The Riigikogu ratified the Act on the Ratification of the Arrangements for Working Holidays between the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the Government of Japan, which allows Estonia and Japan to issue multiple-entry working holiday visas to their citizens of 18 to 30 years of age with the duration of up to one year.
79 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Act (46SE).
The bilateral agreement allows both Japanese and Estonian young adults to work without previously registering their visa with the Police and Border Guard Board. The Japanese government determines the number of visas that may be issued to Estonian citizens annually.
The agreement will enter into force 120 days after Estonia notifies Japan of the completion of the national procedure necessary for issuing working holiday visas to Japanese citizens.
The agreement will tighten relations between Estonia and Japan, support youth tourism, allow people to stay longer in the country, and seek short-term employed in addition to holidaying.
Estonia has previously concluded similar agreements with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
The Bill that will transpose the directive regulating the resolution of disputes arising in the application of international agreements eliminating double taxation of income and capital concluded between Member States passed the second reading in the Riigikogu today.
Compared to the existing options for resolving cross-border tax disputes on the basis of agreements for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital, and the Convention on the elimination of double taxation in connection with the adjustments of profits of associated enterprises, the directive provides for more detailed and effective procedural rules, provides a more certain time frame for resolving disputes, and strengthens the rights of the taxpayers in the process. A final decision to resolve a tax dispute is binding on tax authorities and it is enforced if the taxpayer accepts it.
The amendments to the Courts Act will enable judges to participate as independent recognised persons in the work of an advisory commission or an alternative dispute resolution commission in the resolution of such disputes. The publishing of the personal identification codes of candidates for lay judges will also be regulated.
According to the Bill, it will be possible for the Tax and Customs Board to disclose data subject to tax secrecy to the implementers of national support programmes so that they can check compliance with the conditions for granting supports and with targeted use of the support, as well as to the Environment Agency so that it can check compliance with specific requirements of the Liquid Fuel Act and the Atmospheric Air Protection Act.
The explanatory memorandum to the Bill on Amendments to the Taxation Act, the Courts Act and the Liquid Fuel Act (29 SE), initiated by the Government, states that, in order to ensure a fairer tax environment, an effective dispute resolution system is needed that would make it possible to eliminate double taxation.
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.)
NordenBladet – More than 1,000 Faroese volunteers helped clean up 26 tonnes of rubbish across the Faroe Islands on World Cleanup Day, 21 September. They joined 20 million people from 180 countries in cleaning up litter as part of the annual global social action programme aimed at combating the global solid waste problem.
The initiative, called Rudda Føroyar in Faroese, aims to create a more clean, healthy and rubbish-free world. World Cleanup Day intended to mobilise five percent of the world’s population. Similarly, Rudda Føroyar’s goal is to mobilise five percent of the Faroese population, which equates to approximately 2,500 people.
“We are so pleased with this year’s cleanup day,” says Bjørk Berg Wiggins, one of the organisers.
This year’s cleanup operation yielded four tonnes of rubbish more than last year. The main reason for this increase is that many old industrial areas were cleared this year.
“Now that a lot of old rubbish that has been lying around for many years has been cleared away, it should be much easier to clean up in the coming years,” says Bjørk Berg Wiggins, one of the organisers.
Rudda Føroyar was held in 11 locations in the country, with local municipalities playing a large role in organising cleanup operations.
The inaugural World Cleanup Day was 15 September 2018, but it builds on the successes of previous global cleanup efforts. There are numerous organisations that facilitate the host World Cleaup Day event globally. Like Earth Day, World Cleanup Day is a non-partisan, apolitical, and is not affiliated with any national or global political party or discrete ideology. Participants in World Cleanup Days are typically volunteers, with coordination from non-governmental organizations who assist in awareness-raising, logistics, and fundraising.
Next year’s World Cleanup Day will be held on 19 September.
