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The Riigikogu discussed the situation of the Estonian economy

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Member of Isamaa Parliamentary Group Urmas Reinsalu said that, besides national security, the Estonian economy was a top priority. He called on drawing up and concluding an economic growth agreement with business organisations. “In an uncertain time, cooperation of all political powers to agree upon basic values that form the basis for facilitating the economic development of the country would be an additional guarantee for the feeling of security,” he said.

According to Reinsalu, the economic growth agreement should, among other things, contain making the competitiveness of the state the first priority. “All decisions of the state, be they national or at European Union level, must protect and improve competitiveness. It is necessary to carry out a quick analysis of the competitiveness of economic sectors and to develop a strategy to increase competitiveness on the basis of it,” he explained.

The second issue, according to Reinsalu, is that the cooperation between governance and business organisations must be practical, comprehensive, and real. The business environment must be stable and predictable. To achieve this, it is necessary to follow all laws and regulations and good practices that have been working well for 30 years. In addition, the cooperation between business and the state will have to go to the next level. A common vision of the strengths and opportunities of the Estonian economy is needed,” the representative of Isamaa added.

According to the Director General of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mait Palts, the Estonian economy is not doing very well at the moment. “In such a small country, a country with an open economy on the edge of Europe, it is inevitably necessary to constantly think of how to develop business, how to motivate businesses, and how to ensure that businesses are sustainable and wish to invest in and contribute to the Estonian economy,” he said.

Palts pointed out that there was not enough adequate assessment of the changed state of economy in the country, the situation and what could be the quickest and least painful way for us to overcome it and to turn the economy to growth. “The strategies that have been prepared and are in place today have mostly been prepared before the beginning of 2022, that is, before the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and they do not take into account the impacts that are inevitably influencing businesses in today’s situation,” the Director General explained.

Palts said that the corporate income tax system that was regarded to be the best by businesses as well as experts, that had been envied and had been tried to be copied, and that had been negatively criticised mainly by our competitors, had still helped us to survive several earlier economic crises relatively well. It should be kept by all means. “In our opinion, it has been one of the most successful steps of our modern economic and tax policy that is continuing to support us, and it is necessary to stand for it with all possibilities both in Estonia and in Europe,” Palts added.

In his report, Member of the Management Board of TREV-2 Grupp Plc Sven Pertens brought forth both good and bad news. As to good news, he said that Estonia’s strength had been its business environment. “The income tax exemption on profit that remains in the business has enabled businesses to accumulate reserves for investments and to survive tough times. This regulation is one of the few remaining competitive advantages of the Estonian business environment,” he underlined.

According to Pertens, public administration has been digitalised and transparent, the budget has been in balance, and all this has created credibility and has kept interest rates low. However, the situation has changed over recent years. The Estonian economy has been decreasing for six consecutive quarters. From the first quarter of this year, the unemployment rate has been increasing in Estonia. “The Ukrainian war refugees in our labour market are not the only reason for this. Industrial businesses that have historically been giving 65 per cent of the Estonian export volume are laying off staff, and businesses in construction, information technology, communications, transport, and storage are also laying of staff. The competitiveness of Estonian businesses on external markets has declined sharply. No improvement of the economic situation is on the horizon, and the receipt of tax revenues has begun to fall,” he said.

Member of the Management Board of TREV-2 Grupp Plc said that Estonia needed a comprehensive economic policy and, among other things, a long-term plan, cross-party agreements, stability, and predictability. “Bringing the state budget into balance is necessary but it must not be done ad hoc through an increase in taxes. If we damage our business environment, Estonia’s competitiveness will decrease, the economic downturn will deepen, and the revenue base of the state will decrease. Therefore it is the most reasonable for the state to focus on reducing bureaucracy and public sector expenditure and on measures to promote economic growth, as economic growth automatically brings about an increase in national tax revenue,” Pertens said in conclusion.

During the debate, Toomas Uibo from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Andres Sutt from the Reform Party Group, Tanel Kiik from the Centre Party Group and Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor.

