37 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Resolution and 19 against it.
The Riigikogu did not support the proposal to waive the increase in VAT
The Riigikogu did not pass the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to abandon the plan to increase VAT by two percentage points” (96 OE).
Kersti Sarapuu (Centre Party) took the floor during the debate.
23 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Resolution and one was against it. At least 51 votes were needed to pass the Resolution.
The Riigikogu rejected two Bills at the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Security Authorities Act (30 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Ants Frosch, Leo Kunnas, and Alar Laneman intended to amend the Act by adding the Military Intelligence Centre of the Defence Forces to the list of security authorities and clarifying the tasks of the security authorities.
Leo Kunnas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor during the debate.
The Constitutional Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 44 members of the Riigikogu backed the motion and 16 members of the Riigikogu were against it. The Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (49 SE) is to equalise child benefits by paying EUR 100 per month for the first and second child of the family as well.
The Social Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 43 members of the Riigikogu backed the motion and 11 members of the Riigikogu were against it. The Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
Video recordings of the sittings of the Riigikogu can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/riigikogu. (Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
According to the Chancellor of Justice, during a year, her agency can see all aspects of the life in Estonia in complaints. “People can write to us as they can and describe their problem. No legal aid is needed for that. And it is our task to understand what the crux of the matter is,” Madise said.
The Chancellor of Justice said that, when they saw a probable infringement of someone’s rights, they added argumentation that the person could transpose directly into an action to an administrative court if they wished. According to her, there is a large number of such cases, and they include, for example, cases related to nursery places. Under the law, children must be ensured nursery places and pre-school education.
“To quote a very wittily written decision of the Supreme Court, children and parents must not be placed in a disadvantageous situation because their place of residence is in a rural municipality or city that has decided just not to comply with the law,” Madise pointed out. According to her, the judicial practice has begun to help parents, but the shortage of nursery places continues to be a systemic problem. “There are also local governments who honestly write in a regulation – and the word ‘honest’ has no positive meaning here – that they will provide a nursery place when there is place. Actually, it is known on the basis of the data in the population register how many children who are about to reach nursery or school age live in the local government,” she explained.
According to the Chancellor of Justice, there are certainly also cases where it is beyond their competence to resolve the matter according to the law. They must explain as an institution that they do not change court decisions, do not change the diagnoses made by doctors, and cannot grant social housing either. There are people who do not understand this and remain angry. “And it is of no avail to blame people for not making decisions if one or another decision is not within their competence. If it makes people feel better, I do not mind. But it is a little better if people spend their energy and time on turning to the authorities where they could really get help,” Madise said.
During the debate, Anti Allas took the floor on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group, Maris Lauri on behalf of the Reform Party Group, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart on behalf of the Centre Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Hendrik Johannes Terras on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Anti Poolamets on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group.
The first reading of a Bill was adjourned
The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Higher Education Act (9 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, will continue at the plenary sitting beginning at 2 p.m. tomorrow. It provides for stopping the domination of the English language in Estonian universities in public law and national institutions of professional higher education.
The first reading of two Bill was deferred to the next plenary sitting
Due to the end of the working hours of the sitting, the first reading of two Bills was also postponed to tomorrow’s plenary sitting. They are the Bill on Amendments to the Study Allowances and Study Loans Act (16 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, and the Bill on Amendments to the Value Added Tax Act (32 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rene Kokk and Siim Pohlak.
The Minister of Health Riina Sikkut replied to the interpellation concerning the shortage of psychologists (No. 54), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Andre Hanimägi, Jaanus Karilaid, Jaak Aab and Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski.
According to the interpellators, the number of people who are suffering from psychological problems has increased in recent years, but the healthcare system is unable to meet the need sufficiently and there is a shortage of psychologists. Concerned by this, the interpellators asked how the Government was planning to ensure a sufficient number of psychologists in the future.
