At the meeting, Hussar gave an overview of the violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russia and thanked his colleagues for their support and solidarity. He highlighted the need to further enhance cooperation between countries and to discuss with the governments the possible changes that would allow NATO countries to enter the airspace of other allies if necessary in response to airspace violations.
In the wake of Russia’s violation of Estonia’s airspace on Friday, which followed attacks against Poland and Romania, Estonia launched NATO Article 4 consultations and, for the first time in its 34 years of membership, initiated an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. After Russia’s drone attack in Poland, NATO launched the Eastern Sentry vigilance measure, under which allies are strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture with additional air defence elements in Estonia and across the eastern flank.
According to Hussar, one of the aims of Russia’s increasingly frequent provocations is to weaken Western unity and support for Ukraine and to test the response of NATO and its member states. “Our words and actions must clearly show Russia that we are doing both: strengthening our deterrence and defence, including air defence, as well as continuing to strongly support Ukraine,” he said.
Hussar emphasized that in addition to supporting Ukraine, the price of aggression for Russia must also be raised. “We must jointly exert maximum pressure on Russia. To do this, we must proceed quickly with the increasing of sanctions and taking into use of Russia’s assets frozen under sanctions,” he said.
At the meeting, the Speakers agreed it was important to expand cooperation between the parliaments of the Baltic Sea countries, including by intensifying consultations between the heads of parliamentary committees.
The meeting convened by Hussar was attended by the Speakers of the parliaments of eight countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Hussar said that the violation of Estonia’s airspace had been a deliberate provocation by Russia, which took place after the attacks against our NATO and European Union allies Poland and Romania. Following the airspace violation, Estonia initiated NATO Article 4 consultations and, for the first time in its 34 years of membership, requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
According to Hussar, Russia’s actions blatantly violate international law and clearly demonstrate that it is not interested in achieving peace. “At today’s meeting of Speakers, I would like to thank my colleagues from the Nordic Countries, the Baltic States and Poland for their support, and discuss further cooperation to increase political and economic pressure and raise the cost to Russia of its war of aggression against Ukraine and its increasingly frequent provocations,” he said.
According to Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee Madis Timpson, the aim of the Bill is to increase liability for damaging critical submarine infrastructure and to raise the penalties for such acts so high that, for example, Russia’s shadow fleet would think carefully about whether it is worth to commit such a crime.
“We are responding to bad experiences where two ships have damaged our important submarine cables with their anchors and caused damage to our economy. The aim is to respond to hybrid warfare and the security situation, prevent such economically damaging attacks, and claim compensation for damage,” Timpson said. He added that there were plans to strengthen penalties both for damaging cables and for the so-called commissioned vandalism.
According to the Bill, criminals who have damaged infrastructure connected with Estonia in our economic zone can be punished. The Bill also plans to strengthen penalties for crimes related to damage to critical underwater infrastructure and to allow surveillance in such criminal cases in order to better combat hybrid attacks by hostile countries.
It was noted at the sitting that Estonia had acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to which coastal states must provide for sufficiently dissuasive penalties in their legislation and update their penal law if necessary. It was also pointed out that Finland, for example, had already strengthened its penalties.
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta and Adviser of the Penal Law and Procedure Division of the Ministry Martin Ziehr gave an overview of the Bill at the sitting.
The Legal Affairs Committee decided to send the Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Penal Jurisdiction and Damaging Underwater Infrastructure) (656 SE) to the first reading at the plenary sitting of the Riigikogu on 8 October with the motion to conclude the first reading.
The Riigikogu passed again the Act on Amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act (570 UA) which the President had refused to promulgate for a second time. The Riigikogu first adopted the legislative amendments initiated by the Government on 9 April. The Act is intended, among other things, to ensure that, under the guise of freedom of religion and freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution, the religious organisations operating in Estonia cannot be used to spread hostile influence, disseminate extremist ideologies, or incite violence. According to the explanatory memorandum, Estonia stands up for freedom of religion and 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.