After the sitting, it was planned to form the Civil Protection Support Group on the initiative of Mati Raidma and the Estonia-Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group on the initiative of Anti Poolamets.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Photos (Author: Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

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

Riigikogu Press Service
Eleen Lindmaa
+372 631 6456, +372 5551 4433
eleen.lindmaa@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu discussed the situation of the Estonian economy

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The situation in healthcare was discussed in the Riigikogu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

The interpellators referred to the fact that the waiting times in emergency departments in Tallinn and elsewhere in Estonia were often six hours as a minimum. The Members of the Riigikogu wished to know what the Government was planning to do to normalise the situation.

Sikkut explained that neither she nor the Ministry of Social Affairs thought that the long waiting times in emergency departments were in any way normal, reasonable, or not causing concern.

“The problem was at its most acute in 2022 when even ambulance brigades were waiting in queues at emergency departments. The waiting times have shortened by now. At the same time, measures have been taken to solve that, but the issue of shortening of waiting times will also be dealt with in the future,” Sikkut said.

The Minister explained that the Estonian Health Insurance Fund had started to fund additional triage nurses and on-call rounds of doctors. “This will directly increase the reception capability – patients will be examined and their condition will be assessed more quickly, and there will be additional on-call rounds. This means that this will also shorten the waiting time for critical patients,” Sikkut said. She added that, by the end of this year, the Estonian Health Insurance Fund would review the model for funding emergency departments as a whole in order to motivate hospitals to improve their organisation of work so that it would also be possible to keep the waiting times shorter in the case of a large flow of patients. The Health Board is currently analysing the legal possibilities of how to create an opportunity to redirect patients to other hospitals during overloads of emergency departments.

“The Ministry of Social Affairs will then look at the development objectives of the hospital network and emergency medical care as well as the development plan of primary health care at a strategic level, to see how to improve the optimal treatment path for patients, and coordination,” Sikkut noted. On the other hand, inevitably it is also necessary to raise patients’ awareness of when to turn to emergency department.

In the mid-1990s it was decided to establish a robust system of family physicians in Estonia, to train family physicians and to establish this system as a “portal” for health care for all patients, and these fundamental choices have proved correct, and the system is working. This model has been developed further and modern health centres have also been established all over Estonia, the minister explained.

“However, primary family health centres are overloaded. The greatest concern is the shortage of health care professionals as well as the shortage of family physicians. More than a third of our family physicians are 63 years old or older, and ensuring new generations for the coming years will be a huge effort,” Sikkut said. She added that, if we looked at the feedback from patients, most of the patients were satisfied with the availability of family medical care. “For example, in 2021, nearly 70% of people were able to consult a family physician or a family nurse within three days, and the level of satisfaction was at 80%, that is, 80% of people were satisfied with the availability of family medical care. This satisfaction percentage will no doubt have to be increased. 80% means that one fifth was not satisfied with the availability, and one fifth is a lot,” the minister said.

The Minister of Health Riina Sikkut also replied to interpellations concerning the establishment of Tallinn Hospital (No. 117), the allowance for sick leave days (No. 39) and the integral impact of the tax package (No. 231).

The Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo replied to the interpellation concerning the rise in VAT (No. 103), gender equality (No. 110), the need to restrict the availability of pornography ( (No. 125), gender neutrality (No. 131) and transparency of the legislative process (No. 173), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu.

The Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet replied to the interpellations concerning the drawn-out court proceedings (No. 114), the guaranteeing of the freedom of speech in connection with the plan to expand the prohibition of “hate speech (No. 120), as well as deceitful policy (No. 159) and transparency of the legislative process (No. 185), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu.

Due to the absence of interpellators, it was not possible to discuss the interpellation concerning the integral impact of the tax package (No. 235), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Alar Laneman, Rain Epler and Helle-Moonika Helme. The Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo was to reply to that interpellation.

According to an agreement between the interpellators and the minister, the reply by the Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet to the interpellation concerning transparency of the legislative process (No. 282), submitted by Member of the Riigikogu Mart Maastik, was deferred.

During the open microphone, Tõnis Lukas took the floor.