Sikkut noted that, as society had been dealing with the COVID-crisis and war refugees, there was less stigma, and people spoke more of mental health concerns. According to her, the opportunities to seek help have also improved. “However, the fact that there are more mental health concerns, people are more aware of them and hopefully also seek help more certainly also creates a need for more specialists to address these concerns,” the Minister of Health admitted.
The Minister pointed out that 15 clinical psychologists and 14 psychologist/counsellors were currently studying in their induction year, and another 14 qualified clinical psychologists and 14 qualified psychologist/counsellors could be expected by the end of 2024. She pointed out that, in order to motivate work in the health care system, on the decision of the supervisory board of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, the remuneration rate of psychologists had been increased by an additional coefficient. That allows for medical institutions to raise the remuneration additionally by an average of 38 per cent, and until 30 November it is possible for local governments to apply for support to employ psychologists in order to provide services at local level.
Sikkut added that experts were developing a gradual system for providing mental health assistance. According to the Minister, besides increasing state-commissioned education, one possible solution to the issue of the shortage of employees is to delegate simpler tasks for example to clinical assistants at health centres and support specialists at schools who have been trained to provide mental health first aid. Sikkut pointed out that there were also evidence-based measures such as the anti-bullying programme KiVa implemented at schools that helped prevent health issues. According to her, the training of mental health nurses working at health centres has been enhanced, and advice is also available online.
According to the Minister, so far, the training of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists has been going on, and the training of mental health nurses is ongoing. However, so far, there have been few low-threshold interventions and there has been no plan for them. “The Mental Health Green Paper and action plan have been drawn up now, and based on this we are providing minimally-invasive interventions on a larger scale in order that it would be possible to relieve the shortage of specialists by solving simpler health problems closer to people, whether it be at work or school or at local government level,” Sikkut said.
The Minister of Health also replied to the interpellation concerning the establishment of Tallinn Hospital (No. 53), submitted by members of the Estonian Centre Party Group.
The Riigikogu also heard the replies of the Minister of Culture Heidy Purga to the interpellations concerning the construction of the new building of Tallinn City Theatre (No. 49), the 100,000 euro allocated by the former Minister of Culture Piret Hartman for the establishment of Tähetorni Sports and Health Club (No. 51), and the international sports competitions held in Estonia (No. 16), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu.
The Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo replied to the interpellation concerning equal treatment in work life (No. 74), and the Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets replied to the interpellation concerning the removal of the statue of the Bronze Soldier (No. 45), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu.
The Riigikogu removed parliamentary immunity from Kert Kingo
At its today’s sitting, on the proposal of the Chancellor of Justice, the Riigikogu gave its consent to the removal of parliamentary immunity from Member of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo and the continuation of legal proceedings against her.
When presenting the application of the Prosecutor General, the Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said that, according to suspicion, Kert Kingo had borne the costs of a lawyer incurred by third persons, and had given the lawyer written instructions to write on invoices that they were for legal aid provided to her in connection with her work as a Member of the Riigikogu, so that they would be reimbursed to her on the basis of expense claims. Madise added that, according to the file, the lawyer had actually advised other persons in legal proceedings and had not provided such legal aid related to the work of a Member of the Riigikogu. “When the Board of the Riigikogu specified the procedure for the reimbursement of work-related expenses of members of Riigikogu, those written instructions to write false data on the invoices were further supplemented by requests to write the numbers of certain Bills on the invoices,” the Chancellor of Justice added.
The Chancellor of Justice noted that, when she had examined the materials of the criminal case, no circumstance had become apparent that would have allowed her not to forward the application of the Prosecutor General to the Riigikogu. “Only the court can decide on the admissibility of evidence and on guilt. Neither the submission of this application and proposal nor the potential removal of parliamentary immunity mean that Kert Kingo is guilty of such crimes. Justice is administered solely by the courts, and if guilt is not proved the person is acquitted,” Madise emphasised.
Member of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo also made a comment.
During the debate, Martin Helme, Kalle Grünthal, Helle-Moonika Helme, Varro Vooglaid, Mart Helme and Ants Frosch from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Jürgen Ligi from the Estonian Reform Party Group took the floor.