The Act specifies who can serve as a minister of religion or be a member of the management board of a religious association in Estonia. In addition, the requirements for the statutes of a religious association are specified and the possibility is created to leave a church whose activities, statutes, or membership of the management board do not meet the requirements established. For this, the religious associations will have to adopt new statutes and after that it will be possible to enter the amendments complying with the requirements into the register without the approval of the governing body of the church, insofar as obtaining such an approval may not be realistic.
The President did not promulgate the Act on 24 April, considering that the restriction on religious freedom and freedom of association it created was not proportionate. On 14 May, the plenary of the Riigikogu decided that it would not pass the Act again without amendments but would begin to amend it.
In the course of renewed deliberation the Riigikogu made several amendments to the Act. For example, the prohibition on being guided by a person of significant influence located in a foreign country was omitted from the Act and the transitional period for making necessary changes was extended from two months to six months. The Riigikogu passed the amended version of the Act on 18 June.
However, the President again refused to promulgate the Act on 3 July, finding that the Riigikogu had amended the text of the Act somewhat, but not sufficiently. In his opinion, this continues to be contrary to three articles of the Constitution and disproportionately restricts freedom of association and freedom of religion. He made a proposal to the parliament to renew the deliberation on the Act and bring it into conformity with the Constitution.
Vadim Belobrovtsev and Vladimir Arhipov from the Centre Party Group, Madis Timpson from the Reform Party Group, Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Ando Kiviberg from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate. Andre Hanimägi spoke on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group and non-attached Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Peeter Ernits also took the floor.
63 members of the Riigikogu supported passing the Act again without amendments and 15 voted against. After the Act has been passed again, the President must either promulgate the Act or turn to the Supreme Court with a proposal to declare it unconstitutional.
The Riigikogu decided to begin to amend another Act that the President of the Republic had refused to promulgate. The Riigikogu first passed the Act on Amendments to the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act and the International Sanctions Act (640 UA), initiated by the Government, on 19 June. The aim of the Act was to improve the data processing functions and supervision of the Financial Intelligence Unit and to strengthen the protection of the financial system.
The Act provided that the strategic analysis capability would be included in the functions of the Financial Intelligence Unit database to process anonymous but, where necessary, reversible data, perform profile analyses and use text and data mining. According to the Act, the Data Protection Inspectorate will exercise supervision over the process, and the Financial Intelligence Unit will submit an overview of the performance of its tasks to the Security Authorities Surveillance Select Committee of the Riigikogu once a year.
The President of the Republic refused to promulgate the Act on 3 July because, in his opinion, it excessively restricted the right to informational self-determination and was therefore not in accordance with the Constitution. He saw it necessary to discuss the Act again in the Riigikogu and to bring it into conformity with the Constitution.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Centre Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Varro Vooglaid and Rain Epler from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Riina Sikkut from the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate. Non-attached Members of the Riigikogu Peeter Ernits and Kalle Grünthal also took the floor.
At the vote, no member of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act again without amendments and 70 voted against. As the Riigikogu did not pass the Act again without amendments, a deadline for submission of motions to amend the Act was set and the further proceedings on it will continue pursuant to the general procedure.
Another Act was passed
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act and Other Acts (partial transposition of to the greenhouse gas emission trading scheme directive) (667 SE), initiated by the Government. It updates the Emissions Trading System, includes maritime transport in the system, eliminates free emission allowances in aviation, and increases funding for the Modernisation and Innovation Funds.
The amendments will create new opportunities to invest in green technologies and reduce emissions. The extension of the system to the maritime sector will increase the administrative and financial burden on companies within its scope of application in relation to the acquisition of emission allowances. The Environmental Board is given new tasks in monitoring and checking emissions.
During the second reading, motions to amend to increase legal clarity and reduce the administrative burden were incorporated and transitional provisions were included in the bill. For example, shipping companies will have to offset their 2024 emissions within three months.
