The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to § 5 of the Local Government Council Election Act (530 SE), initiated by Member of the Riigikogu Leo Kunnas. The Bill sought to add a condition to the Act, according to which the citizens of countries that have been declared by the Riigikogu to be a terrorist regime would not be able to vote at local elections. Taking into account that the Riigikogu, in a Statement adopted in October 2022, declared the Russian regime a terrorist regime and the Russian Federation a state sponsor of terrorism, the aim of the Bill was to temporarily suspend the right of Russian citizens to vote at local elections.
In addition to Estonian and EU citizens, the right to participate in local council elections at present extends 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. A Bill amending the Constitution, which seeks to restrict the right to vote at local elections for third-country nationals living in Estonia, is currently in the legislative proceedings of the Riigikogu.
During the debate, Henn Põlluaas took the floor on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group. Igor Taro from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Vadim Belobrovtsev from the Centre Party Group also made speeches.
The Constitutional Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 41 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection and 5 were against it.
The Bill on Amendments to the Aliens Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (streamlining migration proceedings) (548 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. It is intended to update migration proceedings and to strengthen control over migration. The amendment is intended to facilitate settlement in Estonia for aliens who bring greater added value to society as a whole. On the other hand, the aim is to avoid abuse of residence permits and visas and illegal immigration in order to ensure security, public order and national security.
For foreigners and those inviting them to Estonia, including employers and educational institutions, the Bill will create the possibility to communicate with the state electronically and paperlessly, applying the one-stop-shop principle. It will be possible to exchange information between databases via X-Road which will make administration faster and more efficient.
In order to ensure security and to prevent misuse, it is provided that, upon application for a residence permit for the purpose of employment, the employer must be entered in the Estonian commercial register and must prove at least 12 months of actual economic activity in Estonia.
For application for a residence permit, the Bill will establish additional bases for refusal where the applicant is found to be linked to foreign security agencies or power structures. In the future, applications and additional documents cannot be submitted in Russian.
In the case of temporary agency work, for employers, the requirement of a deposit of one month’s remuneration will be replaced by a requirement of 18 months of prior actual economic activity, which will increase employers’ accountability and reduce the risk of abuse of the system. In order to solve bottlenecks, new requirements will be added for application for a residence permit to permanently settle in Estonia, such as mandatory completion of an adaptation programme and at least A2-level Estonian language skills. In the visa procedure, the requirement will be provided that documents issued in a foreign country must be legalized or certified with an apostille, which will guarantee the reliability of the documents submitted.
The Bill will also specify the definition of an alien permanently residing in Estonia, according to which such a person has an Estonian residence permit or right of residence and his or her principal residence is in Estonia.
Upon starting work in growth companies, an expedited procedure for short-term employment will be enabled, which will simplify the engagement of talent. In addition, the activities in Estonia for film crew members participating in the production of films and series will be facilitated.
The explanatory memorandum to the Bill notes that the aim of Estonia’s immigration policy is, on the one hand, to facilitate settlement in Estonia for aliens who bring greater added value to society as a whole, and on the other hand to avoid abuse of residence permits and visas and illegal immigration in order to ensure security, public order and national security. A managed migration policy must ensure the preservation of the Estonian language and culture, take into account Estonia’s integration capability and contribute to the sustainable development of the economy and the growth of competitiveness.
Toomas Uibo from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
The Bill on the Approval of the Amendments to the Articles of Agreement of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (558 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the first reading. It will approve the amendments to the Articles of Agreement of the bank to remove the current limitations on borrowings of the Bank. This will make the financial management of the Bank more modern and flexible. In the future, the management of the bank’s risks will be decided at the level of shareholders’ representatives, that is, executive directors.
The Bill on Amendments to the Hunting Act (553 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, passed the first reading. Its purpose is to give the Environmental Board the opportunity to organize hunting all year round to prevent damage caused by game. The current Act allows this only outside the hunting season.
If the hunting quota is filled during the hunting season but there is a need to hunt game, the Environmental Board can no longer organize game hunting, including the hunting of problem individuals. To solve this problem, it is proposed to amend the Hunting Act and to give the Environmental Board the right to organise hunting all year round to prevent damage caused by wild game.
Tarmo Tamm from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Tiit Maran from the Social Democratic Party Group and Andres Metsoja from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
On 27 January, the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is observed worldwide to commemorate the mass murder of Jews during the Second World War. This year, the traditional commemoration ceremony was held at the Rahumäe Jewish Cemetery in Tallinn. On this day, the Estonia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and expresses its full support to the Jewish people around the world, and to the State of Israel, its people and its leaders.
“The terrible tragedy of the Holocaust must not be repeated, even though in recent times it increasingly seems that, 80 years later, the world is starting to forget the horrors that took place in the heart of Europe. We are witnessing more and more frequent manifestations of anti-Semitism not only in the Middle East, but also in Europe, and even in Estonia. Such manifestations must be stopped at the very outset, because it was the smaller manifestations that started the terrible events of the 1930s and 1940s,” the members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group write in their joint statement of condolences.