The sitting ended at 10.12 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 situation in healthcare was discussed in the Riigikogu

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu supports increasing EU budget to support Ukraine and improve defence capability

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Liisa Pakosta considered it very important to increase the budget of the European Peace Facility and establish a Ukraine Facility. “The 71 billion euros would go to the right place and using of the money has been thoroughly considered. Increasing the EU budget for Ukraine and raising the defence spending are really unavoidable. To improve defence capability and assist Ukraine, Estonia’s contribution to the EU budget may increase by 158 million euros during the next four years, but without that, we would be in a much worse situation,” Pakosta underlined. She added that Estonia also highlighted the importance of cybersecurity and cyber defence.

Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski said that the European Commission proposal to establish a Ukraine Facility with a capacity of 50 billion euro for 2024–2027 was of key importance. “This has to be done on the basis of the needs of Ukraine and the contributions of other donors,” she said. “Estonia also supports creating a separate facility in the European Peace Facility to grant military assistance to Ukraine over the next four years to the extent of up to 21 billion euro,” the Deputy Chair noted. Jufereva-Skuratovski added that due to the changed security situation, it was necessary to increase funding to improving the defence capability of the EU as well.

According to Estonia’s position, we will support the European Commission proposal according to which both non-repayable support and loans could be granted from the Ukraine Facility. In doing so, we consider it important to proceed from Ukraine’s Plan and to be flexible, depending on the situation in Ukraine, ensuring the necessary funding to respond to the humanitarian situation and to ensure the continuity of public services. It is also important to provide Ukraine with technical assistance for reforms, including support for the development of digital governance and the fight against hybrid threats.

Head of the European Union Policy Unit Meelis Meigas and Analyst of the European Union Policy Unit Karin Kondor-Tabun from the Fiscal Policy Department of the Ministry of Finance attended the discussion of this item on the agenda and gave an outline of the initiatives.

In line with the opinion of the Finance Committee, the European Union Affairs Committee decided to approve the positions presented by the Government on the proposal for a revision of the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027 and the related Ukraine Facility and on the Regulation on the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform.

Estonia’s positions at the meeting of ministers of justice and home affairs were also discussed at the sitting. It was pointed out that Estonia considers it important that crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine should not go unpunished. Discussions on how to hold the Russia’s leadership accountable for the crime of aggression and to establish a special tribunal with maximum international support and legitimacy have to be continued. Estonia emphasises that Russia must compensate Ukraine for the damage it has caused.

For more information, please contact: Liisa Pakosta, phone +372 502 6191

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

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu supports increasing EU budget to support Ukraine and improve defence capability

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Chairs of Israel and Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees made a joint statement in Israel

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

“The actions perpetrated by Hamas lack any justification, legitimacy, or rationalization, and as such, they warrant global condemnation. These attacks represent an ideology whose sole objective is to erase the State of Israel from the map,” say the Chairmen of Foreign Affairs Committees who uphold Israel’s legitimate right to defend its nation and citizens from violent acts of terrorism.

The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees call on the international community to make clear to the axis countries, or Iran, Syria, and Lebanon, and to organizations in the region, primarily Hezbollah, to avoid participating in the war. “They must not promote, encourage, or allow for an additional front against Israel. Such actions will be met with a firm and lethal Israeli response,” the Joint Statement says.

According to the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees, much of the violence against Israel and its citizens has been directly funded and supported by Iran. “We are firmly united in our conviction that Iran represents a grave global threat, not only as a leading purveyor of terrorism but also as a relentless underminer of stability in both the Middle East and the wider global arena. We call on the international community to take coordinated action to further isolate Iran with severe sanctions,” they point out in the Joint Statement.

They also call upon like-minded nations to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. In the Statement, they also express concern over Iran’s advancements in its nuclear program, as well as its lack of transparency with the International Atomic Energy Agency. “The prospect of an unchecked, nuclear-armed Iran is a scenario that the global community cannot tolerate. We urgently implore the international community to unite in a resolute and coordinated effort to avert this impending threat,” the Statement says.

