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Helena-Reet Ennet

Helena-Reet Ennet
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The Riigikogu passed two Acts which had been declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The Act on Amendments to the Earth’s Crust Act (296 SE), initiated by the Government and declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government before the second reading, provides for an eight-year transition period for the fees for the grant of use of an immovable in state ownership for the extraction of mineral resources. During the transition period, the fee for the grant of use of an immovable in state ownership for extraction will increase by up to 50 per cent every year compared to the current fee until new fee rates that are in line with the taxable values obtained as a result of the mass valuation of land in 2022 will be reached.

The purpose of the amendments is to enable producers to gradually adapt to the increased fees for the use of land, including to alleviate the price pressure on consumers. The annual fee rate for the grant of use of an immovable in state ownership for extraction is three per cent of the assessed value of land.

The Bill initiated by the Government had passed the first reading in the Riigikogu on 19 October and 201 motions to amend it had been submitted by the deadline. On 16 November, the Government had decided to declare the passing of the Bill a matter of confidence in the Government before the second reading and thereby had also taken over the duties of the lead committee. Motions to amend a Bill that has been declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government are not put to a vote.

The Riigikogu had begun the second reading of the Bill at its previous regular sitting when the Minister of Climate Kristen Michal had made a report as representative of the Government. At today’s sitting, the deliberation of the Bill continued with a questions and answers session that had been adjourned on 23 November due to the end of the working hours. Thereafter Arvo Aller, Rene Kokk, Evelyn Poolamets and Siim Pohlak from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Andres Metsoja from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Tanel Kiik from the Estonian Centre Party Group and the Minister of Climate Kristen Michal took part in the debate.

51 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and 31 were against.

The Act on Amendments to the Traffic Act and the Road Transport Act (302 SE), initiated by the Government and declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government before the second reading, amends the rates for the road user charge for trucks. The rate of the charge depends on the gross laden weight, the EURO-emission class and the number of axles of the lorry and its trailer.

According to the amendments, the daily road user charge rate which is currently 9–12 euro will remain between 4 and 400 euro. The annual road user charge rate will increase from the current 500–1,300 euro to 200–2,000 euro. When road user charges are differentiated, higher road user charges will be paid for more polluting and heavier vehicles than for less polluting vehicles. In addition, the rates of fines will be changed for persons who allow others to drive or drive themselves trucks or lorries without paying the road user charge or when the road user charge has been paid at a lower rate than required.

The Bill initiated by the Government had passed the first reading in the Riigikogu on 19 October and 209 motions to amend it had been submitted by the deadline. On 16 November, the Government had decided to declare the passing of the Bill a matter of confidence in the Government before the second reading and had thereby also taken over the duties of the lead committee. Motions to amend a Bill that has been declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government are not put to a vote.

After the report by representative of the Government and the questions and answers session a debate was held where Mart Maastik from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Lauri Laats from the Estonian Centre Party Parliamentary Group, Kert Kingo, Evelin Poolamets, Siim Pohlak and Arvo Aller from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and the Minister of Climate Kristen Michal took the floor.

51 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and 33 were against.

The Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas replied to the interpellations concerning regional policy (No. 294), the ensuring of food independence (No. 127) and cormorants (No. 276).

On the motion of interpellators, the interpellation concerning the integral impact of the tax package (No. 297) was removed from the agenda for the sitting.

The interpellations concerning the integral impact of the tax package (No. 301)  and the rise in VAT (No. 323) were not discussed due to the absence of interpellators.

The sitting ended at 8.07 p.m.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

 

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed two Acts which had been declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Baltic Generals met with their eFP Counterparts in Tallinn

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —On November 30, 2023 Commanders of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Land Forces components and Commanders and representatives of the three NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroups Framework Nations, Germany, United Kingdom and Canada met in Tallinn. Estonia and HQ CABRIT, the UK-led Headquarters in Tallinn which oversees all UK eFP deployments were …

Source: Estonian Defence Forces

The Foreign Affairs Committee is on a working visit to Greece

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson said that as partners in the European Union and allies in NATO, Estonia and Greece shared the same values and had the same concerns in regard to the security situation in Europe and dealing with migration pressure on the borders.

Mihkelson said that the Foreign Affairs Committee wanted to get an overview of the developments in the relations between Estonia and Greece and of the situation on the border – while the migration pressure on the land border of Greece has been stable since spring, a strong increase has taken place on the sea. According to him, there will also be discussions on the necessary steps to lead Russia, which is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, to a strategic defeat and to help Ukraine win the war. The cooperation between Estonia and Greece, including the opportunities for closer economic, defence and digital cooperation, will be spoken about as well.