View a short film that rounds up this year’s event:
NordenBladet – Sustainable development is high on the agenda of the UN, country governments, businesses and numerous other actors. However, where a transformational 2030 Agenda is going to make a difference is at the local level, in the work of regions and municipalities all over the world.
We therefore invite you to join an event under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers to learn about how Nordic municipalities are working with the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Get new inspiration and knowledge, meet potential partners and help send a strong message to our governments about what you need to further your work for a sustainable future.
Held at one of the most sustainable venues in the Nordics, this knowledge-sharing event will give you an opportunity to either start-up, fine-tune or evaluate your work with sustainable development, whether you represent a municipality, a regional authority, an NGO or another interested party.
NordenBladet —At today’s plenary sitting, the Riigikogu concluded the first reading of two Bills intended to additionally increase pensions in the coming year.
The Bill on Amendments to § 61 of the State Pension Insurance Act (79 SE), initiated by the Government, concerns the increasing of the base amount of pensions by seven euro on 1 April 2020 after the indexation of pensions. According to the forecast, together with indexation, pensions will increase by 45 euro.
According the explanatory memorandum, in 2020, the increasing of the base amount of pension will concern around 330,000 persons, and it will reduce the relative poverty rate among pensioners by 0.6 percentage points. The explanatory memorandum notes that the extraordinary increasing of the base amount of pension will increase the pensions of all old-age pensioners, persons receiving pension for incapacity for work and persons receiving a survivor’s pension. The increasing of the solidarity component will help relatively more the non-working pensioners who receive a lower pension.
During the debate, Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party), Oudekki Loone (Centre Party) and Indrek Saar (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.
The Bill on Amendments to § 61 of the State Pension Insurance Act (31 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, will provide that the base amount of pension will rise by 100 euro and the national pension will rise by 60 euro after the indexation due on 1 April 2020.
The explanatory memorandum notes that the Bill is intended to improve the subsistence of the elderly. It is intended to increase old-age pensions to the extent that the average old-age pension would be above the relative poverty rate. According to the explanatory memorandum, the increase in the national pension proposed by the Bill will help the elderly out of absolute poverty.
Helmen Kütt (Social Democratic Party) took the floor during the debate.
The Riigikogu did not support a proposal by the Chancellor of Justice:
The Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise made a proposal to the Riigikogu to bring clause 18 (1) 6) of the Local Government Organisation Act into conformity with the Constitution. In the words of the Chancellor of Justice, the clause is in breach of the right to stand as a candidate and the fundamental right to freely choose profession, area of activity and position of employment.
The Chancellor of Justice explained that the restriction under which people who had a contract of employment with a city or a rural municipality could not be members of a municipal council was in conflict with the Constitution. As examples she mentioned bus drivers, cleaners and stadium guards, who must choose between their job and their mandate when they are elected at local elections.
“The right to stand as a candidate and to start working in the representative body after being elected, as well as the right to vote and to retain one’s job are very important fundamental rights. Clear and logical justifications must be given if these rights are restricted,” Madise said. In her words, there were no such justifications in that case. Madise noted that active local people were often members of municipal councils, and the Local Government Organisation Act and the Anti-corruption Act set out clear and strict rules for withdrawal.
During the debate, Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) took the floor, and noted that drawing a border in the issue of the membership of municipal councils was a legislative policy choice. He called on the factions to think along in that matter.
Paul Puustusmaa spoke on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction. He said that his faction saw no conflict with the Constitution in that issue. He noted that the proposal of the Chancellor of Justice could bring about a greater risk of proceeds of corrupt practices, and the Estonian Conservative People’s Party did not support that.
Siim Kiisler (Isamaa) noted that the legislative amendment proposed by the Chancellor of Justice would not resolve the situation, and that there was no substantial conflict with the Constitution. Thus, in his words, there was no reason to support the proposal of the Chancellor of Justice. He added that the question of how to increase trust in municipal councils deserved further analysis.
Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) said in his speech that the concept of official was narrow in Estonia. He noted that, currently, employees had the right to stand as candidates, but a problem arose when they were elected and had to decide between their office and their mandate.
31 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the proposal of the Chancellor of Justice, 37 were against, and there were two abstentions. Thus, the proposal of the Chancellor of Justice was not supported.
NordenBladet —The Bill that will transpose into Estonian law the EU directive which aims to enhance cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reductions and low-carbon investments, initiated by the Government, passed the second reading in the Riigikogu today.
Another aim of the Bill on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act (54 SE) is to bring the Act into conformity with the EU Regulation amending the purposes of the use of revenues generated from the auctioning of aviation allowances, and the decision concerning the establishment of a market stability reserve for the Union greenhouse gas emission trading scheme.
The directive updates the system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading and specifies the rules for the following trading period, 2021-2030. In addition to that, additional opportunities to make investments will be created. The main new possibility in the following trading period will be the Modernisation Fund which will allow Estonia to support investments in the modernisation of energy systems and in the transition to a low-carbon economy in other sectors. The Government will also be given a possibility to implement the measure under which allowances will be allocated to installations for electricity generation which make investments in the modernisation of the energy sector.
In addition, the purposes of the use of revenues generated from the auctioning of aviation allowances will be amended, and as of 2021 aircraft operators will be obligated to decrease by a linear factor of 2.2 the quantity of allowances allocated for free, similarly to stationary installations.
The Act will also be brought into conformity with the decision of the European Parliament and of the council concerning the establishment and operation of a market stability reserve for the Union greenhouse gas emission trading scheme.
The explanatory memorandum notes that the aim of the market stability reserve will be to control the surplus of allowances in the market. So far, the surplus has been very large, and therefore the price of allowances was low until the beginning of 2018. The European Commission will begin to gradually reduce the allowance surplus by increasing a certain part of the market stability reserve. The market stability reserve will apply for the first time in 2019. The European Commission will allocate allowances to a certain extent for as long as the surplus remains large. Should the quantity of allowances in the market for some reason fall below the critical level, the European Commission will place the allowances from the market stability reserve back on the market.
NordenBladet —Today, the 141st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will vote on the joint statement of the delegations of France, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Egypt that calls on Turkey to end its military operations on Syrian territory. The Estonian Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union intends to join this resolution.
Head of the Estonian delegation Aivar Kokk said that the military offensive launched by Turkey had caused dozens of civilian casualties within a few days. “According to the estimation of the UN, about 100,000 people have fled the combat zones, and this number is increasing rapidly. Turkey’s unilateral decision to launch the military operation threatens the ongoing peace negotiations and may cause new large-scale refugee crisis,” Kokk added.
This week, the Estonian Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) attends the 141st Assembly of the IPU in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The theme of the general debate of the Assembly is strengthening international law. The discussions will focus on the role of parliaments, and on regional cooperation. Improving gender equality, empowerment of young people, protection of human rights and achieving universal health coverage will also be spoken about.
Members of the Estonian delegation Helle-Moonika Helme, Toomas Kivimägi and Marika Tuus-Laul also represent Estonia at the 141stAssembly of the IPU in Belgrade.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the oldest and largest global organisation of parliaments. It was established 130 years ago, and its membership is made up of 179 national parliaments from the entire world. Estonia was a member of the Union between 1921–1940, and restored its membership after regaining independence in 1991.
For more information, please contact: Aivar Kokk, +372 50 30 954
NordenBladet —The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Enn Eesmaa is taking part in the meeting of the chairmen of the foreign affairs committees of the Nordic Countries and Baltic States (NB 8) in Stockholm. Their discussions will focus on Brexit, the EU Eastern Partnership programme, and relations with China, among other topics.