Andres Metsoja from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Tarmo Tamm from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
At the final vote, 49 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act and 22 were against it.
A Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Emergency Act and Other Acts (662 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading in the Riigikogu. It regulates the organization of national danger notification and sheltering of residents in situations of danger. The bill is part of a package of legislative amendments aimed at developing comprehensive national defence, increasing the preparedness of the Estonian people for potential future crises, and protecting people’s lives and health in the event of danger.
The Bill regulates the organization of sheltering, setting out the requirements applicable to shelters and the principles for adapting sheltering locations. The explanatory memorandum notes that, since the security situation has changed due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the organization of sheltering in Estonia must also be improved and shelters must be built and sheltering locations adapted to better protect people in potential situations of danger.
The bill will establish a requirement under which shelters will have to be built, or existing spaces will have to be adapted as sheltering locations in large buildings where a lot of people move around. From July 1 next year, public shelters will have to be built in new buildings that are visited by crowds or have a closed net area of at least 10,000 square meters.
According to the Bill, a non-public shelter will have to be built when a residential building or another public or special building with a closed net area of at least 1200 square meters is built, or an industrial or warehouse building with a closed net area of at least 1500 square meters is built. Originally, the bill provided for the construction of non-public shelters by 1 July 2028. However, the National Defence Committee made an amendment to the bill for the second reading, bringing the relevant deadline forward by two years. According to the bill, spaces will also have to be adapted as sheltering locations in existing buildings where possible.
According to the bill, along with the building of shelters and sheltering locations in buildings, shelter plans will also have to be drawn up. Activities related to sheltering, including preparations for sheltering, informing the public, and raising awareness, will be organized by the Rescue Board in cooperation with local governments.
The bill also regulates the use of the national emergency notification system EE-ALARM, including the installation and commissioning of siren devices, and the rights and responsibilities related to it.
According to the Bill, all possessors of mass media, electronic communications, information screens in public spaces, and national mobile applications with at least 10,000 end users will have to join the EE-ALARM system so that important information would reach people quickly in the event of a potential threat. The Rescue Board will coordinate the preparation for the transmission of immediate emergency notifications. The Board will also be granted the right to test the national emergency notification system under the Bill.
In addition, the Bill provides for an obligation for all employees of state and local government agencies, as well as agencies providing critical services to undergo civil protection training so that they are able to respond quickly, help people, and keep essential services running in a crisis situation.
Kristo Enn Vaga from the Reform Party Group, Raimond Kaljulaid from the Social Democratic Party Group, Vladimir Arhipov from the Centre Party Group and Peeter Tali from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate. Non-attached Member of the Riigikogu Peeter Ernits also took the floor.
Three bills were dropped from the proceedings
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (659 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group and Members of the Riigikogu Jaak Aab, Ester Karuse, Tanel Kiik, Andre Hanimägi and Züleyxa Izmailova. It was intended to raise the allowance for the first and second child to EUR 100 euro per month. Currently, the allowance for the first and second child is EUR 80, while an allowance of EUR 100 per month is paid for the third and each subsequent child. The Bill was also intended to raise the single parent’s child allowance from EUR 80 to EUR 100.
According to the initiators, bringing all child benefits to an equal level would show that every child is valuable and deserves equal state support. According to them, raising child benefits would also help improve the economic livelihoods of families with children.
Tanel Kiik took the floor behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group in the debate. Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Vadim Belobrovtsev from the Centre Party Group and Signe Riisalo from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group also took the floor.
The Social Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 43 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection and 19 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Motor Insurance Act (insurance of personal light electric vehicles) (631 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to establish the obligation to insure personal light electric vehicles for all persons who own more than 10 rental personal light electric vehicles used in traffic.