The members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group also point out that Jewish history is full of painful wounds of stigmatisation and persecution, the most tragic expression of which is the Holocaust. “We must do all we can to remember and commemorate what happened in the 1940s under the leadership of Hitler. We must remember the horrible massacre that took place just a year and a half ago in the Israeli kibbutzim along the Gaza border, in which over 1200 Jews were executed and 250 persons were taken hostage. Some of the hostages have been executed or have died by today, and a large number are still unliberated and suffer inhuman living conditions and persecution. Only by remembering, we can stand firm against the repetition of the horrible events in history. In Estonia, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day has been observed since 2002. The people of Estonia know very well what it means to be repressed and deported, therefore our thoughts are with the Jewish people in every way also in these difficult times for the State of Israel,” they write.
The statement was signed by Chairman of Estonia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship GroupEerik-Niiles Kross and members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Vadim Belobrovtsev, Karmen Joller, Meelis Kiili, Lauri Laats, Riina Solman, Aivar Sõerd, Peeter Tali, Vilja Toomast and Kristo Enn Vaga.
The Speakers of the parliaments of six countries bordering on Russia participate in the meeting that takes place immediately after the 105th anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty. The debate will focus on continuing support to Ukraine in the war of aggression launched by Russia, and on Russia’s hybrid activities in Europe. Relations with the United States and the situation in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus will also be discussed.
The Speakers will adopt a joint statement and give a joint press conference in the assembly hall of the University of Tartu. After that, the Speakers from five countries will hold an public debate with students on achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The meeting of the Speakers will be hosted by President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar. The meeting will be attended by Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis, Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa, Marshal of the Sejm of Poland Szymon Hołownia and Speaker of the Eduskunta of Finland Jussi Halla-aho. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk will participate in the official meeting via video bridge.
“European commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine is vital, and therefore our delegation will keep the issue of supporting Ukraine firmly in focus,” Head of the Estonian delegation Kadri Tali underlined.
Today, the Assembly will hold debates on the autumn parliamentary elections in Georgia and the urgent need for free and fair elections in Belarus. The President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly will also be elected.
Tomorrow, the Assembly will discuss the situation of women, children and the hostages in Gaza, and hold a debate on the need for a renewed rules-based international order, with a statement by President of the European Court of Human Rights Marko Bošnjak. Regulating the activities of mercenaries and private military and security companies will also be discussed.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel will address the plenary of the Assembly in the framework of Luxembourg’s Presidency. There will also be a debate on Europe’s demographic ageing and discrimination against the elderly. A ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp will be held.
On Thursday, the Assembly will discuss European commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Kadri Tali will speak at the debate “Women in economy”, where she will analyse the opportunities for women in Estonia and in the world both from a historical perspective and today. The Assembly will also discuss regulating content moderation on social media to safeguard freedom of expression, and the protection of the profession of lawyer.
Mihkelson and Stoicescu acknowledged the exchange of information between Estonian authorities as well as the visibly improved readiness of NATO and EU coastal states to react swiftly and inspect suspected vessels. According to them, such vessels must always be inspected very thoroughly before they are allowed to continue their journey.
The Chairmen of the Committees think that the Allies should have a better overview of sanctioned vessels currently sailing in the Baltic Sea, as this will allow them to increase the speed of response if necessary. “We also believe that NATO’s capability to have an overview of the developments below the water’s surface in the Baltic Sea must be strengthened as well. Having situational awareness of the developments on the surface of the sea only is no longer sufficient,” they pointed out after today’s meeting, where the agencies gave an overview of the situation.
Mihkelson and Stoicescu noted that the pattern of damaging or disruption of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression in Ukraine was evident. “Nothing like this has ever happened before. There are clear reasons for this trend, which cannot be explained solely by negligence, undersea deficiencies and accidents. There is a lot of work ahead to identify the real causes,” they said.
The Chairmen of the Committees reaffirmed that they considered the continuation of the NATO joint effort, the Baltic Sentry mission, very necessary. “At the same time, NATO and the EU allies need to continue enhancing their cooperation and information sharing,” they said. “NATO and the EU must not refrain from acting as masters in the Baltic Sea. This is a new reality that Russia, which demands from others that they should take into account the new reality, must learn to live with.”
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu discussed the damaging of the submarine cable between Latvia and Sweden in the Baltic Sea at its today’s sitting. National Security and Defence Coordination Director of the Government Office Erkki Tori and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Kaimo Kuusk gave an overview of the situation. Chairman of the National Defence Committee also participated in the sitting.
The Bill on Amendments to the Estonian Defence Forces Organisation Act and the Economic Zone Act (enhancing maritime security) (565 SE), initiated by the Government, was submitted for proceedings in the Riigikogu last week. The Bill specifies the state supervision tasks of the Defence Forces and the use of military force in the territorial waters of Estonia to enhance Estonia’s maritime security. The Bill will ensure that the Defence Forces will have sufficient flexibility to operate at sea, so that they would be ready to respond rapidly to threats that come from the sea. The National Defence Committee will be the lead committee of the Bill.
