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Mihkelson stressed the importance of strong allied relations and NATO unity

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Mihkelson said at the meeting with Republican Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee that the threat from Russia and China, and tensions in many parts of the world, had led the Alliance into one of its most challenging periods since the Second World War. “Putin believes strongly that to go down in history, Russia must conquer, expand, kill and threaten. His aim is not only destroying Ukraine as a state, but also dismantling NATO and the existing security architecture of the whole Europe,” Mihkelson stated. In his opinion, China is also involved in the plans to change the world order.

The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee underlined the need to continue providing strong support and military assistance to Ukraine and to ensure that Ukraine remained a sovereign state. “We must keep in mind that Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is not an isolated local process. Russia’s shadow war against the West has been going on for years. Force is the only answer that Russia understands,” he said.

According to Mihkelson, the West must show Russia that aggression does not pay, because otherwise their ambitions will not be limited to Ukraine. He said that for this reason, Estonia had sharply increased its defence spending, which would be at least five per cent of GDP from the next year, and had consistently supported Ukraine. “We understand that it is dangerous to remain alone. This is why we are investing, carrying out defence procurements and the necessary capability developments, and supporting strong partnerships with like-minded countries in Europe and North America,” he noted, adding that Estonia also stood for raising the defence spending target agreed upon in NATO.

Mihkelson believes that protecting trans-Atlantic security and NATO unity is of utmost importance today. “Your presence in Europe and on NATO’s eastern flank, as well as a strong and united allied space, will also work as a deterrent to Russia, who would like to see the Alliance divided and weak,” Mihkelson said at the meeting with US senators, and called for strengthening transatlantic cooperation also in energy.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Mihkelson stressed the importance of strong allied relations and NATO unity

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Issues relating to the energy sector were discussed in the Riigikogu

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Members of the Riigikogu Urmas Reinsalu, Riina Solman and Priit Sibul submitted an interpellation concerning the energy sector (No. 724) to Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

The interpellators wanted to know why the government had started making individual decisions with far-reaching effects in the energy sector, violating the principle that long-term decisions in the energy sector are made on the basis of the energy sector development plan, the draft of which is still in the approval phase.

Michal explained that, in the energy sector, the new coalition had agreed on a common goal to ensure security of supply and economic competitiveness. “To this end, we are initiating a designated spatial plan for a nuclear power plant, which was questionable or would not have succeeded in the previous coalition. We are announcing a call for tenders for onshore wind farms,” Prime Minister said. This is necessary to obtain higher added value, so that our industries are export-capable, and so that there is more affordable and clean energy. “The goal is, of course, to reduce our dependence on imported energy and fossil fuels. The concern with fossil fuels, in addition to pollution, is their very high price,” Michal said. 

He pointed out Finland as an example that we needed both renewable and nuclear energy to get more affordable electricity. “However, building a nuclear power plant is a long process. Even if you act very quickly – this is a rough estimate – it will take about 10-15 years,” Michal stated.  According to him, this means that wind can produce affordable and clean energy for us in the meantime. “Therefore, we will move forward with a designated spatial plan for a nuclear power plant, as well as with a call for tenders for onshore wind farms, and we will create regulation and opportunities for the further development of storage,” Michal said.

He also noted that Estonia definitely needed new external electricity connections, because the stronger Estonia is connected to neighbouring countries, the safer we can feel. “We also definitely need more connections from a market or electricity trading perspective,” Michal noted.

He emphasised that electricity would be generated where it was cheapest at the time, and electricity generated in that way would also reach places where it would be impossible to generate cheap electricity at the time. Estonia needs more transmission capacity both in the north and south directions, Michal said. 

Michal also replied to the interpellation concerning continuing as Prime Minister (No. 728).

Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt replied to the interpellation concerning the security of energy supply (No. 717), offshore wind farms (No. 722) and the cormorant population that has exploded in numbers (No. 725).

The interpellators withdrew from the proceedings the interpellation concerning a minister lacking authorization to access NATO classified information  (No. 727), submitted to Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Anti Poolamets, Lauri Läänemets and Vladimir Arhipov took the floor during the open microphone.

The sitting ended at 8.04 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: Issues relating to the energy sector were discussed in the Riigikogu

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Cultural Affairs Committee did not send heritage impact assessment to UNESCO

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

The Cultural Affairs Committee continues to hold the position that the impact assessment is incomplete and contains errors, which should be corrected before it is forwarded. This position was also expressed by the Committee at its sitting on 10 March. Members of the Committee have also underlined that sending a deficient assessment would not be in the interests of the Estonian culture and would be harmful to Estonia.

The Minister of Culture has stated at the Committee sitting that an explanation of the cultural policy relevance of the annex to the Estonian National Opera would be included in the preamble of the impact assessment, and the Committee would be able to add its cover letter to the document.