According to the explanatory memorandum, compulsory motor insurance cover is currently required for vehicles with a maximum design speed exceeding 25 kilometres per hour or with a maximum design speed exceeding 14 kilometres per hour and a mass exceeding 25 kilograms, while scooters from some rental companies weigh 24 kilograms and are therefore not subject to the insurance obligation.
According to the initiators, rental vehicles participate in traffic significantly more often than privately owned personal light electric vehicles and therefore carry greater risks. According to them, the amendment would create a level playing field for companies offering rental services and ensure better protection of both consumers and human health.
The Economic Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill. 36 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection and 11 voted against.
The Riigikogu also rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act and the Vocational Educational Institutions Act (620 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to raise the national minimum rate of school lunch subsidy per student from one euro to two euro per day. In the opinion of initiators, the amendment would help ensure that school meals are high-quality and healthy and available to all students. The state last increased the minimum rate of school meal subsidy in 2018.
The Cultural Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 33 members of the Riigikogu voted for rejection and 10 were against it.
Today, students of Tallinn School No. 21 Jan Kenneth Toming, Mathias Peškov, Uku Schneider, Aron Kipso, Kaspar Koppel and Patrik Kallast assisted at the flag raising. After the ceremony, President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar showed the students the historical Riigikogu Building.
In his welcoming speech to the students, President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar emphasised that today’s ceremony highlighted the determination of Prime Minister Otto Tief and the members of his cabinet. “Without the events of September 1944, the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia from Russian occupation on the basis of legal continuity maybe would not have been possible. Tief’s government is the link that connects victory in our War of Independence with today. And you, high school students, with your desire and commitment to celebrate this day in a dignified way, show that you understand this connection perfectly. I am proud that we have such young people!” Hussar said.
The Flag Guards of Tallinn School No. 21 is a student organisation that was founded in 1997. It presents, guards, and protects the school flag and, if necessary, the National Flag, in accordance with the Estonian Flag Act. The Flag Guards are a team made up of volunteer young men from grades 10–12 and drummer boys studying in basic school. The Flag Guards participated in the flag-raising ceremony on Resistance Day for the 12th time.
In the summer of 1940, when the Soviet forces occupied the territory of Estonia, the schoolhouse on Raua Street in Tallinn, now known as Tallinn School No. 21, became the temporary barracks of the Signal Battalion of the Estonian Defence Forces.
When the German occupation ended in autumn 1944, the constitutional Republic of Estonia was restored. For this purpose, the Government of the Republic, headed by Otto Tief, took office on 18 September. The Government declared Estonia neutral in the ongoing war. However, the Red Army did not care about Estonia’s sovereignty, and Estonia was occupied again. On 22 September 1944, the blue, black and white flag of Estonia on the Tall Hermann Tower was violently replaced with a red flag.
22 September is celebrated in Estonia as Resistance Day. At the end of September 1944, the Estonian resistance to the Soviet power began, which lasted for nearly half a century. It was a resistance for the restoration of Estonia’s independence, both at home and in exile.
Resistance Day has been celebrated in Estonia as an official holiday since 2007.
63 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act unamended and 15 were against it. This means that the President must either proclaim the Act or turn to the Supreme Court with a request to declare the Act to be in violation of the Constitution.
At the new debate on the Act on Amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act (570 UA), the Chairman of the Constitutional Committee Ando Kiviberg and member of the Legal Affairs Committee Andre Hanimägi explained the discussions in their Committees and replied to questions.
Kiviberg quoted the President as saying that cutting dangerous administrative ties was probably in conformity with the Constitution and followed the main goal of the Act; however, the problem lied in the definition of the basis for teaching, and which instructional ties could remain and which had to be cut. Kiviberg suggested assessing the elements as part of a whole. He added that the Bill did not concern freedom of religion and that congregations could continue their religious practices even with the new Act in force.
