Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that at its sitting, the Committee confirmed that Estonia supported increasing the European Union’s energy independence from Russia and therefore considered it important that negotiations to end natural gas imports from Russia should be concluded as quickly as possible and that natural gas should be abandoned at the earliest opportunity.
“Buyers of Russian gas and other fossil fuels are directly financing Russia’s war in Ukraine and its war machine. Another threat is that not only Russian influence but also corruption, which undermines our rule of law, is inevitably spreading through the pipelines into the heart of Europe,” Tali underlined. “It is also appropriate to discuss the ending of natural gas imports from Russia at next week’s European Council and General Affairs Council meetings. The sooner we stop buying Russian natural gas, the happier we will be living in a free Europe in the longer perspective.”
The approved positions state that Estonia supports the goal of ending imports of Russian natural gas and liquefied natural gas into the European Union and the implementation of the prohibition as soon as possible. In Estonia’s opinion, long-term gas supply contracts should be terminated as soon as possible, but not later than 1 January 2028. On that date, the transition provisions arising from the types of contracts and the transition periods for countries without sea borders must expire.
Estonia also supports ending oil imports from Russia by 2028 at the latest. In addition, Estonia considers it necessary that the European Commission submitted a proposal to end imports of Russian nuclear fuel and technology as soon as possible.
Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt gave an overview of the positions of the Government on the proposal for a Regulation at today’s sitting of the European Union Affairs Committee. The European Union Affairs Committee decided to specify the positions presented by the Government, taking into account the opinion of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, and to emphasise that the gas supply contracts should be terminated as soon as possible.
According to Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson, a large part of the Committee’s activities are focused on exchanging information and providing explanations to allies in Europe and the United States in order to help Ukraine win the war of aggression initiated by Russia, but at the same time, there is also a need to strengthen contacts with like-minded countries further away. “In the current security policy situation, we have to maintain and strengthen relations with our allies in every corner of the world. Despite the distance, both Australia and New Zealand are our close partners, who are a part of the democratic world in the Pacific region, and who also are consistent supporters of Ukraine,” he said.
Mihkelson noted that the Foreign Affairs Committee had been paying close attention to developments in the Asian region for years, and last autumn, delegation of the Committee visited Taiwan and South Korea. “In New Zealand and Australia, the Foreign Affairs Committee focuses on strengthening bilateral relations. This is the first time that a delegation from an Estonian Parliamentary Committee has visited these countries. There is also a notable Estonian community in both countries,” he said.
Mihkelson added that the second, but equally important, aim of the visit was to gain an overview of the regional security situation, which had also been affected by Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. “We want to better understand the regional security situation there, and how New Zealand and Australia perceive the threats posed by China and Russia. Of course, we will also explain our views during the meetings,” he said.
The delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee, which consists of the Chairman, and members of the Committee Henn Põlluaas and Juku-Kalle Raid, will be on a visit to Australia and New Zealand from 21 October to 3 November.
In Auckland, the Estonian delegation will participate in the European Union – New Zealand Business Summit, where Mihkelson will speak at several panel discussions. The Estonian delegation will meet with Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade select Committee of the Parliament of New Zealand Tim van de Molen and Minister of Trade Todd McClay, participate in a round table discussion at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, and meet with the local Estonian community.
In Sydney, Australia, the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee will meet members of the Ukrainian community of New South Wales. From Sydney, they will travel to Canberra. They will participate in a roundtable held at the Centre for European Studies of the Australian National University.
In Canberra, the delegation will also have meetings with the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, and the Australia-Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group, as well as with Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Jamie Isbister and First Assistant Secretary, Europe Division, of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Christian Hirst. They plan to participate in several conferences and roundtables organised by think tanks. The Estonian delegation will also visit the Estonian House and meet with the Estonian community.
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The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Conference Hall of the Riigikogu and can be followed via webcast.
The meeting will focus on practical steps which can be taken to support both the physical and the psychological rehabilitation of Ukrainian children who have suffered traumatic experiences as a result of war. The meeting will be opened by President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna, Head of the Estonian delegation to PACE Kadri Tali and member of the delegation Eerik-Niiles Kross.
“Deportation of children is genocide – it must end,” President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar underlined. He recalled that the European Parliament had demanded the same in its Resolution in May. “I am very proud that our Riigikogu is today addressing the most inhumane aspect of the destruction of Ukraine’s identity, and I assure you that the day will come when these children will be brought back to their homes.”
