The tabletop exercise focused mainly on the continuation of the Riigikogu’s work in times of crisis, the urgent amendment of the state budget and the declaration of a state of emergency and a state of war.
According to President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, the Board of the Riigikogu has approved a resilience plan that will ensure the effective functioning of the Parliament and the performance of its constitutional duties even in the event of a crisis. “The simulation of different situations and enhancing cooperation between key institutions is vital from the perspective of ensuring the functioning of Estonian democracy and the effectiveness of governance,” he said.
In the opinion of State Secretary Keit Kasemets, national defence and resolving of crises must not get stuck in unclear processes, and potential obstacles and challenges must be discussed and addressed in advance. “In a crisis, every minute counts, and cooperation between the Government and the Riigikogu is of key importance. Such discussions will help increase the clarity of roles and expectations about who exactly does what in a crisis,” he said.
The Board of the Riigikogu, the Chairs of the Finance Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu and representatives of parliamentary groups, as well as the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior participated in the exercise. The exercise was conducted by the National Security and Defence Coordination Unit of the Government Office and led by the President of the Riigikogu.
99 members of the Riigikogu took part in the secret ballot. 51 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Lauri Hussar, and 42 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Helir-Valdor Seeder. There were six invalid ballot papers.
Lauri Hussar was elected as the President of the Riigikogu. He thanked the members of the Riigikogu for trusting him.
Martin Helme nominated Arvo Aller as a candidate for a Vice-President, Õnne Pillak nominated Toomas Kivimägi and Lauri Läänemets nominated Tanel Kiik.
97 members of the Riigikogu took part in the secret ballot. 52 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Toomas Kivimägi, 25 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Arvo Aller and 19 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Tanel Kiik. One ballot paper was invalid. Thus, Toomas Kivimägi was elected as the First Vice-President of the Riigikogu, and Arvo Aller was elected as the Second Vice-President.
The Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu to amend the Constitution as a matter of urgency. Amending the Constitution as a matter of urgency was supported by 92 members of the Riigikogu, and 7 were against. The decision on the on the manner of amending the Constitution required a four-fifths majority of the Riigikogu, which meant that at least four times as many members of the Riigikogu attending the sitting had to vote in favour than against it.
At the final vote, 93 members of the Riigikogu submitted the passing of the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (536 SE), initiated by 61 Members of the Riigikogu. Seven members voted against it. A two-thirds majority of the votes of the members of the Riigikogu, that is, at least 68 votes, were needed for the Bill to amend the Constitution to be passed.
Initially the Bill provided that Estonian citizens and stateless residents as well as citizens of the European Union and NATO countries would be allowed to participate in municipal council elections. As a resolution of the plenary, a motion to amend submitted by 55 members of the Riigikogu was included the Act today, according to which the right to vote in local elections will be revoked for third-country nationals residing in Estonia and, from the next elections after the coming elections, stateless persons will also not be allowed to vote in local elections.
Stateless persons will be allowed to vote at this year’s local elections. The presenters of this proposal said that it would give stateless persons sufficient time to apply for Estonian citizenship if they so wish, and to participate in the next local elections as Estonian citizens. The amendment also excluded the right to vote of the citizens of NATO countries.
Citizens of Estonia and the European Union and stateless residents will be allowed to participate in municipal council elections this year, and from the next elections onwards, only the citizens of Estonia and the EU will be able to participate in local elections.
The second motion to amend, which was submitted by 26 members of the Riigikogu, failed to receive necessary support in the plenary assembly. According to this amendment, the right to vote would have been revoked for both the third-country nationals residing in Estonia and for stateless persons starting from the local elections taking place in October this year.
Under the current law, in addition to Estonian and EU citizens, the right to participate in local elections extends also to aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence permit or the permanent right of residence, who have attained 16 years of age by the election day and whose permanent place of residence is located in the corresponding rural municipality or city.
Next municipal council elections in Estonia will take place on 19 October this year.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Member of the Riigikogu Toomas Järveoja also took his oath of office.
Two Bills passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Act on Protection of Persons Who Report Work-Related Breaches of European Union Law and the International Sanctions Act (Union restrictive measures directive) (584 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose into Estonian law the European Union directive on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of sanctions. The same directive also amends the relevant directive so that the violation of European Union restrictive measures will be considered a predicate offence for money laundering.