66 members of the Riigikogu voted for the proposal of the Chancellor of Justice and 13 voted against. There was one abstention.
At the beginning of the sitting, the interpellation concerning deceitful policy (No. 89) was removed from the agenda for this working week on an agreement between the interpellator Urmas Reinsalu and the Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo.
Video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
The Deputy Chairman of the EUAC Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski called the improvement of air quality and the consequent protection of human health as a noble and vital goal. “We must understand that the new requirements will somewhat raise the price of vehicles,” said the Deputy Chairman, pointing out that the rise in prices must remain minimal because the planned rise in VAT and income taxes might otherwise negatively affect the accessibility of cars in Estonia. “It is also important to make sure that the initiative does not constitute an impediment to developing and introducing vehicles with zero CO2 emissions,” she added.
In addition to reducing vehicle emissions, the Euro 7 standards aim to uniformise the emission standards which have previously depended on the type of vehicle and the source of fuel, and to ensure that the vehicles remain sustainable longer in real life conditions. For Estonia, it is important to achieve a balance between the introduction of technological innovations and the subsequent rise in prices.
The initiative does not concern only emissions, but also pollution from breaks and tyres. Estonia is of a position that ice grip tyres should remain outside the scope of the initiative, otherwise the regulation might reduce their grip and lead to a significant increase in their prices.
Air pollution caused an estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the EU in 2018. The main source of air pollution in cities is road transport. The European Commission predicts that the new requirements will increase the price of vehicles to some extent; however, the burden to the health care system will be reduced and the whole society will gain EUR 133 billion due to the reduction in dangerous air pollution.
The Committee meeting was attended by the Ministry of Climate Deputy Secretary General for Transport Sander Salmu who presented the initiative.
The EUAC decided to approve the Government’s positions on the proposal for a regulation on type-approval of motor vehicles and engines and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, with respect to their emissions and battery durability (Euro 7) COM(2022) 586 in line with the opinions of the Environment Committee and the Economic Affairs Committee.
“We must do more to help Ukraine,” Pakosta said in her speech to her European Union counterparts. “The military assistance to Ukraine should not come mainly from the USA and Great Britain; the European Union must enhance its contribution to increase stable funding by approving at least 50 billion from the Commission’s proposal and in addition to that, 20 billion from Borrell’s proposal.”
“Sanctions against Russia should be strengthened, especially by closing all gaps. Besides that, it is time for both us and the European Commission to start discussing the Common Agricultural Policy, the Cohesion Policy and the long-term budget after the accession of Ukraine,” Pakosta underlined, and added that in the case of Ukraine, a very large country with a low gross domestic product and a very large agricultural sector would be joining the European Union. “The volume of the EU budget must be increased in the interests of safety, “ she emphasised, pointing out that this would make Estonia a net contributor, which is something to be proud of.
At the meeting, the representatives of national parliaments discussed the priorities of the Spanish Presidency, and they will also address the current issues related to the European Union.
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.
The Bill on Amendments to the Value Added Tax Act and the Taxation Act (225 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. The amendments to be made aim to improve the fight against VAT fraud in cross-border e-commerce.
The Bill will establish an obligation for payment service providers to store the data regarding the payees of cross-border payments and to transmit them to the tax authority quarterly if the total number of payments per payee exceeds 25 payments in a quarter. Tax authorities will transmit the data to the European Union’s central electronic system of payment information. The Bill is connected with an EU directive that Members States will have to transpose and implement from next year.
During the debate, Siim Pohlak from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor.
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading, but the plenary did not support the motion. 13 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection of the Bill and 69 voted against.
The Bill on Amendments to the Tobacco Act (223 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. According to it, under an EU directive, heated tobacco products with a characterising flavour must no longer be sold.
The Bill will include in the Act the term “heated tobacco product” and the requirements for the contents, labelling and packaging. Under the directive, the exemption for allowing characterising flavours and for the labelling of packages that is currently in place for heated tobacco products will be withdrawn across the EU.