During the two-day visit, the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu will meet with Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament Dora Bakoyannis, 1st Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Papadopoulou and Director-General of the National Intelligence Service Themistoklis Demiris.

The delegation will also have meetings with Head of Frontex Liaison Office for Greece and Cyprus at Frontex Grigorios Apostolou, Director General of the think tank Eliamep Maria Gavouneli and representatives of the Hellenic Coast Guard.

The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee is accompanied on the visit by Deputy Chairman of the Committee Henn Põlluaas and members of the Committee Anti Poolamets and Luisa Rõivas. It is the first official visit of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the composition of the Riigikogu that took office in April.

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

Link uudisele: The Foreign Affairs Committee is on a working visit to Greece

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Mihkelson speaks at Berlin Foreign Policy Forum

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Mihkelson will speak at the panel discussion starting at 3 p.m. Other participants will include French Secretary of State for European Affairs Laurence Boone, Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze from the parliament of Ukraine, and Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office Anna Lührmann.

Mihkelson has seen the influence of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland grow as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “In addition to direct aid to Ukraine, we have shaped Europe’s perception of both Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine as well as more broadly about how to protect the security of our region and make it possible to ensure lasting peace in Europe,” he said.

He emphasised that Russia constituted an existential threat for the whole Europe, which was only set to increase in the near future. “The only way to avoid catastrophic consequences for the security of the whole Europe is to help Ukraine to victory and to lead Russia to a strategic defeat,” Mihkelson said, adding that we needed to continue supporting Ukraine to that end. “We need to work constantly to increase sanctions and raise the price of aggression for Russia with other restrictive measures. It is also important to support Ukraine on the way to the EU and NATO membership, but what Ukraine needs the most right now are weapons, ammunition, and any kind of assistance that would help them to gain a victory on the battlefield,” he said.

The day-long Berlin Foreign Policy Forum, where representatives of governments and experts of foreign policy discuss international situation and changes taking place in German foreign and economic policy, can be followed online throughout the day. The Forum is organised by the Körber Foundation together with the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

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

Link uudisele: Mihkelson speaks at Berlin Foreign Policy Forum

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The European Union Affairs Committee discusses pact on migration and situation in Ukraine in Madrid

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Member of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Luisa Rõivas said that the most important debate of the COSAC Plenary Meeting would be on Ukraine. She pointed out that encouraging and supporting Ukraine in the process of accession to the EU and in carrying out the reforms necessary for that was a part of the EU’s long-term support to Ukraine.

“The European Commission’s recommendation is to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Estonia can and must use its experience to help Ukraine and Moldova prepare for accession. The prospect of joining the European Union gives these countries hope and motivation to carry out major reforms and fight for the freedom of a country that carries European values,” Rõivas said. She added that it was necessary to support Ukraine in every way and to continue with pressure on Russia by implementing sanctions and tightening them.

In the opinion of member of the Committee Anti Poolamets, the debate on migration and asylum reform is also important. “The European Union has to do more to address migration pressure,” Poolamets underlined. He thinks that it is necessary to update common regulatory framework and to avoid overcrowding asylum centres with migrants who do not need international protection. “In order to increase security, it is necessary to strengthen the external borders of the EU and to check those who cross the border. The European Union also needs to keep a close eye on migration attacks against Finland and Estonia and support them against Russia’s aggressive behaviour,” Poolamets said.

The agenda of the COSAC Plenary Meeting for today includes overview of the achievements of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the pact on migration, and a debate on energy crisis and green transition Tomorrow, the COSAC Plenary Meeting will focus on situation in Ukraine and the relations of the country with the European Union, as well as strategic autonomy of the EU and relations with Latin America.

The Plenary Meeting of the Chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) takes place in Madrid, Spain, on 26–28 November. The Estonian delegation consists of the members of the European Union Affairs Committee Luisa Rõivas, Kadri Tali, Anti Poolamets, Maido Ruusmann and Katrin Kuusemäe.

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.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone: +372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
E-mail: merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The European Union Affairs Committee discusses pact on migration and situation in Ukraine in Madrid

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Mihkelson participates in Holodomor Memorial Day events in Ukraine

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Mihkelson said that the victims of the Great Ukrainian Famine were commemorated when Russia was continuing the war of aggression against Ukraine. “In 1993, Estonia was the first country to declare the great famine of 1932–1933 a genocide against the Ukrainian people. Last year, the Riigikogu recognised the actions committed by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the military aggression against Ukraine as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation,” he stated.