Two amendments will be made to Estonian law. EU restrictive measures will be included in the list of areas of activity provided for in the Act on Protection of Persons Who Report Work-Related Breaches of European Union Law. The International Sanctions Act will also be specified by adding a clause to the effect that the provisions on whistleblower protection also extend to reporting breaches of international sanctions.
The purpose of the Bill is to establish uniform rules for determining violations of European Union restrictive measures and the penalties to be imposed for them, in order to ensure uniform application of sanctions. According to the explanatory memorandum, this will help to detect and prevent violations, supporting compliance with European Union law and the achievement of objectives.
During the debate, Mart Helme took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Ando Kiviberg on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group.
Under the Bill on Amendments to the Emergency Act (589 SE), initiated by the Government, a provider of an essential service whose data or equipment essential for the operation of the service are located in a foreign country must ensure connection through at least two technologically different electronic communications services in order to reduce the risk of interruptions and ensure continuity of the service.
The Bill will also provide that, in the future, instead of the Information System Authority, the authority organising the continuity of an essential service will exercise supervision over the information systems of a critical entity that are located in a foreign country within the framework of supervision exercised over critical entities.
At the beginning of the sitting, the Riigikogu observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the 1949 March deportation.
After the sitting, it is planned to form the Estonia-Singapore Parliamentary Friendship Group on the initiative of Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Electricity Market Act (568 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group. The aim of the bill is to end the payment of renewable energy subsidies to wind energy producers from 2026 in order to reduce the burden on consumers’ electricity bills and to direct the subsidies to promote more innovative and cost-effective renewable energy solutions.
Aleksandr Tšaplõgin from the Centre Party Group, Mart Maastik Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Rain Epler from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Mario Kadastik from the Reform Party Group took the floor during the debate.
45 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the lead committee to reject the Bill at the first reading and 17 were against it. Thus, the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The deliberation of the interpellation concerning the security of energy supply (No. 717) was removed from the agenda for the working week by agreement with the interpellators.
Mart Helme, Vladimir Arhipov, Aleksandr Tšaplõgin,Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart and Riina Solman took the floor during the open microphone.
Hussar said at the meeting that cooperation between the Baltic States was stronger than ever before. In his opinion, the cooperation between the three countries, as well as more broadly, with the Nordic Countries and Poland, was excellent. “This is especially important now, when we are facing various challenges in the area of security and defence, and we can see that Russia is not stopping,” he pointed out.
Hussar highlighted the need for unity, both in supporting Ukraine and in relations with the United States. He also said it was important to proceed swiftly with taking into use Russia’s frozen assets and to continue with sanctions against Russia.
During the meeting, Hussar and Paluckas discussed increasing defence spending and promoting defence cooperation, as well as economic cooperation projects, including completing the construction of Rail Baltic. They also spoke about issues relating to Russia’s shadow fleet and hybrid threats.
Chairman of the Estonia-Lithuania Parliamentary Friendship Group Enn Eesmaa also attended the meeting. He said that the parliamentary cooperation between Estonia and Lithuania at the level of the Baltic Assembly and the parliamentary friendship groups was effective and good.
Paluckas is in Tallinn on a one-day working visit. He will also have meetings with President Alar Karis, Prime Minister Kristen Michal and members of the Lithuanian community.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
The inter-parliamentary conference is held in Warsaw, Poland, and its aim is to discuss strengthening the defence and security in Europe in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and the external hybrid threats destabilising Europe. The priorities of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy of the EU, developing a new security framework for the EU, and the future of transatlantic relations will be the key topics analysed at the conference.
The Conference is one of the most important events of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which lasts from 1 January until the end of June. The main focus of the Polish Presidency is European security and how to strengthen it.
“Our priority should be to strengthen Ukraine’s position—both at peace negotiations and in ensuring long-term security. For this, we need to increase military support to Ukraine,” Kivimägi emphasised. He highlighted the fact that Estonia is directing 0.25 percent of its GDP into military aid to Ukraine until 2027 and invited other countries to follow this lead.