In addition, the Bill will establish penalties for infringement of the requirements for informing of tobacco products and products which are related to tobacco products. Under the Bill, failure to inform of a product will be punishable by a fine in an amount of up to 300 fine units, and by a fine of up to 32,000 euro if the act is committed by a legal person.
Siim Pohlak from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group took the floor during the debate.
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading, but the motion was not supported. 11 members of the Riigikogu supported a rejection and 61 were against.
The Bill on Amendments to the Language Act (1 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, also passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. It will increase the rates of the fines for violating the Language Act and will include new sanctions in the Act in order to improve compliance with the Language Act in natural and legal persons. The amendments are intended to strengthen the protection of the Estonian language in companies and non-profit organisations as well as in the public sector.
During the debate, Vadim Belobrovtsev from the Centre Party Group and Anti Frosch from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group took the floor.
The Centre Party Group moved to reject the Bill. However, as 10 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 48 voted against, it was not supported.
Six Bills were dropped from the proceedings
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Municipal Council Election Act (4 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group. The discussion had been adjourned at the sitting the day before due to the end of the working hours. The Bill provided that only citizens of Estonia and of the European Union would have the right to vote in municipal council elections. The current Act allows also permanent residents who are citizens of another country or who lack citizenship to vote in local elections.
During the debate, Anti Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Eduard Odinets from the Social Democratic Party Group took the floor.
58 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee to reject the Bill and 18 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected the Bill on Amendments to the Municipal Council Election Act and the Language Act (11 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. The first reading had also been initially scheduled for the agenda for Tuesday’ sitting. The Bill was intended to establish a requirement for people who stand as candidates in local elections under which they would have to be proficient in Estonian at least at B2 level.
During the debate, Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Eduard Odinets from the Social Democratic Party Group and Henn Põlluaas from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group took the floor.
54 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee to reject the Bill and 18 were against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Municipal Council Election Act (18 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. It was intended to repeal the right to vote in municipal council elections for third-country nationals and stateless persons residing in Estonia.
During the debate, Rene Kokk from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Eduard Odinets from the Social Democratic Party Group and Tõnis Lukas from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor.
54 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee to reject the Bill and 18 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the State Pension Insurance Act (5 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to establish an extraordinary pension increase of 50 euro for four consecutive years, that is, for 2024–2027, in order to improve the economic welfare of elderly people.
41 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Social Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 13 voted against it.
The Riigikogu rejected the Bill on Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Health Insurance Act (7 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to restore the earlier procedure for the payment of sickness benefits that had been in place before 1 July where sickness benefit had been paid from the second day of sick leave.
During the debate, Tanel Kiik from the Centre Party Group took the floor.
46 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Social Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 14 were against it.
The Riigikogu also rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the State Pension Insurance Act (15 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to establish widow’s pension in order to support the livelihood of pensioners living alone and to honour long-time marriage. According to the Bill, widow’s pension could have been granted to a person who is of old age pension age and whose spouse, to whom the person has been married for at least ten years, has died by the time of old age pension or retirement due to old age.
During the debate, Andre Hanimägi from the Centre Party Group took the floor.
42 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Social Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 13 voted against it.
At the beginning of the sitting, the Riigikogu held a moment of silence in memory of the late Member of the Riigikogu Aadu Must.
The video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel. (Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
NordenBladet – Cryptocurrencies have taken the world by storm, with a global market value of $4.67 billion in 2022, projected to reach $11.71 billion by 2030, according to a report by Grand View Research. This surge is driven by the increasing adoption of distributed ledger technology and growing acceptance of digital currencies as a legitimate means of payment.
Asia-Pacific’s Crypto Surge
The Grand View Research report highlights that the Asia-Pacific region is at the forefront of cryptocurrency growth, with China, Japan, and South Korea leading the charge. These nations are witnessing a rapid increase in crypto awareness and investments in blockchain technology.