Hanimägi reported that the sitting of the Legal Affairs Committee had focused on whether the Act was in conformity with the Constitution. “Restricting the freedom of religion has never been the intent of the Bill. This has also been emphasised by the Ministry of the Interior and great many other experts,” he said. Hanimägi also answered questions, saying that different legal experts have often retained different opinions on the Act and that it was therefore not at all wrong to let the judges decide the right position.
“Ensuring security is a basic function of the state and even the President of the Republic has not fundamentally questioned the need to possibly restrict the activities of religious associations for reasons of security,” said the Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee Madis Timpson. He added that the President had not contested the purpose of the Bill, that there was no conflict of values in that respect and that the dispute concerned proportionality.
The Bill makes a value-based judgement as an abstract standard—the Republic of Estonia does not tolerate interference into the internal matters of the state under the cover of freedom of religion and canonical activities. “These amendments do not restrict anyone’s freedom of religion, ban any religion in Estonia, dissolve any church, congregation, convent, or union of congregations,” Timpson assured and added that there was room for discretion when interpreting the Act.
The Riigikogu first passed the Churches and Congregations Act on 9 April. The purpose of the Act is to ensure, among other things, that religious organisations operating in Estonia cannot be used to spread hostile influence, disseminate extremist ideologies, or incite violence under the guise of freedom of religion and freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution. According to the explanatory memorandum, Estonia stands for freedom of religion, and everyone has the freedom to choose whether to follow a religion and which religion to follow. However, in addition to respecting the freedom of religion, belief, and association, the state must also take into account the challenges that threaten national security and security in the society.
The President did not proclaim the Act on 24 April, arguing that it created disproportionate restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of association. On 14 May, the plenary of the Riigikogu decided that it would not pass the Act again without amendments but would begin to amend it. While discussing the Act again, the Riigikogu made several amendments, such as repealing the prohibition on being guided by a person of significant influence who resides abroad and extended the transitional period for introducing the necessary changes from two to six months. The Riigikogu passed the amended version of the Act on 18 June.
However, the President again refused to proclaim the Act on 3 July. He acknowledged that the Riigikogu had changed the text of the Act somewhat but not enough. He continued to see a violation with three provisions of the Constitution and a disproportionate restriction to the freedom of association and religion. He made a proposal to the Riigikogu to discuss the Act again and bring it into conformity with the Constitution. The Riigikogu decided to make no further amendments to the Act.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson believes the meeting will be important for strengthening regional security and the relations between the Baltic States and Türkiye. “As allies, we have many common interests. Defence cooperation has intensified, and Türkiye is also contributing more to ensuring security in our region,” he said, adding that close information exchange and cooperation with Türkiye were extremely important.
Mihkelson explained that the meeting in the Latvian parliament would focus on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting changes in the European security situation, but the situation in the Middle East and broader geopolitical trends would also be addressed. Cooperation within NATO and relations with the United States will be discussed as well.
The meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committees will also discuss various hybrid threats, including refugee pressure originating from Russia, drawing on the experiences of the Baltic States and Türkiye. In addition to members of the Foreign Affairs Committees, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence of Latvia, and NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence will participate in the discussions.
On Wednesday, the delegations of the Foreign Affairs Committees will also meet with Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa, and visit Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, the largest mobile communications company in Latvia.
Estonia is represented at the meeting by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson and member of the Committee Luisa Rõivas.
Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur replied to the interpellation concerning obstruction of the development of the defence industry (No. 783), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid, Tiit Maran, Reili Rand, Heljo Pikhof, Züleyxa Izmailova, Tanel Kiik, Anti Allas, Helmen Kütt, Lauri Läänemets and Riina Sikkut.
The interpellators asked for the reason why the Minister of Defence had chosen a more time-consuming procedure for establishing the defence industrial park and whether the ministry had analysed what damage the delays had caused to the Estonian economy and defence capability.