The Vice-President of the Riigikogu stressed the need to increase defence spending. “Yes, this means less roads and sports facilities but more security. Ukraine’s experience makes it clear that security must be the priority number one for every European country,” he said. Kivimägi told the participants of the Conference that Estonia had decided to raise its defence spending to over 5 percent of the GDP from next year.
He called on countries to use Russia’s frozen assets for the benefit of Ukraine. “The Register of Damage for Ukraine, created by the Council of Europe, is a key tool here,” he said. Kivimägi confirmed Estonia’s continued commitment to creating a special tribunal, in order to prosecute Russia’s leadership for the crime of aggression.
In his speech, Kivimägi emphasised that we needed to increase voter turnout and encourage the introduction of innovative voting methods to strengthen our democracy. He shared Estonia’s online voting experiences from the past 20 years, which has increased the turnout among younger voters, and added that Estonia planned to implement mobile voting this year.
Other main topics of the Conference of PACE Speakers are ensuring freedom of speech and violence against politicians.
The Conference, which concludes on Friday, brings together speakers and heads of parliamentary delegations from the member states of the Council of Europe and its partner and observer countries.
Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that the European Union wished to reduce the use of fossil fuels in road transport and buildings, but transposition of the Directive would entail huge administrative burden and uncertainty. “After a long and heated political debate, the Committee came to the conclusion that it is reasonable to repeal the transposition of the system or, if this is not possible in any way, to postpone it,” Tali added.
“First, Estonia has to find allies in Europe. If it is not possible to find the support needed for repeal, we can join Czechia’s and Poland’s proposals to postpone the Directive, which would require a qualified majority to be adopted. If the implementation of the system is postponed, it would be wise to use the time gained to think carefully how to implement the system in a way that is not too burdensome for Estonia and other Member States.”
The approved position sets out that if no agreement is reached to postpone or repeal the implementation of the Directive, the Ministry of Climate will have to start negotiations to launch the emissions trading system in the sectors covered by the Directive not earlier than 2028, regardless of energy prices, or to narrow the scope of the Directive by excluding road transport, in order to minimise the impact on Estonia’s economy and people’s livelihoods.
It was pointed out at the sitting that several countries had already implemented the directive. This will have dual benefits: the money from the emissions trading system that is to be allocated for reducing emissions, and the European Social Climate Fund whose resources are to be used for investments to support those most affected by the implementation of the system.
In 2021, the European Commission presented a package of climate and energy legislation, known as Fit for 55. It proposed to amend the EU Emissions Trading Directive and to extend the emissions trading system to buildings and road transport. The Directive does not regulate stove heating.
The revised positions of the Government regarding the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on a second EU emissions trading system for buildings and road transport fuels were presented by Deputy Secretary General for Green Transition at the Ministry of Climate Kristi Klaas.
The European Union Affairs Committee decided to approve the positions of the Government as amended, partially taking into account the amendments proposed by the Environment Committee and the opinion of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.
The Act on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act and Other Acts (547 SE), initiated by the Government, creates a new unified benefit system for children who have lost a parent.
From 1 October 2026, the current survivor’s pension will be replaced with the survivor’s benefit, which will guarantee a monthly benefit to children who have lost a parent, regardless of the pension qualifying period or the number of children of the deceased parent. The purpose of the benefit to be established is to compensate for the costs of bringing up a child – partially in the event of the loss of a parent and fully in the event of the loss of both parents.
The amount of the survivor’s benefit will be uniform for children and will take into account the cost of maintaining the child and its real value will be preserved over time through indexation. According to the bill, the new base amount of the benefit will be EUR 272, and according to forecasts, the benefit to be paid out will reach approximately EUR 345 in 2026.
The survivor’s benefit will be paid until the child reaches the age of 19 or, if the child continues their studies, until the age of 21. The circle of educational establishments that will allow receiving the benefit will expand, and it will also be possible to receive the survivor’s benefit at the same time as the work ability allowance.
During the debate, Tanel Kiik took the floor as authorised representative of the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group and Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Mihkel Lees from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor.
84 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act. There was one abstention.
Four Bills passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Foreign Relations Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (385 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading. It will simplify the procedure of the preparation and conclusion of treaties.
The largest amendment proposed will concern the submission of the materials of treaties to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the proceedings on amendments to treaties at various levels. Amendments are also planned to the procedure for the enforcement of treaties, for making objections concerning reservations and declarations and for the suspension and the termination of the suspension of treaties.