The Commission points out that the heritage impact assessment has to be submitted on behalf of the state of Estonia and signed by the head of the governmental authority responsible for the area, and that it has to be clearly documented who submitted the heritage impact assessment and when. Regrettably, this has not been done. According to UNESCO, the documents must be forwarded through the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture.

Last week, the Committee also discussed the fact that, as a working document had been forwarded to UNESCO through unofficial channels, it was only natural that UNESCO would be informed that it was impossible to form an opinion on the basis of that document. When the document is ready, it will be forwarded to UNESCO, digitally signed, and through official channels.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Cultural Affairs Committee did not send heritage impact assessment to UNESCO

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The European Union Affairs Committee: In the future, accompanied 17-year-old drivers will be able to drive across Europe

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that Estonia had entered into negotiations two years ago with the view that young persons aged at least 16 years could have the right of accompanied driving of vehicles in category B throughout the EU, as such a solution had been in use in Estonia for years.

“As minors have not had the right to drive in many Member States, this proposal was not supported. However, as a compromise, the directive will in the future give the drivers who have reached the age of 17 years the right of accompanied driving,” Tali said. “A very positive change is that, in the future, young drivers will not have to pass a new national test or exchange their driving licence when they reach the age of 18 years, and the right of accompanied driving will apply throughout the European Union.”

To transpose the Directive, Estonia has to amend its regulations on limited driving rights. This does not mean, however, that 16-year-olds will no longer be allowed to drive with an accompanying person in Estonia – they can drive with an instructor as part of their driving practice. Currently, the requirements for instructors are stricter than those for a person accompanying a young driver, but the amending of the requirements can also be considered when the Directive will be transposed.

In addition, the Directive aims to give drivers who have reached the age of 17 years the right of accompanied driving of motor vehicles in category C1 and C. As a compromise, Estonia agrees to support that the accompanied driving scheme for vehicles in category C1 and C applies across the EU or as a national option.

If the directive enters into force in its current form, the amended accompanied driving scheme will apply in Estonia from 2029.

At the sitting of the European Union Affairs Committee, Ministry of Climate Deputy Secretary General for Mobility Sander Salmu gave an overview of the revised positions of the Government regarding the proposed Driving Licence Directive.

The European Union Affairs Committee decided to approve the positions of the Government by consensus, taking also into account the opinion of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The European Union Affairs Committee: In the future, accompanied 17-year-old drivers will be able to drive across Europe

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu committees get an overview of Special Report on EU Military Mobility at a public sitting

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali was pleased that the audit set out as a matter of concern that the administrative procedures of military mobility in the EU were complicated and there was no single point of contact. “The need to facilitate the exchange of information between Member States was also highlighted in the Committee when we approved Estonia’s positions on strengthening Europe’s civilian and military readiness,” Tali said. “It must be clear who does what in this area, and information must reach all necessary actors smoothly and rapidly.”

Chairman of the National Defence Committee Kalev Stoicescu noted that the special report showed that the dual-use infrastructure projects selected by the European Union may not be the most effective from military point of view, as geopolitical aspects were not sufficiently considered. “The audit helps to get a good understanding of what can be done better in the future. One important observation is that more consideration needs to be given to geopolitical and military aspects when selecting for funding infrastructure projects that need to serve both civil and military purposes,” Stoicescu said.

The report of the European Court of Auditors examined the progress made regarding the EU policy on military mobility. The focus was on the EU’s second Action Plan (2.0) of November 2022, which was developed under time pressure, amid Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and covers the period 2022-2026. The objective of the action plan is ensuring swift and seamless movement of military personnel, materiel and assets at short notice and on a large scale, and progress towards this has so far been variable.

The Court of Auditors presents various recommendations to strengthen the EU’s impact on military mobility. The recommendations cover governance, funding predictability and the selection of dual-use infrastructure projects under the next multiannual financial framework. The Court of Auditors believes that their audit provides an opportunity both to improve implementation of the current 2021–2027 multiannual financial framework and to prepare for the next period.

The joint sitting of the Committees starts at 1:30 p.m. in the Conference Hall of the Riigikogu and will be live streamed online. Video recording will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu committees get an overview of Special Report on EU Military Mobility at a public sitting

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The European Union Affairs Committee will hold a sitting on European connections in Pärnu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali pointed out that the high-speed railway Rail Baltic and the Via Baltica road were large-scale and important infrastructure projects and their construction had to be completed, as good connections with Europe must be our priority.

“A double-track railway connection and a 2+2 road are important in terms of security, economy and tourism. In the foreseeable future, the east-west connections from the days the Russian Empire will not contribute to Estonia’s development, nor to the movement of people, goods and services within the European Union. If our land connections from north to south are not fast enough and do not have good capacity, this is a clear security risk,” Tali stated.