According to Head of the Estonian delegation to PACE Kadri Tali, the well-being and future of Ukrainian children is also a priority for all Estonian people. “Our people have also been in a position where they needed help in a foreign country, and therefore we know and feel how important help, understanding, and support are for the survival of a nation,” she said.
The Network brings together members of parliaments from PACE countries, Ukrainian officials, Estonian experts, and representatives of international organisations. Discussions will focus on two key dimensions: physical rehabilitation of children, which includes medical care, rehabilitation centres, and prosthetics; and psychological recovery, which involves trauma relief, resilience building, and reintegration of children into their families and communities.
The speakers at the session on physical rehabilitation will include Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia Karmen Joller, representative of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Vasyl Strilka, Head of Physical Rehabilitation Department of Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital Pavlo Andrieiev, CEO of Superhumans Rehabilitation Centre Olga Rudnieva, psychiatrist Roksolana Yurchyshyn and Estonian expert Anna Mikkonen-Berg. The session will be moderated by Head of the Network Olena Khomenko.
In the afternoon, the participants of the meeting will have the opportunity to watch the documentary “Stolen Childhood”, which highlights the impacts of the war on children.
The session on psychological rehabilitation will be moderated by Undersecretary for Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minna-Liina Lind. Presentations will be delivered by Chair of the Social Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Signe Riisalo, Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the situation of children of Ukraine Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir (video address), Secretary of the Coordination Centre for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development Kyrylo Lapko, child psychiatrists Nataliia Masiak and Roksolana Yurchyshyn, and Adviser of the Mental Health Department of the Ministry of Social Affairs Katrin Aarma.
Thematic brainstorming sessions will be moderated by Miapetra Kumpula-Natri and Eerik-Niiles Kross.
On Friday, the participants of the meeting will visit the Ukrainian School, and on Saturday, the Ukrainian Cultural Centre.
In August, the Heads of the Nordic-Baltic (Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian and Swedish) Delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe signed a Joint Statement in Jūrmala, Latvia, where they emphasised that all abducted Ukrainian children must be returned to their families immediately. They also promised to work for accountability for all atrocities committed and to ensure that justice was delivered to the victims of aggression.
In February last year, the plenary of the Riigikogu adopted a Statement in which it condemned the deliberate and systematic deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia in violation of international law, and demanded the release of such children and the ensuring of their safe return to Ukraine. In the Statement, the Riigikogu pointed out that the deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia and Belarus was a war crime and genocide under international law. According to the Statement, the aim of Russia and Belarus is to destroy the Ukrainian nation and identity by killing, wounding, traumatising and relocating Ukrainian children.
During the war of aggression started by the Russian Federation in 2014, hundreds of thousands of children have been taken from the territories of Ukraine to Russia.
“The war of aggression against Ukraine. Trade tensions and wars. Technological shifts and climate change reshaping industries and societies,” Serafin said. He pointed out that last July, the European Commission had presented its proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework – a budget that would take Europe forward to 2035 and beyond. “Our proposal aims to strike a balance. We continue to support the policies that have proven successful. At the same time, we are responding to new challenges – defence, security and competitiveness.”
Serafin said that according to the proposal, cohesion and agriculture would be kept as strong pillars of the EU budget, and their budgets would remain stable. “We focus new resources where the political demand is the highest: defence, security, competitiveness, and border protection,” Serafin explained. He added that National and Regional Partnership Plans would bring together reforms and investments under one coherent framework, linking cohesion, agriculture, and other key programmes with a total envelope of 865 billion euros.
“To strengthen Europe’s capacity to respond to shared challenges at our borders we will integrate the funds for borders, security and migration and integration into the National and Regional Partnerships,” Serafin said. “Member States will receive a pre-allocated amount of EUR 34 billion for migration and border management, three times the current envelope. We will double financing for the Frontex agency and Europol, respectively to EUR 12 billion and EUR 3 billion. The proposal takes into account the specific needs of Member States at the external border, especially in light of the current geopolitical situation.”
Serafin underlined that the European Commission clearly recognized Estonia’s crucial role in safeguarding the Union’s external frontier. That is why the proposal strengthens funding for border management, infrastructure, and resilience measures. He added that the countries bordering Russia and Belarus would benefit from a bonus in the allocation of funds, reflecting their specific challenges both in terms of security and economic development.