The Chairmen of Foreign Affairs Committees note that they observe with deep concern the growing collaboration between Russia and Iran on the battlefield within Ukraine as well as in deepening contacts with Hamas. In their opinion, this is a development that presents a profound threat to the security of Israel, the Middle East, and Europe.

“We unequivocally affirm our unwavering support for the Ukrainian people and stand resolute in our steadfast commitment to assisting Ukraine. This commitment is firmly anchored in our deeply held conviction that it not only reflects the morally imperative course of action but also aligns with our collective interest in confronting totalitarian regimes on the international stage,” the Chairmen of Foreign Affairs Committees emphasise.

In addition to Mihkelson, the Joint Statement was signed by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Rihards Kols, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Žygimantas Pavilionis and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein.

Text of the Joint Statement in Estonian and in English

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

Link uudisele: Chairs of Israel and Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees made a joint statement in Israel

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Chairs of Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees start joint visit to Israel

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Mihkelson said that Estonia strongly condemned Hamas terrorist attacks and was concerned about the expansion of terrorist activities in the region. He added that the efforts of terrorist regimes to create instability in the Middle East must be resisted, terrorist organisations and the regimes that support them must be held to account, and every effort must be made to prevent further escalation of the conflict.

“The international community must coordinate support to Israel, and at the same time not to lose attention on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. It is also necessary to think how to continue the political process that should lead to a lasting peace and thereby ensure Israel’s security,” he said.

During the visit, the Chairs of the Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees plan to meet with Speaker of the Knesset (Parliament) of Israel Amir Ohana, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein and leader of the Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Parliamentary Friendship Group Simon Davidson. They also intend to attend the opening of the Winter Session of the Knesset and have a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Eli Cohen.

Besides Mihkelson, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Rihards Kols and Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Žygimantas Pavilionis participate in the visit. From Jerusalem, they will travel on to the meeting of the Chairs of the Nordic and Baltic (NB8) Foreign Affairs Committees that will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, on Thursday and Friday.

The meeting will focus on the Nordic-Baltic cooperation, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and further support to Ukraine. In addition to the tightening of sanctions, using of Russia’s frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine will also be discussed.

The meeting, which is held in NB8 format, brings together the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

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

Link uudisele: Chairs of Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees start joint visit to Israel

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The European Union Affairs Committee: We need to move towards phase-out of fossil fuels

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Deputy Chair of the Committee Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski said that while renewable energy was the preferred energy source, in the light of the experience of recent years with the security and energy crisis, it seemed reasonable not to completely exclude the use of fossil fuels. “It is a positive trend that the use of fossil fuels is gradually decreasing, but we cannot put all the stakes on green energy. We must keep in mind that supply security should be ensured also when there is not enough renewable energy for some reason,” the Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee said. “At the sitting, I proposed to amend the positions so that the goal would be to move towards reducing the use of fossil fuels, not ending it. Unfortunately, this proposal was not supported by the Committee, although the members from the opposition were in favour of the amendment.”

Member of the Committee Tiit Maran underlined that if we wished to talk about solving the environmental crisis, the objectives could not be reduced. “If we had amended the position and decided that the goal would be to move towards gradually reducing the use of fossil fuels, it would have been unforgivable softening from the point of view of environment targets,” Maran said. He stated that there was no deadline for the phase-out of fossil fuels, and that this option would not disappear suddenly. “If we really want to see a reduction in climate change, we need to have targets in place, as well as interim targets to monitor whether countries are really making the necessary and promised changes.”

It was pointed out at the sitting that phase-out of fossil fuels was also the goal of the Paris Agreement, and it was important for companies that the targets were clear and unchanging to maintain investment security. It was also emphasised as an important aspect that the EU’s efforts would be of use only if the same targets were met elsewhere in the world.

Estonia considers it important to increase the climate mitigation targets and to agree upon the mitigation work programme at the COP28. In our opinion, the pillars of this are the agreements made at the COP26 to phase out fossil fuels, to end the inefficient use of coal, to end inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally and to achieve stopping of emissions growth by 2025 at the latest and reduction of emissions thereafter.