Today, Mihkelson will participate in a joint prayer service on the occasion of the Holodomor Memorial Day and the ceremony of lighting of candles at the Memorial to the Victims of Holodomor. Together with the heads of international delegations, Mihkelson will also meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and visit the Verkhovna Rada, where he will attend the sitting of the Parliament and meet Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Chairman of the Committee on Matters of Foreign Policy and Inter-parliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko.

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

Link uudisele: Mihkelson participates in Holodomor Memorial Day events in Ukraine

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Estonia passed the presidency of the Baltic Assembly on to Lithuania

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

President of the Baltic Assembly and Head of the Estonian Delegation Timo Suslov, who chaired the Session, thanked the neighbours for excellent cooperation. “Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have together become a force to be reckoned with, having a real impact on world politics – and this cooperation will continue. We will also continue to work to make the Baltic States secure, connected and innovative, and we will hand over the BA Presidency to Lithuania with dignity,” he said.

The Baltic Council, the cooperation assembly of the governments and the parliaments of the Baltic States, also held its sitting today. Chairman of the Baltic Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna emphasised at the meeting of the Baltic Council that the Baltic States were standing together in defence the gates of the Western world. The Foreign Minister believes that at the moment the Baltic States should focus on increasing the cost of aggression for Russia. He also underlined that Ukraine’s future was in NATO and the European Union, and the allies had to jointly support Kyiv on this path.

At the end of the BA Session, the Resolution was adopted, the Final Document was signed, and also the BA budget and working plan for the next year were adopted. Estonia passed the presidency of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers on to Lithuania. The new President of the BA Andrius Kupčinskas addressed the Assembly and gave an overview of Lithuania’s priorities during its presidency under the motto ‘Growing strong and resilient together’.

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu, Annika Haas)
Full text of the Resolution (PDF, 236 kB)
Full text of the Final Document (PDF, 132 kB).

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
maris.meiessaar@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Estonia passed the presidency of the Baltic Assembly on to Lithuania

Source: Parliament of Estonia

42nd Session of the Baltic Assembly was opened at the Riigikogu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

President of the Baltic Assembly (BA) Timo Suslov declared the Session open and asked everybody to rise for a moment of silence for long-time Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA and President of the BA Aadu Must, who passed away this year.

President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar stated in his opening speech that since Russia’s act of aggression, the Baltic States have distinguished themselves in the field of security, and have cooperated more closely than ever before. As a result of this tireless persuasion, the twelfth package of sanctions against Russia is currently being prepared at the EU level, NATO’s policy towards Russia has changed, Russia has been expelled from the Council of Europe and voted out of the UN Human Rights Council. “In cooperation with other supporters of Ukraine, we must continue with isolating the aggressor state internationally and keep working to hold Russia accountable for all the crimes committed in Ukraine,” he said.

“With this in mind, a Bill initiated by the Government of the Republic of Estonia is in the legislative proceedings of the Riigikogu that will create for Estonia, and as a precedent, also for Europe, a legal mechanism to use Russia’s assets frozen under international sanctions to compensate the war damages caused to Ukraine. We have called for establishing such a mechanism in the EU for a long time, but now we are ready to lead the way for Europe and the wider world with our actions,” Hussar said. “Our contribution to the national, regional and allied security starts with the conscious responsibility of each individual in developing and protecting democracy and the rule of law. We need the contribution of every single person because by thinking and acting together we will achieve better results.“

At the opening of the Session, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Antoņina Ņenaševa and Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen also delivered speeches. President of the BA Timo Suslov gave an overview of Estonia’s year of presidency of the Baltic Assembly.

“The year of the Estonian presidency of the BA has been marked by the continuation of building a resilient, secure, reliable and sustainable Baltic region. This is especially important as there is a war going on in Europe. On the one hand, Russia’s war in Ukraine made the Baltic States reassess their security and encouraged us to patch up the gaps in the security capabilities of our countries. At the same time, the Baltic States must remain united and unwaveringly strong in their support for Ukraine and work to expose the true face of Russia,” Suslov underlined. “We warned time and again about Russia, but unfortunately no one believed us. Now, seeing that the parties are getting tired and priorities are changing, we, the Baltic parliamentarians, must continue this important work with determination and consistently.”