“Defence is now a European priority and it is reflected clearly in the numbers,” Serafin said. He pointed out that military mobility would receive 18 billion euros, ten times the current level. “It means roads, bridges, railways and digital infrastructure that serve both civilians and defence. Military mobility will be anchored in the Connecting Europe Facility, ensuring that connectivity, resilience, and security are developed together,” Serafin said, and added that Estonia was using the Connecting Europe Facility to develop the Rail Baltic.
The Commissioner also spoke about the EU’s commitment to Ukraine’s recovery, resilience and path to membership. “Ukraine is not only our partner; it is part of our shared security. Supporting Ukraine is investing in Europe’s own stability,” he said.
According to Serafin, the new multiannual financial framework will be more flexible and responsive. It will have a crisis mechanism allowing Member States to access EU support swiftly in times of major shocks without improvisation or delay.
Serafin underlined that in the present times, it was clear that the European Union budget should focus more on security and defence. This is also the focus of the proposal for a new multiannual financial framework. “It is a budget for an independent Europe: capable of defending its territory and values, connected through the infrastructure of the future, and confident in its ability to act in the world.”
Serafin’s speech was followed by a debate on the matter of significant national importance “Estonia’s choices and opportunities in the European Union’s long-term budget for 2028–2034”, initiated by the European Union Affairs Committee, with presentations by Meelis Meigas, Head of the EU Policy Unit of the Fiscal Policy Department of the Ministry of Finance, and Peeter Tali, Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.
In his speech, European Commission Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin will focus on the European Commission’s proposal for the next budget, discussing Europe’s common challenges and how to overcome them through cooperation and with the help of the EU budget.
Serafini’s speech will be followed by a debate on the matter of significant national importance “Estonia’s choices and opportunities in the European Union’s long-term budget for 2028–2034”, initiated by the European Union Affairs Committee, with presentations by Meelis Meigas, Head of the EU Policy Unit of the Fiscal Policy Department of the Ministry of Finance, and Peeter Tali, Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.
“Discussing the new European Union budget as a matter of significant national importance is very timely and appropriate, as the Government has begun to prepare Estonia’s negotiating positions,” Tali said. “The EU’s seven-year budget, together with EU legislation, Member State policies, and private sector investments, will significantly shape the Europe we will live in at the beginning of the 2030s – how strong our defence and security will be, how well Estonia will be connected to the rest of Europe, and how fast our economy will grow.”
In his presentation, Tali will discuss why the EU budget is important for Estonia, and also speak about the political positions in the negotiations on the budget proposal and the role of the Riigikogu in representing Estonia’s interests. Meelis Meigas will give an overview of the long-term budget proposals, main directions, and areas, as well as the process of forming positions in Estonia.
Members of the Riigikogu may each pose one question to both presenters. The presentations will be followed by the debate, in which representatives of the parliamentary groups will speak first, and after that, all members of the Riigikogu can take the floor.
The sitting and the Commissioner’s speech will be live streamed on the Riigikogu web page and on Facebook. The speech can be followed in English or with a simultaneous interpretation into Estonian. The video recording of the Commissioner’s speech and the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
The Bill on the Ratification of the Convention between the Republic of Estonia and the Principality of Liechtenstein for the Elimination of Double Taxation with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance and its Protocol (718 SE), initiated by the Government.
The Convention regulates the division of taxation right between the parties to the convention, ensures equal treatment of persons and establishes an obligation to prevent fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Estonia has similar conventions with 63 countries. All agreements for the avoidance of double taxation are based on the OECD Model Convention but are still unique due to the needs of specific contracting countries.
According to the tax convention between Estonia and Liechtenstein, the source state has limited taxing rights on dividend income – the maximum limit of withholding tax is 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner of the dividends is an individual. In other cases, the source state cannot withhold income tax. In the case of interest, the rate of tax withheld from interest paid to a natural person resident of the other state may not exceed 10% of the gross amount of the interest. Interest paid to companies is exempt from withholding tax. In the case of royalties, the source state has the right to withhold tax up to 5% of the gross amount of the royalties.
The government approved the convention on 8 May this year and it was signed in Rome on 10 July.
The Bill on the State’s Supplementary Budget for 2025 (733 SE), initiated by the Government, will reduce expenditure by EUR 19.9 million and investment by 12 million, while increasing financing transactions by 72.3 million.