Pevkur stated that expert knowledge from all agencies had been included in the development of implementing acts. The working group that developed the Bill included representatives from the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Police and Border Guard Board, the Estonian Internal Security Service, the Estonian Forensic Science Institute, as well as the Defence Forces and the National Centre for Defence Investments. In addition, defence industry companies. Two meetings were held with the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association. Thirty people from 20 companies participated in both meetings.
“Of course, it is our task and desire that when we change regulations, these regulations should be as clear and detailed as possible,” Pevkur explained.
According to the minister, a designated spatial plan had been the fastest and most reasonable solution in the legal space in place at that time. “According to § 271(1) of the Planning Act, the authority to arrange the creation of national designated spatial plans may dispense with the preparation of a detailed solution and may bring a plan into effect based on the decision on pre-selecting a location, and this was used,” Pevkur said. He added that, as the procedure for creating a national designated spatial plan had been initiated on 15 February 2024 and the plan had been brought into effect on 21 August 2025, looking at previous national designated spatial plans and all other types of plans, that had been at least two to three times faster.
“In other words, if you look at this whole timeline, the procedure for creating a national designated spatial plan was the fastest way to establish the plan for the defence industrial park,” Pevkur said. He pointed out that we have an environment in Estonia where we have to assess environmental impacts. “If we are in wartime, then of course there are different rules and these rules are currently being discussed by the Riigikogu in the Civilian Crisis and National Defence Act,” Pevkur explained the situation. In his opinion, this will not cause damage to the economy. “Quite the contrary: these decisions – both the amendments to the Weapons Act and the defence industrial park – will ultimately bring more money into the Estonian economy,” the minister noted.
“The procedure for creating a national designated spatial plan in the legal space of that time as well as in the current legal space has been the fastest possible way to take into account other impacts. Not only out of a desire and need to develop the defence industry, but also based on the fact that Estonia has nature and an environment that we must preserve and value in the same way,” Pevkur explained.
Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras replied to interpellations concerning increasing the decision-making power of local governments (No. 777) and Latvian red deer in Estonia (No. 796).
Minister of Culture Heidy Purga replied to interpellations concerning the salaries of cultural workers (No. 781) and the amendment of the Public Libraries Act (No. 808).
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas replied to interpellations concerning school meals (No. 770), teachers’ salaries (No. 778), differences in teachers’ salaries (No. 790), educational inequality (No. 795) and the availability of upper secondary education in Estonia (No. 799).
The interpellation concerning inadequate public funding for school meals and the resulting inequality (No. 797) submitted to Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas was removed from the agenda for the working week on the motion of interpellators.
Lauri Laats, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart and Lauri Läänemets took the floor during the open microphone.
Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that the European Union’s common list of safe countries would reduce the time spent on procedures for persons coming from safe countries. “For these asylum seekers, an accelerated procedure or border procedure can be applied, because it is known that the person is not at risk in their home country,” Tali explained.
“Member States have the right to make their own lists of safe countries, but the aim of the draft is to create a common list for the European Union in order to prevent abuse of the asylum system and reduce costs and bureaucracy. The list will help speed up asylum procedures and make returns more efficient, which is why we support the initiative. However, as Estonia has also stated in its positions, the list has to be reviewed regularly and updated when necessary.”
It was decided that, according to the draft, a whole country or a specific part of it could be designated as safe. It is also possible to make exceptions and to assess for whom the country is safe and for whom it is not safe. The European Commission has proposed declaring Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as EU candidate countries, as safe countries of origin.
The Committee also supported to initiative according to which it will be possible to reject asylum applications as inadmissible and to return the applicant to the transit country through which they transited to the European Union if that country is sufficiently safe. The amendment will accelerate decision-making and reduce abuse of the asylum system.
At the Committee sitting, Minister of the Interior Igor Taro outlined the positions of the Government regarding the initiatives and proposals on establishing a European Union list of safe countries of origin and the draft regulation on the application of the ‘safe third country’ concept.
The European Union Affairs Committee decided by consensus to support the positions presented by the Government on both points, in line with the opinion of the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu.
