NordenBladet —
Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur replied to the interpellation concerning obstruction of the development of the defence industry (No. 783), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid, Tiit Maran, Reili Rand, Heljo Pikhof, Züleyxa Izmailova, Tanel Kiik, Anti Allas, Helmen Kütt, Lauri Läänemets and Riina Sikkut.
The interpellators asked for the reason why the Minister of Defence had chosen a more time-consuming procedure for establishing the defence industrial park and whether the ministry had analysed what damage the delays had caused to the Estonian economy and defence capability.
Pevkur stated that expert knowledge from all agencies had been included in the development of implementing acts. The working group that developed the Bill included representatives from the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Police and Border Guard Board, the Estonian Internal Security Service, the Estonian Forensic Science Institute, as well as the Defence Forces and the National Centre for Defence Investments. In addition, defence industry companies. Two meetings were held with the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association. Thirty people from 20 companies participated in both meetings.
“Of course, it is our task and desire that when we change regulations, these regulations should be as clear and detailed as possible,” Pevkur explained.
According to the minister, a designated spatial plan had been the fastest and most reasonable solution in the legal space in place at that time. “According to § 271(1) of the Planning Act, the authority to arrange the creation of national designated spatial plans may dispense with the preparation of a detailed solution and may bring a plan into effect based on the decision on pre-selecting a location, and this was used,” Pevkur said. He added that, as the procedure for creating a national designated spatial plan had been initiated on 15 February 2024 and the plan had been brought into effect on 21 August 2025, looking at previous national designated spatial plans and all other types of plans, that had been at least two to three times faster.
“In other words, if you look at this whole timeline, the procedure for creating a national designated spatial plan was the fastest way to establish the plan for the defence industrial park,” Pevkur said. He pointed out that we have an environment in Estonia where we have to assess environmental impacts. “If we are in wartime, then of course there are different rules and these rules are currently being discussed by the Riigikogu in the Civilian Crisis and National Defence Act,” Pevkur explained the situation. In his opinion, this will not cause damage to the economy. “Quite the contrary: these decisions – both the amendments to the Weapons Act and the defence industrial park – will ultimately bring more money into the Estonian economy,” the minister noted.
“The procedure for creating a national designated spatial plan in the legal space of that time as well as in the current legal space has been the fastest possible way to take into account other impacts. Not only out of a desire and need to develop the defence industry, but also based on the fact that Estonia has nature and an environment that we must preserve and value in the same way,” Pevkur explained.
Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras replied to interpellations concerning increasing the decision-making power of local governments (No. 777) and Latvian red deer in Estonia (No. 796).
Minister of Culture Heidy Purga replied to interpellations concerning the salaries of cultural workers (No. 781) and the amendment of the Public Libraries Act (No. 808).
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas replied to interpellations concerning school meals (No. 770), teachers’ salaries (No. 778), differences in teachers’ salaries (No. 790), educational inequality (No. 795) and the availability of upper secondary education in Estonia (No. 799).
The interpellation concerning inadequate public funding for school meals and the resulting inequality (No. 797) submitted to Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas was removed from the agenda for the working week on the motion of interpellators.
Lauri Laats, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart and Lauri Läänemets took the floor during the open microphone.
The sitting ended at 9.13 p.m.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
Video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The Riigikogu heard the replies to ten interpellations
Source: Parliament of Estonia