Experts in the field and representatives of Pärnu region have been invited to open the debate. Head of Mobility Development and Investments Department of the Ministry of Climate Eva Killar will speak about connections and their importance from the aspect of military mobility. Chairman of the Management Board of Rail Baltic Estonia Anvar Salomets will give an overview of the current situation of the Rail Baltic.

Mayor of Pärnu Romek Kosenkranius will focus on the importance of regional land and air connections in his speech. Andrus Kärpuk, Head of Pärnu County Public Transport Centre, will discuss the regional cross-border connections created with the support of the European Union, using the example of the project of bus service between Estonia and Latvia. Erik Reinhold, Head of Pärnu County Development Centre, will speak about Pärnu Airport and state aid targeted at regional airports.

The sitting will take place in the premises of Pärnu Airport, starting at 11 a.m. It is scheduled to last until 2 p.m. After the sitting, the European Union Affairs Committee plans to visit the first section of the Rail Baltic Pärnu Logistics Centre.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The European Union Affairs Committee will hold a sitting on European connections in Pärnu

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu adopted amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

The explanatory memorandum of the Act states that Estonia stands for freedom of religion, and that everyone has the freedom to choose whether to follow a religion and which religion to follow. However, in addition to respecting freedom of religion, belief and association, the state must also take into account the challenges that threaten national security and the security of society.

According to the Act (570 SE) passed by the Riigikogu, the churches, congregations or monasteries operating in Estonia may not be guided in their activities by a person or association located in a foreign country and having significant influence, nor linked by statutes, contracts or other documents, or economically, to a religious association, spiritual centre, governing body or spiritual leader located in a foreign country, if they pose a threat to the security or constitutional or public order of the Estonian state. Such a threat may occur, among other things, when a spiritual centre, governing body, spiritual leader, person or association supports or has supported military aggression or has called for war, a terrorist crime or otherwise unlawful use of armed force or violence.

The Act also specifies who can serve as a minister of religion or be a member of the management board of a religious association in Estonia. A person who is not allowed to reside or stay in Estonia cannot be a minister of religion or a member of the management board of a religious association. In addition, the requirements for the statutes of a religious association are specified, and the possibility is created for leaving a church whose activities, statutes, or membership of the management board do not meet the established requirements. To do this, a congregation or a monastery has to adopt new statutes and to enter the amendments complying with the requirements into the register without the approval of the church’s governing body, as it may not be realistic to obtain such approval.

According to the Act, churches and congregations that need to bring their statutes, the membership of their management board, or their activities into line with the Act will have two months from the entry into force of the Act to do so.

60 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the passage of the Act, and 13 were against it.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu adopted amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Hussar stressed the importance of defence and economic cooperation between Estonia and Poland

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Hussar acknowledged the excellent relations between Estonia and Poland and their close cooperation in various formats. He highlighted the common interests of the two countries in foreign and defence policy, including in ensuring European security and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia, which continues its war of aggression.

Speaking of supporting Ukraine, Hussar underlined the need to increase pressure on Russia. “More pressure has to be exerted on Putin. The European Union must stand firm and continue with sanctions on Russia. We also need to work to start using Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine,” he said, and added that the European Union had more than EUR 200 billion worth of Russia’s frozen assets.

The economic cooperation between Estonia and Poland was acknowledged at the meeting, and it was considered important to continue with major infrastructure projects that are vital for the region, such as Via Baltica and Rail Baltic. The increasing of defence spending, the development of defence industries and combating hybrid threats from Russia were also discussed.

Further cooperation with the United States was also spoken about at the meeting. “The USA is an important ally for us, with whom we have had fruitful cooperation in many areas,” said Hussar, and added that the focus should be on how to maintain transatlantic cooperation.

Chairman of the Estonia-Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Riigikogu Ants Frosch and Deputy Chairman of the Group Kristo Enn Vaga participated in the meeting of the President of the Riigikogu with the President of Poland.

President Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda are on a state visit to Estonia at the invitation of President Alar Karis.

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Hussar stressed the importance of defence and economic cooperation between Estonia and Poland

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu discussed issues relating to data protection

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta replied to the interpellation concerning Chinese intelligence access to Estonian residents’ data through apps and technology (No. 718), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Lauri Laats, Vladimir Arhipov, Vadim Belobrovtsev and Aleksei Jevgrafov.

The interpellators referred to the cyber security yearbook of the Information System Authority which said that Chinese intelligence could also easily access the personal data of Estonian residents using technology and applications made in China. This raises serious questions about Estonia’s cyber security and data protection.

The interpellators wanted to know what measures had been implemented in the country to reduce the collection of data on Estonian residents through Chinese technology and applications.