Navigating Regulatory Challenges
While the crypto industry continues to expand, regulatory hurdles are not uncommon. Australia’s Senate Economics Legislation Committee recently rejected a bill proposing licensing systems for crypto-related services, hindering industry growth in the country. Similarly, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority is poised to introduce strict rules on crypto marketing to protect citizens from illegal activities.
Unveiling Blockchain with Arkham’s Intelligence
Miguel Morel, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, is on a mission to deanonymize blockchain with his startup, Arkham’s Intelligence. His platform aims to shed light on cryptocurrency transactions by linking users’ blockchain identities to their real-world identities. By encouraging transparency and accountability, Miguel hopes to create a mechanism where users are incentivized to share valuable information with the crypto community.
Corporate Giants Driving Crypto Adoption
Established companies like Coinbase Global Inc., CME Group Inc., and PayPal Holdings, Inc. play a pivotal role in shaping the crypto landscape. Coinbase recently obtained approval to offer cryptocurrency futures trading, while CME Group introduced reference rates for Bitcoin and Ethereum, expanding market access. PayPal launched its own stablecoin, PYUSD, facilitating digital asset transactions.
The Global Impact of Corporate Investment
Large corporations wield considerable influence in driving crypto adoption, leveraging their extensive networks and resources for research and development. These investments enhance industry dynamics and build trust in digital assets. Many companies are also launching mobile applications to make crypto usage more accessible.
25 countries Leading in Cryptocurrency Ownership:
To provide insight into the global cryptocurrency landscape, we’ve compiled a list of the top 25 countries with the highest cryptocurrency ownership rates, based on data from Triple A. The rankings are determined by the percentage of each country’s population that owns cryptocurrencies:
25. Nepal (Crypto Ownership 4.43%)
Nearly 4.8% of Nepal’s population owns crypto.
24. Indonesia (4.55%)
Crypto as a payment method is widely accepted in Indonesia, with 4.55% of the population owning crypto.
23. Colombia (4.81%)
Approximately 4.8% of Colombia’s population, or 2.5 million people, own cryptocurrencies.
22. Morocco (4.90%)
Morocco boasts a cryptocurrency ownership rate of 4.90%.
21. Turkey (5.46%)
Turkey has 5.5% of its population, or nearly 4.6 million people, owning cryptocurrencies.
20. Argentina (5.56%)
Argentina has experienced significant growth in crypto ownership, with 5.6% of its population owning digital assets.
19. Russia (5.87%)
Russia counts nearly 14 million crypto owners, making up 5.87% of its population.
18. France (5.90%)
France has 5.9% of its population, approximately 3.4 million people, owning cryptocurrencies.
17. Philippines (6.13%)
Approximately 6.13% of the population in the Philippines owns cryptocurrencies.
16. United Kingdom (6.2%)
In the UK, 6.2% of the population, nearly 4.2 million people, own crypto, primarily among wealthier individuals.
15. Pakistan (6.40%)
Pakistan ranks among countries with high cryptocurrency ownership at 6.40%.
14. Brazil (6.98%)
Brazil has a substantial crypto community, with almost 16 million people, or 6.98% of the population, owning digital assets.
13. India (7.23%)
India ranks 12th in cryptocurrency ownership, with approximately 97.5 million crypto owners. Regulatory uncertainty persists.
12. Thailand (9.32%)
Thailand boasts a high crypto ownership rate of 9.32%, thanks to favorable laws.
11. South Africa (9.4%)
South Africa has a thriving crypto market, with a large middle-class population investing in digital assets.
10. Venezuela (10.30%)
Venezuela is a major crypto market, with 10% of its population owning digital assets.
9. Nigeria (10.34%)
Africa is witnessing rapid crypto growth, with Nigeria ranking high in ownership at 10.34%.
8. Kenya (10.71%)
Kenya has a substantial crypto community, with 10.71% of its population, almost 6.1 million people, owning digital assets.
7. Singapore (11.05%)
Singapore’s crypto ownership stands at 11.05%, reflecting its status as a global financial hub and crypto hotspot.