“It has remained unclear whether UK will leave the European Union with an agreement or without one. The current deadline of 31 October is almost upon us, and Estonia and the European Union are prepared for every eventuality,” Eesmaa said. He also highlighted the discussion on the Eastern Partnership programme. “Cooperation with the Eastern Partners of the European Union is very important for Estonia. We are doing our bit to keep the topics important for Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova on the agenda of the other Member States as well,” Eesmaa said.
Tonight, the colleagues will exchange their thoughts on current European Union topics and Brexit. The discussions tomorrow will focus on recent political developments, EU Eastern Partnership programme, China, and possible EU Global Sanction Regime.
Today, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee will also visit the Estonian House in Stockholm, where he will meet with children attending the hobby school, and members of the community. Tomorrow, Eesmaa will have a one on one meeting with the Chair of the Foreign Committee of the Swedish parliament Kenneth Forslund, to discuss the work of the Riksdag in 2017–2018 when Sweden was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The purpose of the regular meetings of the Nordic and Baltic chairmen of the foreign affairs committees is to discuss the current regional and international topics. The next meeting of the chairmen of the foreign affairs committees of NB8 will take place in Estonia during the first six months of 2020.
NordenBladet – On Friday an honorary Estonian consulate was reopened in Bordeaux, France to enable better business links with the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Jacques de Galzain has became Estonia’s new honorary consul in Bordeaux, France.
Andre Pung, the Director of the Western Europe Division at the Department for European Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, presented Jacques de Galzain with the honorary consul patent today. His consular region will cover Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The new honorary consul and the reopening of the honorary consulate makes it possible to further deepen cooperation between Estonia and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and boost business and cultural relations. It also enables Estonia to provide better consular services to Estonian citizens.
Estonia’s new honorary consul Jacques de Galzain is an auditor and a partner at Grant Thornton and the director of its Bordeaux office.
Pung thanked Estonia’s former honorary consul in Bordeaux, Christian de Barillon, for his long and excellent work and presented him with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 4th Class, issued by the decision of the President of the Republic of Estonia.
NordenBladet —Members of the Estonian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Ants Laaneots, Leo Kunnas and Sven Sester attend the Annual Session of the NATO PA in London.
Member of the delegation Ants Laaneots said that he intended to ask Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg in London what would be NATO’s response to the decision of the USA and Russia to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. “I would like to know what NATO and the European Union intend to do to defend themselves against Russia’s intermediate range missiles because the EU itself does not have intermediate range missiles,” Laaneots explained.
Member of the delegation Sven Sester thinks that the main purpose of the NATO PA is the cooperation of member states in defence and security issues. “In order to meet the targets set for the alliance, governments of the allied states have to bring their defence expenses to the agreed-upon level of two per cent of gross domestic product. NATO increases the security of each member state, and Estonia continues to support fairer and more even distribution of expenses in contributions to operations and the presence of the allies,” Sester said.
The Committees of the Assembly will consider and assess several reports.
The Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security will discuss border security and addressing the refugee crisis. Corruption and human rights situation in Russia and Ukraine will also be spoken about.
The Defence and Security Committee will deal with responding to the Russian challenge, and the issues relating to nuclear deterrence and arms control. Transatlantic defence and security cooperation and renewing the strategy toward Iran will also be discussed. The Committee will also consider the resolution on supporting allied forces and their international partners’ efforts in Afghanistan.
The Economics and Security Committee will speak about British trade policy after the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, including the trade relations with the EU, USA and Canada. The reports of the Committee also concern digital markets and cyber security, and the developments in North Macedonia and their NATO accession. The efficacy of international sanctions in relation to Russia will be discussed as well.
The topics of the Political Committee focus on the 70 years of the activities of the Alliance and the state of play of transatlantic relations. The reports analyse the challenges and opportunities for NATO in ensuring security and stability in Africa, and the regional security dynamics in the Gulf Region.
The Science and Technology Committee will consider technology trends and artificial intelligence in security. The main topic of discussion will be NATO in today’s cyber age, and strengthening of security and defence.