The focus on security comes from the priorities of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. “Poland’s focus on European security is definitely also our focus, and the directions taken by Poland also largely reflect Estonia’s,” he said. “Poland has set an ambitious programme for its presidency – after all, this is inevitable in the current security situation. We are keen to contribute towards carrying out this ambitious programme.”
Tali intends to remind his foreign colleagues that the defence of Brussels starts at Narva River, and that Russia’s hybrid warfare impacts us all. “We need to present a united front and enhance our defence capability in a spirit of solidarity, and our ambitions could be much higher. We need this ourselves as Europeans, regardless of who is the current President of the United States.”
Tali also sees a need to focus on protecting the underwater infrastructure in Europe, particularly in the Baltic Sea, and on curbing the activities of Russia’s shadow fleet. “Protecting the Baltic Sea infrastructure concerns all of us. We need to intensify our efforts and improve our performance,” Tali said, adding that the necessary actions and cooperation opportunities could ideally be agreed during the Polish Presidency.
Before the start of the COSAC meeting, there was a video meeting of the Chairmen of the European Union Affairs Committees of Baltic Sea countries, with a focus on Russia’s shadow fleet. Other topic to be discussed at today’s meeting, aside from the Polish presidency priorities, is European Union budget for combating the consequences of climate change.
COSAC is a cooperation format that brings together the Committees for Union Affairs of the national parliaments of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
“We give our full support to Armenia on its path towards joining the EU. It is a lengthy and complicated process but we are ready to share our experiences and support Armenia in carrying out the necessary reforms. I firmly believe that Armenia belongs in Europe,” Hussar said at the meeting with Armenian leaders.
Other topics of conversation included the situation in the Southern Caucasus region and the world at large, including the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Hussar emphasised the need to continue supporting Ukraine, because if Ukraine should not win the war initiated by Russia, the future of many other countries would become under threat as well. “If Russia’s imperialist ambitions should come out on top in Ukraine, countries like Armenia would also find it difficult to continue their independent development,” he said, adding that Ukraine needed every kind of support from the democratic world, here and now.
The seven European Speakers met the Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan and Vice President Hakob Arshakyan, as well as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The heads of parliaments also took part in a panel discussion with Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice focussing on peace, democracy, and Armenia’s European ambitions, with topics ranging from regional security, democratic development and reforms, and further cooperation with Nordic countries and Baltic states, as well as the EU. Today’s schedule includes a meeting with the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and the Standing Committee on European Integration of the National Assembly of Armenia.
The Speakers of the parliaments of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden are taking part in the three-day visit.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Chairman of the Estonia-Latvia Parliamentary Friendship Group Peeter Tali said that the purpose of the visit was to learn about the educational life near the Estonian-Latvian border. “In January last year, we met with the delegation of the Latvian parliament in Valga, and today we are making a return visit to the region of Smiltene on the other side of the border to discuss improving vocational education in border areas, the priorities of the Estonian-Latvian cooperation programme, and civil protection,” Tali added. “We will certainly also discuss in depth the issues relating to the construction of Rail Baltic and the reconstruction of Via Baltica as a four-lane road.”
The delegation of the Estonia-Latvia Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Riigikogu will meet with the Latvia-Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Saeima at Smiltene Secondary School. They will also have meetings with the representatives of the local government of Smiltene and visit Smiltene Technical School.
The delegation of the Estonia-Latvia Parliamentary Friendship Group consists of Chairman Peeter Tali, Deputy Chair Ester Karuse and members of the group Irja Lutsar and Anti Poolamets.
“Aleksandr Lukashenka, who has been governing Belarus with the support of the Russian regime for the past 30 years, is organising another election farce on 26 January in an attempt to embellish his dictatorial regime with a false mask of democracy, all the while repressing human and civil rights,” the Foreign Affairs Committee says in a Statement issued today.
The Foreign Affairs Committee recalls the Statement of the Riigikogu of 25 August 2020, and declares that it will also not recognise the upcoming sham elections, which will take place under the strict control of the regime. It also calls on organising free and democratic presidential elections in Belarus at the first opportunity under the supervision of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and other international organisations.
“The Foreign Affairs Committee calls on the international community to exert pressure on the Belarus regime to put an end to the repressions and to free the people imprisoned for expressing their views,” the Committee says in the Statement, adding that according to the Viasna Human Rights Centre, 1,256 political prisoners are currently illegally detained in Belarus because of their political views.
The Foreign Affairs Committee supports the statements of the European Parliament, the OSCE, and several national parliaments and governments of the European Union Member States that condemn the organisation of sham elections in an atmosphere of repression and intimidation, and in violation of all international legal provisions.
“The Foreign Affairs Committee expresses its support to the people of Belarus in their fight for a free, democratic, and dignified future, and calls on continuing active international cooperation on all levels to support democracy, civil society, and free press in Belarus,” the Committee says in the Statement.
The Foreign Affairs Committee issued the Statement at its today’s sitting where the developments in Belarus were discussed with the representative of the Embassy of Estonia in Lithuania.
The Statement of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu in Estonian and English