Pakosta explained that she could not quite claim that when we had Chinese technology or an application, then data on Estonian residents was always collected through it. “This could be stated unequivocally only after a corresponding investigation and court decision,” Pakosta said.

She noted that Estonia had also repeatedly appealed to the European Union to uniformly impose relevant import or sales bans that would be justified specifically for devices that were manufactured for the indirect purpose of acquiring, collecting, and analysing information about the activities of Estonian citizens, as well as other European Union citizens. Sometimes it is also possible to collect information, for example, about views.

“However, the legal framework in Estonia is nevertheless quite comprehensive. From 2022, we have a requirement in the Electronic Communications Act that a communications service provider must obtain consent from the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority for the hardware and software used in communications networks,” the minister emphasised. She added that perhaps the most important provision was that section 6 of the Cybersecurity Act imposed an obligation on many public sector institutions and businesses operating in critical areas to adhere to the principle of comprehensive protection. “This means that it is up to each institution and each company to identify the potential threats to its network and information system and to implement appropriate organisational and technical measures to protect the system. Among other things, devices that use illegal data harvesting or enable that must be avoided,” Pakosta explained.

She referred to the Cybersecurity Act which set out a number of obligations. The Estonian Information Security Standard has been developed to meet these obligations. This information security standard also imposes obligations on institutions and companies to assess the risks in both the hardware and software supply chains. The supply chain means that it is also necessary to monitor where purchases are made and whether these important risks have been mitigated at the various stages where a particular device is manufactured. “And of course these supply chain risks can be linked to the use of various Chinese technologies, equipment and applications,” the minister stated.

According to her, in summary it can be said that we have data protection regulations in place in the public sector and for businesses. But the question is rather how effectively we can implement these existing requirements. “The good news is that although we are all concerned here, Estonia is among the most successful countries in the world when it comes to cybersecurity in the public sector and private sector. So we have had a lot of things go right and well,” Pakosta noted.

However, she stated that, in the case of consumers who were private persons who should assess risks themselves and protect themselves from harmful activities that may be related to technological devices manufactured in unfriendly countries, their purchase or failure to secure them, that was more difficult from the state’s perspective.

Rain Epler, Aleksandr Tšaplõgin, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart and Mart Helme took the floor during the open microphone.

Substitute member Peeter Ernits took his oath of office before the Riigikogu.

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 Riigikogu discussed issues relating to data protection

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The European Union Affairs Committee: reporting of sustainability information should be voluntary

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

According to Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali, the European Union wants to significantly reduce the administrative burden of companies and has therefore presented in an accelerated procedure a proposal to postpone the sustainability reporting obligation by two years for companies that have not yet submitted their reports, and to make a number of simplifications during these two years to reduce the administrative burden.

“The European Commission really wants to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, and that’s the reason for this turbo procedure to suspend sustainability reporting. Estonia’s long term plan is to make sustainability reporting voluntary for all companies,” Tali said. He expressed hope that Estonia would find allies in Europe who support this proposal. “If the obligation is retained despite our efforts, we would prefer to introduce reporting every five years, or as a minimum every three years, instead of the current annual obligation.”

The positions approved by the Committee also state that if these proposals are not supported, Estonia can accept a sustainability reporting obligation for companies with 1000 or more employees and sales revenues of more than EUR 50 million or a balance sheet total of more than EUR 25 million. This would mean a substantial increase in the thresholds compared to the current Directive.

The European Commission’s ambition is to reduce the administrative burden of businesses by at least 25%, and for small and medium-sized enterprises by at least 35%. The Commission’s proposals cover the areas of sustainable financial reporting, sustainability due diligence, EU taxonomy, the carbon cap adjustment mechanism and European investment programmes.

Estonia supports the European Commission’s proposal to postpone the entry into force of the reporting requirements by two years. Under the current directive, around 350 companies in Estonia are subject to sustainability reporting obligations. If the proposal for postponement is approved, the number of reporting companies in Estonia will be reduced by 90%, and in the future about 35 companies will be obliged to report. It was underlined at the sitting of the Committee that reporting must be simplified for all companies.

Representative of the Ministry of Finance said that the Ministry had started drafting a Bill so that, if the amendments were adopted in Europe, it would be possible to transpose the EU law quickly. The positions set out that the Bill has to be submitted by the end of May.

The positions of the Government regarding amendments to the directives on sustainability reporting and sustainability due diligence were presented by Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta and Head of Financial Information at the Ministry of Finance Rainer Osanik.

The European Union Affairs Committee decided to approve the positions of the Government, taking also into account the opinions of the Legal Affairs Committee and the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The European Union Affairs Committee: reporting of sustainability information should be voluntary

Source: Parliament of Estonia

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