Within the framework of legislative discussions, the meeting of the EU Environment Council plans to achieve a general approach to the review of urban wastewater treatment directive and the regulation for CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, as well as to approve Council conclusions on the climate change conference COP28 and update the nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement of the European Union.

Deputy Secretary General for Green Transition Kristi Klaas, Deputy Secretary General for Maritime and Water Affairs Kaupo Läänerand, Chief Specialist of Foreign Relations Eliise Merila, Adviser of the Foreign Relations Department Johanna Maarja Tiik, Adviser of the Water Department Anni Mandel and Advisers of the Climate Department Reet Ulm and Silver Sillak from the Ministry of Climate attended the sitting of the European Union Affairs Committee.

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

Link uudisele: The European Union Affairs Committee: We need to move towards phase-out of fossil fuels

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Kristo Enn Vaga observes parliamentary elections in Poland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Vaga expects the Polish parliamentary elections to turn out tense. “The right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS), which has been in power since 2015, is aiming for its third successive election victory under the leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński. However, the polls show that neither the PiS nor the Civic Platform Party (PO), led by former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, are likely to receive enough support to govern alone,” Vaga said.

“Poland is one of our key partners on the NATO eastern flank and their election results will also significantly affect the future of Europe and Estonia,” Vaga predicted. He added that the task of the international observers is to make sure that the elections take place fairly and that all the candidates receive equal treatment.

A referendum is carried out in parallel to the parliamentary elections, gauging the people’s opinion on the sale of state property, increasing retirement age, removing the barrier from the Poland-Belarus border, and allowing illegal immigration.

More than 80 members of 31 national parliaments will observe the parliamentary elections in Poland within the framework of the mission organised by the OSCE PA. The OSCE PA delegation involves more than one hundred observers. The purpose of the mission is to make sure that the elections conform to the democratic principles set out in the OSCE Copenhagen Document from 1990.

Election observation missions have been an important part of OSCE’s activities since 1993. The missions monitor whether the elections are conducted legitimately and respect the democratic standards.

For more information, please contact:
Kristo Enn Vaga +372 5626 7733

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

Link uudisele: Kristo Enn Vaga observes parliamentary elections in Poland

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Riigikogu did not support the adoption of four drafts

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The Riigikogu did not support the Bill on Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Health Insurance Act (205 SE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Group. Its intention had been to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Health Insurance Act in force since 1 July in a way to retain the procedure of paying sickness benefits under which only the first day of sick leave would be the employee’s own liability, the employer would pay the benefit from the second to the fifth day, and the Estonian Health Insurance Fund from the sixth day onwards. It also proposed an increase in the sickness benefit to 80 percent of the average remuneration of the employee.

The Social Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. The result of voting: 44 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour and 12 against. The motion was supported. The Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.

Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to abandon the plan to eliminate the increased basic exemption for a loan interests” (44 OE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, intended to make the relevant proposal to the Government.

The Riigikogu did not support the Resolution. 7 members of the Riigikogu supported passing the Resolution and nobody voted against it. At least 51 votes in favour were needed to pass the Resolution. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.

Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to initiate a Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act to establish an increased tax allowance starting from the first child” (59 OE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, intended to make the relevant proposal to the Government.

The Riigikogu did not support the Resolution. 8 members of the Riigikogu supported passing the Resolution and nobody voted against it. At least 51 votes in favour were needed to pass the Resolution. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.

Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to abandon the plan to eliminate the increased basic exemption for a loan interests” (62 OE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, intended to make the relevant proposal to the Government.

The Riigikogu did not support the Resolution. 7 members of the Riigikogu supported passing the Resolution and nobody voted against it. At least 51 votes in favour were needed to pass the Resolution. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.

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: Riigikogu did not support the adoption of four drafts

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Villu Kõve gave an overview of courts administration

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Kõve assured that the judicial system was functioning, and that independent and impartial administration of justice, as well as generally the resolution of court cases within a reasonable period of time were ensured. “At the same time, we are facing worrying tendencies and problems that are continuing remain unsolved,” he added.