Suslov added that such organisations of parliamentary cooperation like the Baltic Assembly were of help in resolving global crises and he was happy to note that over the years, the Baltic Assembly had proven to be an excellent way to bring together parliamentarians from different parts of the world.

The BA Session is chaired by President of the Baltic Assembly Timo Suslov and Vice Presidents of the BA Andrius Kupčinskas and Jānis Vucāns.

The 29th meeting of the Baltic Council, the cooperation assembly of the Governments and the parliaments of the Baltic States, also takes place today. The sitting of the Baltic Council is chaired by Chairman of the Co-operation Council of the Baltic Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna and President of the Baltic Assembly Timo Suslov. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis and Latvia Krišjānis Kariņš will deliver speeches.

At 1 p.m., a press conference will be held in the White Hall of the Riigikogu, where it will be possible to pose questions to the heads of delegations and the foreign ministers of the Baltic States. Immediately before the press conference, the President of the BA and Chair of the Baltic Council of Ministers will sign the Joint Statement of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers.

The BA session will continue in the afternoon. At the afternoon session, the impacts of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on economy as well as effective civil defence will be discussed. At the end of the Session, new President of the BA will be elected, the final documents of the Baltic Assembly will be signed and Estonia will pass the presidency of the Baltic Assembly on to Lithuania.

The Baltic Assembly (Interparliamentary Assembly of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania) is a consultative cooperation organisation of the parliaments of the three Baltic States which discusses issues of mutual interest. The Head of the Estonian delegation to the BA is Timo Suslov, the Deputy Head is Enn Eesmaa. The members of the delegation are Arvo Aller, Karmen Joller, Meelis Kiili, Lauri Laats, Priit Lomp, Tiit Maran, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Riina Solman, Margit Sutrop and Peeter Tali.

Photos of the opening of the Session. (Erik Peinar. The photos will be uploaded with a delay.)

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
maris.meiessaar@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: 42nd Session of the Baltic Assembly was opened at the Riigikogu

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Hussar acknowledged the security cooperation of the Baltic States

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Hussar said at the meeting that the cooperation of the Baltic States during the Estonian presidency of the Baltic Assembly had been excellent both at the level of the parliaments and the committees. However, he thinks that there are areas where cooperation could be improved.

“Undoubtedly, cooperation in the field of security and defence has been very effective and we as a region have played an important role in supporting Ukraine and exerting maximum diplomatic, political and economic pressure on Russia,” he said, and expressed confidence that the Baltic States would continue to fully support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.

Hussar highlighted the cooperation of the Baltic States also in the field of digital and cyber security, and underlined the importance of completing the construction of Rail Baltic. “Rail Baltic has been a priority for us because it not only increases the connectivity of our region but it also has a great military mobility potential,” he pointed out.

In his opinion, cooperation could be better in the energy sector. “We must put more emphasis on desynchronisation of power grids and developing of local sustainable energy production in order to accelerate the transition to green energy and prepare a long-term strategy for the energy security and independence of the Baltic States,” Hussar said.

Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and Deputy Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Antoņina Ņenaševa are in Tallinn, Estonia, for the42nd Session of Baltic Assembly which is held in the Session Hall of the Riigikogu today. Today, they will also visit the Cultural and Educational Centre Viimsi Artium together with Hussar.

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 acknowledged the security cooperation of the Baltic States

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees condemn the rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim violence

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

“We, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of our respective national parliaments, condemn the surge in hate and violence plaguing our nations and the world since Hamas’ horrific attack against Israel on October 7. We are witnessing an alarming rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim bigotry and violence that has included acts of online hate, verbal assaults, vandalism, desecration of Holocaust memorials and cemeteries, intimidation, death threats, and physical attacks,” the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees state.

The statement points out that antisemitic hate crime investigations have tripled in New York and London over the past month in comparison to last year, and, for example, in France, 1040 antisemitic incidents were documented in the month following the attack. Jewish and Muslim community organizations have reported of incidents in many countries, and Jewish and Muslim individuals that are easily identified have been disproportionately targeted, the statement says.

“None of this is acceptable. As stated by the European Commission, ‘No one should live in fear of discrimination or violence because of their religion or their identity.’ We urge our governments to intensify all efforts to safeguard Jewish and Muslim communities, to condemn these actions when they occur, and to implement our national strategies to combat the dark tide of bigotry and hatred,” the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees  say in the joint statement.

The statement is signed by the foreign affairs committee chairs of Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the European Parliament, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson signed the statement on behalf of Estonia.

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

Link uudisele: Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees condemn the rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim violence

Source: Parliament of Estonia

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