6. Iran (13.46%)
Iran has a robust crypto market, with 13.46% of its population owning digital assets.
These countries are at the forefront of the global cryptocurrency revolution, showcasing the growing acceptance and adoption of digital currencies on a worldwide scale. As crypto continues to shape the financial landscape, these nations are setting the pace for others to follow.
5. United States (13.7%)
Cryptocurrencies are highly popular in the United States. The government regulations are supportive and there is an exponential increase in the use of blockchain technology.
4. Ukraine (15.72%)
Amidst the Ukraine-Russia conflict, residents of Ukraine turned to foreign currencies and crypto as a safe haven. This has particularly fueled the use of crypto in Ukraine.
3. Saudi Arabia(17.53%)
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest markets for crypto in the world. Almost 17 % of the total population in Saudi Arabia owns crypto.
2. Vietnam (18.73%)
Vietnam ranks high among the countries with the highest cryptocurrency ownership. The rapid digitization of the economy explains the surge in crypto ownership across the country.
1. United Arab Emirates (27.67%)
The United Arab Emirates holds the largest ownership of crypto. The use of cryptocurrency is legal in the country, and government regulations are also favorable towards blockchain technology. Almost 28% of the total population in the country owns crypto.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Municipal Council Election Act (2 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, is to ensure that the work of municipal councils would be conducted in Estonian. According to the Bill, people who stand as candidates in local government elections should be proficient in Estonian at level C1.
Anti Poolamets, who presented the Bill, underlined that, according to law, only Estonian could be the working language of municipal councils, but unfortunately, in numerous councils, members were still not proficient in Estonian or were not using it.
When speaking of the discussion that had taken place in the committee, representative of the Constitutional Committee Katrin Kuusemäe said that the Bill did not specify why it was deemed necessary to establish precisely the language proficiency level C1 for councils. Nor did the Bill contain a procedure for certifying the language proficiency level, or provisions relating to supervision.
During the debate, Henn Põlluaas took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, and Tõnis Lukas on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group.
The lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. Nine members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 18 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported, and the first reading of the Bill was concluded.
A draft Resolution was dropped from the proceedings
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to lower the VAT on food to 5 per cent” (10 OE), submitted by the Estonian Centre Party Group, was intended to make a proposal to the Government to lower the VAT on food to five per cent.
Andrei Korobeinik, who made a report on behalf of the submitters of the draft Resolution, said that, according to the draft Resolution, besides food products, the five per cent VAT rate would also extend to foodstuffs grown in agriculture as well as to the catering services in restaurants and hotels. “We believe that Estonian traders will also lower the prices as soon as the VAT rate drops,” he said.
When presenting the discussion that had taken place in the committee, Chairman of the Finance Committee Annely Akkermann, who made a supplementary report, said that the prevailing opinion had been that VAT should be uniform and, as a rule, the lowering of VAT did not affect the final price at all or did so only partially.
During the debate, Siim Pohlak took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group.
31 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the draft Resolution. A majority of the votes of the members of the Riigikogu, that is, at least 51 votes in favour would have been needed for the Resolution to be passed. Thus, the draft Resolution was not supported and was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The proceedings on a Bill were adjourned
According to the Bill on Amendments to the Municipal Council Election Act (4 SE), initiated by the Estonia Conservative People’s Party Group, only citizens of Estonia and of the European Union would have the right to vote in municipal council elections.
Henn Põlluaas, who presented the Bill, said that the granting of the right to vote on the basis of residence permit had not made the governance of local governments better, but rather on the contrary. “We have local governments where, due to a large proportion of non-nationals, the authorities in power are representing a mentality that is hostile towards our country as well as its native people, and do not respect or value the Estonian state or Estonian culture,” Põlluaas said.
