NordenBladet —
The Bill on Amendments to the Emergency Act and Other Acts (662 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed with 66 Members of the Riigikogu voting in favour. The Act is one part of a package of amendments aimed at developing comprehensive national defence, increasing the preparedness of the Estonian people for potential future crises, and protecting people’s lives and health in the event of danger.
The Act regulates the organisation of sheltering by setting out the requirements to shelters and the principles for adapting sheltering locations. The explanatory memorandum notes that, since the security situation has changed due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the organisation of sheltering in Estonia must also be improved and shelters must be built and sheltering locations adapted to better protect people in potential situations of danger.
The Act will establish a requirement under which shelters will have to be built, or existing spaces adapted as sheltering locations in large populous buildings. From July 1 next year, public shelters will have to be built in new buildings that are visited by crowds or have a closed net area of at least 10,000 square meters.
According to the Act, a non-public shelter will have to be built when a residential building or another public or special building with a closed net area of at least 1,200 square meters, or an industrial or warehouse building with a closed net area of at least 1,500 square meters is built.
Originally, the Bill provided for the construction of non-public shelters by 1 July 2028. However, the National Defence Committee made an amendment to the Bill for the second reading, bringing the relevant deadline forward by two years. After hearing the interest groups and the representatives of the fields of administration of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior, the Committee unanimously decided that the deadline for constructing non-public shelters must be the same, i.e. 1 July 2026. Under the Act, spaces will also have to be adapted as sheltering locations in existing buildings wherever possible.
According to the Act, along with the building of shelters and sheltering locations in buildings, shelter plans will also have to be drawn up. Activities related to sheltering, including preparations for sheltering, informing the public, and raising awareness, will be organized by the Rescue Board in cooperation with local governments.
The Act also regulates the use of the national emergency notification system EE-ALARM, including the installation and commissioning of siren devices, and the rights and responsibilities related to it. According to the amendment, 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 so that important information would reach people quickly in the event of a potential threat. The Rescue Board will coordinate the preparation for the transmission of immediate emergency notifications. The Act also grants the Board the right to test the national emergency notification system.
In addition, the Act provides for an obligation for all employees of state and local government agencies, as well as agencies providing critical services to undergo civil protection training so that they can respond quickly, help people, and keep essential services running in a crisis situation.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed an Act strengthening civil protection
Source: Parliament of Estonia