
Two Bills passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Consumer Protection Act (624 SE), initiated by the Government, will update the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act to reduce the number of printed purchase documents and paper invoices sent by mail. The current legal provisions are not flexible enough, although technological developments increasingly allow documents to be transmitted electronically and also stored electronically. As a result, substantial amounts of paper continue to be consumed which increases both the environmental footprint and administrative costs for traders.
The aim of the amendments is to encourage environmentally sustainable and modern solutions and to give traders the option to transmit documents digitally. In the future, the consumer will be able to receive the invoice notification as a text message or store the purchase document in the trader’s mobile application. The needs of consumers in need of greater protection, in particular the elderly, have also been taken into account in the drafting of the Bill. They will continue to have the option of receiving documents in paper format.
The bill originally provided that the amendments made to the Consumer Protection Act would enter into force on 1 January 2026 but during discussions it was understood that the amendments made by the bill could enter into force earlier, on 1 September 2025. The entry into force of the amendments on 1 September will ensure that traders and the supervisory authority (the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority) have time to inform consumers before traders can implement the changes.
The Bill on Amendments to the Accounting Act (600 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, is intended to postpone by two years the obligation to submit sustainability reports for companies that would have to do so for the first time in 2026 or 2027. According to the initiators, the European Commission has also made a similar proposal.
According to the explanatory memorandum, Estonian business representative organizations have criticized the obligation to submit sustainability reports and have proposed to postpone meeting the obligation. According to the initiators, the extensive and costly reporting obligation would affect approximately 350 companies.
Mart Maastik from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
Two Bills passed the first reading
The main aim of the Bill on Amendments to the Waste Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (657 SE), initiated by the Government, is to increase the use of secondary raw materials contained in municipal waste. This will create the conditions for timely achievement of the recycling targets established in the European Union.
A specific performance indicator will be set for all municipalities, namely a target for separate collection of municipal waste. The organisation of contracting organized waste transport and the waste handling service will be changed. The bill will combine the collection of paper and cardboard packaging waste with the collection of paper and cardboard waste. With the conditions set for the collection of waste and on the contracting of its recovery and disposal, municipalities will contribute to the achievement of the recycling target for municipal waste at national level.
The Bill will specify the principles for the formation of the waste transport fee and make them clearer to ensure transparent and stable financing of the sector. To this end, the possibility will be provided for the municipality itself to collect a waste transport fee which includes a share paid to cover waste management costs to the extent and volume clearly defined in the law. Compared to the current general wording, which the Chancellor of Justice also considers to be too general, the collection and use of waste transport fee will become transparent and will be strictly linked only to the development and organisation of waste management.
The gradual increase in the amount of separately collected and recycled waste will enable the development of the recycling industry in Estonia, as ensuring high-quality waste streams and stable separate collection is an important prerequisite for making investments and developing the recycling industry.
During the debate, Lauri Laats took the floor on behalf of the Centre Party Group, Arvo Aller on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Aivar Kokk on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Ando Kiviberg on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Yoko Alender on behalf of the Reform Party Parliamentary Group.
The Estonian Centre Party Group and Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. The motion was not supported because 16 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of it and 49 were against. The first reading of the Bill was concluded.
The Bill on Amendments to the Emergency Act and Other Acts (662 SE), initiated by the Government, will establish clearer rules and obligations for both state agencies and private companies so that in crisis situations information reaches people as quickly as possible and people know what to do. A number of definitions will be included in the Act, such as immediate danger notification, shelter, sheltering, and national danger notification system EE-ALARM.
According to the new procedure, all possessors of mass media, electronic communications, information screens in public spaces, and national mobile applications with at least 10,000 end users will have to join the EE-ALARM system. This will ensure that, in the event of a potential threat, vital information reaches people quickly.
Certain institutions and persons will be entitled to use EE-ALARM. The Emergency Response Centre will be tasked with relaying danger notifications to all transmitters via EE-ALARM. In addition, it will be determined in more detail who will have the right to decide on the activation of sirens.
In large buildings where a lot of people move around, there will be an obligation to establish a shelter or at least to adapt existing spaces as shelters. Public shelters will have to be established in new buildings with a closed area of at least 10,000 m². According to the bill, this requirement will come into effect from 1 July 2026.
From 1 July 2028, a non-public shelter will have to be established when a residential building, accommodation or catering building, office building, commercial or service building, or entertainment, educational, healthcare or other public or special building with a closed net area of at least 1,200 m2, or an industrial and warehouse building with a closed net area of at least 1,500 m2, is built.
Even in existing buildings, spaces will have to be adapted as shelters if possible.
The Rescue Board will be tasked with organizing activities related to sheltering, including informing people and raising awareness.
State and local government agencies will have to ensure that their employees, as well as critical entities, undergo relevant civil protection training. This will help ensure that, during a crisis, all public sector workers are able to respond quickly, help people, and keep essential services running.
During the debate, Vladimir Arhipov took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Centre Party Group and Peeter Tali on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group.
The reply to an interpellation was heard
Minister of the Interior Igor Taro replied to the interpellation concerning the provision of misleading information to the public (No. 765).
The interpellation concerning the problems at Uikala landfill (No. 776), submitted to Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis, was excluded from the agenda on the motion of interpellators.
Madis Kallas and Vladimir Arhipov took the floor during the open microphone.
The sitting ended at 7.37 p.m.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
Video recordings of the sittings of the Riigikogu can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/riigikogu.
(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 updating of the Consumer Protection Act passed its second reading in the Riigikogu
Source: Parliament of Estonia