In his report, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said that, on the European Union Justice Scoreboard, the Estonian judicial system was continuing to rank high among European Union countries in terms of the efficiency and speed of proceedings. Estonia is continuing to rank second among European Union Member States, after Denmark, in the comparison of the total time spent on the resolution of civil and administrative cases at first instance. In summary, the speed of court proceedings at three instances in Estonia is ranking sixth in Europe in civil and commercial cases, and fourth in administrative cases. “At the same time, the financial contribution of our state into the judicial system, and the number of judges and lawyers per 1,000 inhabitants remain in the last third of the table. We must also admit that the courts’ workload is on the rise and performance is in decline, and the time limits for proceedings are getting longer. This is a fact that cannot be denied,” Kõve pointed out.

When speaking of the reliability and independence of courts, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said that reliability continued to be at a high level. A study of the reliability of institutions was conducted in 2022, and according to it, 67% of respondents trusted Estonian courts. The reliability of the judicial system is also confirmed by the fact that the number of disciplinary offences of judges is small, and the system is able to work out its problems itself.

According to Kõve, the main concern in the judicial system is a generational shift of judges. Over the next five years, 65 judges may retire. “Last year I announced five competitions. The Ministry of Justice announced five competitions to find judges of the courts of first instance and the courts of appeal. However, as few as 27 people applied for the 20 positions of judges in district courts,” he gave an example. Therefore, it is hard to speak of a great interest in the office of judge.

From what the Chief Justice said, it became clear that we had reached a situation where our primary concern was no longer so much a shortage of material resources as a shortage of people, and not only in terms of judges, but in the prosecutor’s office and the bar association as well. “We simply no longer have candidates with sufficient qualifications and suitable personal qualities to fill the gap caused by the generational shift,” he added.

Kõve’s report revealed that, in addition to judges, they were also no longer able to find law clerks. Competitions for the posts of law clerks are failing consistently without a candidate being found. “All this despite the fact that, every year, hundreds of young people graduate from university with a diploma in law, and the salary of a judge or law clerk is not that bad in itself, and efforts are also made to search for suitable candidates,” the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said. According to Kõve, it is clear that the judicial system and the rule of law need prosecutor’s offices and a bar association that are manned with high-quality professionals.

During the debate, Jaanus Karilaid took the floor, as well as Hendrik Johannes Terras on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart on behalf of the Centre Party Group, Anti Allas on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group, and Mart Helme on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group.

A draft Resolution passed the first reading

At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, a draft Resolution passed the first reading.

With the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “The Covering of the Interest Costs of the Loan to Ukraine” (258 OE), submitted by the Government, in 2024–2027, Estonia undertakes to pay to the European Union budget the interest payments of the loan grated to Ukraine by the European Union to a maximum extent of 5,890,628 euro.

Under a relevant EU Regulation, an instrument for providing support to Ukraine for 2023 (MFA+) has been established. In order to make loans more favourable for Ukraine, EU Member States have decided to cover the interest costs of loans until 2027 by paying them as external revenue to the EU budget. For that, an agreement is entered into with every Member State in which the Member States participate according to their share of EU GNI. The payment of interest payments by Member States will enable Ukraine to reduce the burden on their state budget in the complicated time by giving an opportunity to support their national economy. The Commission has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Ukraine that sets out the conditions for the disbursement of the loan, and a loan agreement that lays down the detailed financial terms of the support in the form of loans.

The Resolution of the Riigikogu will involve an impact on Estonia’s state budget in 2024–2027. If distributed evenly over four years, the maximum annual amount paid in interest support would be 1.47 million euro. This will be added to Estonia’s contribution to the EU budget and has been planned in the state budget strategy.

During the debate, Martin Helme took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Igor Taro on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group. The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group moved to reject the draft Resolution at the first reading. The result of voting: 14 in favour, 63 against. The motion was not supported, and the first reading was concluded.

The first reading of a draft Resolution was adjourned

The first reading of the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Increasing the Holding of the Republic of Estonia in the Council of Europe Development Bank” (259 OE), initiated by the Government, will continue at the plenary sitting beginning at 2 p.m. tomorrow. The Riigikogu will grant its consent to increasing Estonia’s holding in the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) by 9,872,000 euro.