Member of the Constitutional Committee Anti Allas presented the discussion that had taken place in the committee. He pointed out that aliens who had a long-term residence permit had the right to vote. A number of requirements must be met in order to obtain the permit: the person must have resided permanently in Estonia for five years before submitting an application for a residence permit, they must have a valid fixed-term residence permit, the data on their place of residence must be in the population register, they must have a stable legal income, and health insurance by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, and they must meet the integration requirement, that is, Estonian language proficiency at least at level B1.
The first reading of the Bill was adjourned due to the end of the working hours of the sitting and will continue with the debate at tomorrow’s sitting.
The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Municipal Council Election Act and the Language Act (11 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, was also deferred to the agenda for the sitting starting at 2 pm. tomorrow.
The video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
Hussar said that the Patriarch and the Church had done a lot to defend democratic values and support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s in the latter’s war of aggression. The Ecumenical Patriarch has condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as the pro-war rhetoric of the Patriarch of Moscow. “We must do everything in our power to help Ukraine win the war,” Hussar said.
The President of the Riigikogu explained that support for Ukraine was also a key topic in the parliament. “The importance of parliamentary diplomacy has significantly increased after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a very large part of our foreign policy activities are connected with Ukraine. Church diplomacy plays a similar role in shining a light on the events in Ukraine and in an effort to support the people of Ukraine,” he said.
Hussar and Patriarch Bartholomew also discussed the work of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church as well as questions of climate and the environment, including topics around the green transition.
This is the Ecumenical Patriarch’s fourth visit to Estonia. His visit is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the autonomy of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church and the 30th anniversary of the restoration of its functions.
Photos(Author: (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
In his speech at the opening sitting of the session, Hussar said that the current times and our future goals demanded that, besides strengthening our security, we also conducted deep parliamentary debate in many key areas of Estonia’s future. He mentioned Estonia’s contribution to education, as well as discussions on the environment and the need to sort out the state finances.
“All vital and major decisions in Estonia are to be made in the Riigikogu. In order to secure high-quality and thoughtful decisions, we need high-quality debate. We can do this by remaining respectful towards each other and also willing to engage in a debate,” Hussar underlined, pointing out that the parliamentary working rhythm had been seriously disturbed since spring and the Riigikogu was flooded with interpellations and Bills.
According to Hussar, many of the more than 500 Bills and interpellations have been submitted for obstructive purposes, therefore it was necessary to restrict their submission during the Spring Session. “The parliament also has several other functions under the Constitution besides ensuring the right of the MPs to submit Bills and interpellations. Another key task of the parliament in addition to parliamentary debate is passing resolutions and legislation,” he said.
“Ever since spring, the Board of the Riigikogu and the Council of Elders have spent countless hours and huge amounts of energy to find a common ground that would in some way help reduce the burden of interpellations and Bills that has been set on the shoulders of the parliament, but sadly to no avail so far. It is easy to say that the parliament needs to solve all the conflicts in its work internally. I one hundred percent agree. This is why I remind all the Members of the Riigikogu that ensuring the parliament’s ability to work is the duty of all its members, and it follows from their oath of office. It is unthinkable that ensuring this ability to work would come at the price of hindering the Riigikogu from fulfilling all its constitutional functions,” Hussar emphasised.
He called on all Members of the Riigikogu to contemplate how they could ensure that both the rights of the opposition and the also coalition were protected, and whether the rules of procedure of the Riigikogu needed amending in that respect. “But I would go even further. Because we find ourselves in a fairly novel situation, I propose setting up an initiative that would involve an even wider range of people. This would not be the first time to involve civil society and experts into resolving a political impasse, and the results have been positive before,” Hussar said.
The President of the Riigikogu noted that he would like to involve experts of constitutional law, as well as previous Presidents of the Riigikogu and renowned experts in relevant fields in the initiative of resolving the confrontation, so that a solution could be found to the current situation by means of deliberative democracy. “The key question is how to overcome the conflict in the parliament so that the majority could implement its policies and the minority had the right to be heard. Another topic is how and when to use the votes of confidence approach in making decisions. An outsider’s viewpoint could be the useful input that would spark the discussion on possible solutions in the Riigikogu working groups,” he said.