The Bill will also organise the provisions delegating authority contained in the Foreign Relations Act, including the provisions delegating authority regarding the establishment of databases and will complete data protection reform. The Bill will establish no new databases, nor will it change the functioning of any existing ones, or issues relating to the data processed in them.
In the course of the proceedings, the Foreign Affairs Committee included a motion to amend the Bill that will allow for the establishment of missions of territorial governments and entities in Estonia and missions of Estonia at territorial governments and entities based on a petition in the future.
Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Marko Mihkelson from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to suspend the second reading. The motion was not supported. 19 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of it and 50 were against. As a result of the vote, the second reading of the Bill was concluded.
The Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (violations of sanctions) (441 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the second reading. Its aim is to make the proceedings on violations of sanctions more efficient.
The Bill is connected with implementation of European law. The European Union has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia in connection with its military activities in Ukraine, the implementation of which must be resolved domestically. The Bill is also linked to a directive defining violations of sanctions.
Currently, the Estonian Internal Security Service processes all violations of sanctions punishable under the Penal Code. Under the Bill, the task of pre-trial investigation of violations of the ban on import and export of goods will be given to the Tax and Customs Board. According to the explanatory memorandum, violations of trade sanctions are similar to smuggling cases which are processed by the Tax and Customs Board and most of the violations of trade sanctions are detected by the Tax and Customs Board at border crossings.
Kalev Stoicescu from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Kert Kingo from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group took the floor during the debate.
Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to suspend the second reading. The motion was not supported. 19 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of it and 50 were against. The second reading of the Bill was concluded.
The Bill on Amendments to the Building Code, the Administrative Co-operation Act and the Water Act (531 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the second reading. Its purpose is to reduce bureaucracy and to shorten the time for the application for building permits for certain drilled wells. According to the Bill, in the future, the Environmental Board will only approve the projects of drilled wells and boreholes the construction, remodelling and demolition of which involve greater risks for groundwater. In ordinary circumstances, if a drilled well for a detached house or a geothermal borehole is being constructed, the approval of the municipality will be sufficient.
Before the second reading, the Environment Committee made an amendment in the Bill under which the minister will have the right to also establish requirements for the construction of drilled wells and boreholes and the drilling methods used, in addition to the remodelling and demolition of drilled wells and boreholes.
The amendments proposed by the Bill also concern agglomerations which will be approved by the Director General of the Environmental Board instead of the minister in the future. Under the Bill, the right to organise the evaluation of persons responsible for water sampling will be given from the Ministry of Climate to competent a legal persons in private law under contracts under public law.
Tiit Maran (Social Democratic Party), Andres Metsoja (Isamaa), Igor Taro (Estonia 200) and Jüri Jaanson (Reform Party) took the floor on behalf of their parliamentary groups during the debate. Members of the Riigikogu Igor Taro, Jüri Jaanson and Urmas Reinsalu presented comments at the debate.
Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to suspend the second reading. The motion was not supported. 14 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of it and 50 were against. The second reading of the Bill was concluded.
The Bill on Amendments to the Maritime Safety Act and Other Acts (549 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the second reading. It will update the regulations related to the operation of the Estonian State Fleet which began work in July 2023 (including the pilotage service). Among other things, the Bill will allow the State Fleet to offer new paid services to the private sector.
The Bill will provide for the basis for the establishment of a register of bunker suppliers in the Estonian Maritime Document Exchange and the requirements for the operation thereof. It will also increase the rates of the fines for violation of maritime safety requirements which, according to the explanatory memorandum, have remained unchanged for nearly 20 years.
The Economic Affairs Committee as the lead committee moved to conclude the second reading. The second reading was concluded.
A Bill was dropped from the proceedings
The Bill on Amendments to the Military Service Act (563 SE), initiated by the Member of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal, was intended to increase the allowance paid to reservists for participating in reservist trainings in order to increase their will to defend and their motivation. According to the proposal, the current allowance would be multiplied by a coefficient of 1.3.
Vladimir Arhipov from the Centre Party Group, Kalev Stoicescu from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Rene Kokk from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
The National Defence Committee as the lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 48 members of the Riigikogu voted for rejection and 11 were against. The Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