The first reading of five Bill was deferred to the agenda for the next sitting

Due to the end of the working hours of the sitting, the first reading of five Bills was also deferred to tomorrow’s plenary sitting. They are the Bill on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act (27 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler and Martin Helme, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (71 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Arvo Aller, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (75 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Evelin Poolamets, Helle-Moonika Helme and Rain Epler, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (82 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Rain Epler, and the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (88 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo, Arvo Aller and Siim Pohlak.

The sitting ended at 2 p.m.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Photos (Author: Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

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

Riigikogu Press Service
Eleen Lindmaa
+372 631 6456, +372 5551 4433
eleen.lindmaa@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Villu Kõve gave an overview of courts administration

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Minister of Finance replied to the interpellation concerning the elimination of the tapering of the personal allowance, and the increase of taxes

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

In their interpellation (No. 78), Members of the Riigikogu Kersti Sarapuu, Ester Karuse and Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski pointed out that people earning a salary of under 1200 euro and less and pensioners would not gain much from the elimination of the tapering of the personal allowance and the increase in the personal allowance. At the same time, people’s incomes would decrease due to an increase in VAT, income tax and excise duties, the car tax, the rising price of the shopping basket, and decreasing family allowances.

The Minister of Finance admitted that money came into the state budget from tax revenue, and a state could not be maintained only by lowering taxes and paying benefits. “With the elimination of the tapering of the personal allowance, labour taxes will fall, and people will have more disposable income,” Võrklaev said. He added that, with an increase in the personal allowance, subsistence benefits and pensions, people with lower incomes would have more disposable income. “However, the country must get tax revenue from somewhere.”

Võrklaev underlined that public finances were in a bad state, and the state budget needed additional funds due to additional expenditure, such as an increase in defence expenditure. “We cannot lower taxes and put the state budget in order at the same time,” he emphasised. Pointing out the VAT increase, the raising of excise duties, and the motor vehicle tax, Võrklaev said that those were additional taxes in the case of which it was possible for people to choose whether to opt for a smaller or a bigger car and how much and what to consume. “In fact, all in all, richer people pay more VAT because they consume more, and more expensive products.”

The Minister pointed out that, together with the elimination of the tapering of the personal allowance, from 2025, the personal allowance would also be raised from 654 euro to 700 euro, and the personal allowance for pensioners would be raised from 700 euro to 776 euro. “Pensioners have lower incomes, and they also have different tax benefits,” Võrklaev said.

The Minister of Finance also replied to the interpellations concerning the lack of impact analyses in the minister’s policy sector (No. 19), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (No. 52), the VAT for accommodation providers (No. 63), the VAT on foodstuffs (No. 76), the increase of VAT (No. 101), the establishment of a car tax (No. 118), the state budget deficit (No. 121), and the integral impact of the tax package (No. 140), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu.

The Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo replied to the interpellations concerning the increase of the VAT for accommodation providers (No. 69), the impact of inflation on the area of administration of the ministry managed by the minister (No. 137), and the impact of the green transition on the area of administration of the ministry managed by the minister (No. 138), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu.

The Minister of Climate Kristen Michal replied to the interpellations concerning investments in the transport sector (No. 11), the establishment of a nuclear power station (No. 21), the use of mineral resources (No. 20), the renovation of apartment buildings in Ida-Viru County (No. 55), the environmental impact of mandatory renovation of buildings and people’s ability to pay (No. 123), and the integral impact of the tax package (No. 141).

According to an agreement between interpellators and ministers, the interpellations concerning deceitful policy (No. 80 and No. 89) were excluded from the agenda for the sitting. The interpellation concerning the implementation of the forestry development plan (No. 28) which the interpellators withdrew was also excluded from the agenda.

The sitting ended at 10.25 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
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Minister of Finance replied to the interpellation concerning the elimination of the tapering of the personal allowance, and the increase of taxes

Source: Parliament of Estonia

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