When preparing the Bill, requests from ministries and constitutional institutions for budget reallocation from this year to the following years were taken into account. In addition, the budget of the area of government of the Ministry of Defence will be increased by 39 million for assistance to Ukraine and for defence procurements. In financing transactions, the share capital of Elering Ltd will be increased by 45 million in the area of government of the Ministry of Climate. In the area of government of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, EUR 27.3 million will be transferred from research and development and innovation expenses to financing transactions to provide innovation loans to companies.
According to the State Budget Act, the Government may initiate a draft supplementary budget not later than three months before the end of the budgetary year.
The Bill on Amendments to the Act on Amendments to the Simplified Business Income Taxation Act and the Income Tax Act and the Repeal of the Security Tax, and the Income Tax Act (734 SE), initiated by the Government, will cancel the two-percentage-point increase in income tax and business account tax rates planned for 2026. In order to continue supporting Ukraine, the special tax exemption regime for donations to eight charitable associations will be extended by two years.
Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Rain Epler from Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Riina Sikkut from the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group and Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi took the floor during the debate.
The Bill on Amendments to the State Budget Act and the Act on Amendments to the State Budget Act (736 SE), initiated by the Government, is related to the 2026 State Budget Act.
The Bill will implement the renewed framework for fiscal surveillance in the European Union, specify the role and tasks of the Fiscal Council, and update the requirements of the national fiscal rule. In addition, the structure of the annual state budget law will change, the principles for planning the government reserve will be determined, and the conditions for granting state loans will be specified. The amendments are technical in nature and will not increase the minister’s rights to amend the budget. Ministers will also have an obligation to inform the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu of any ongoing budget changes, along with explanations. The conditions for granting subsidies from the state budget will also be regulated and the links between local authorities and the state budget will be specified.
According to the Bill, the new budget structure will come into effect as early as the 2026 state budget. Several special provisions apply to the entry into force of the draft amendments, such as the restriction on the transfer of the government reserve, and domestic subsidies.
Rain Epler from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Aivar Kokk from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Maris Lauri from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras and Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt replied to interpellations.
Terras replied to the interpellation concerning the revenue base of local governments (No. 802). Sutt replied to the interpellations concerning the necessity and timeliness of establishing a general nesting peace (No. 804), the future of the Climate Act (No. 809) and the closing down of Endla Nature Centre (No. 815).
The Bill on the Ratification of the Final Acts of the Extraordinary Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Riyadh (689 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. It will ratify two international agreements adopted by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in Riyadh in 2023: the fourth additional protocol to the general regulations and the first additional protocol to the Postal Convention. The amendments will specify the role of a governing body of the UPU, raise the budget ceiling and better align postal services with the needs of e-commerce, particularly in terms of traceability. These are mainly technical and internal organizational changes that will have little impact on end users.
The Bill on Amendments to the Public Transport Act (725 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the first reading. It will amend the procedure for keeping records of service provider cards in the public transport register. The aim of the Bill is to consolidate economic activity data subject to special requirements into a single register in order to ensure more efficient data management, reduce administrative costs and increase security.
Currently, service provider cards can be applied for and processed in the register of economic activities, but physical cards are issued, managed, and published in the public transport register. Such fragmentation increases the administrative burden on the state and businesses. In addition, the public transport register is an outdated and poorly maintained system, which means that hosting data in this environment poses serious security risks, and other Transport Administration systems located in the same cluster are also at risk.
Therefore, the current practice of displaying service provider cards to the public will be discontinued, and the application for the cards, the issuance of the cards, and record-keeping will be transferred to the register of economic activities. This will reduce duplicate management of registers, improve data security, and simplify administration for both the state and businesses.
Another amendment concerns the requirement to provide a photo on the service card. Today’s procedure requires that a person provide an identity photo in the application in order to obtain a service card. This requirement is a leftover from the time when a physical card was the primary means of identification. Such a photo does not increase security, but it does create risks regarding data protection and misuse and requires an expensive IT-solution. At the same time, the planned amendment is in line with data protection principles according to which the state should not collect or store data that it does not actually need.
The amendment is scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2026.
Mart Maastik from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Rene Kokk from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
Head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Raimond Kaljulaid and member of the delegation Marko Mihkelson gave the Standing Committee, which brings together the heads of member state delegations, an overview of Russia’s violation of Estonia’s airspace, due to which Estonia requested NATO Article 4 consultations and, for the first time, initiated an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Kaljulaid said that the Estonian delegation also gave the allies an overview of the situation on Estonia’s eastern border, which had been met with exceptional interest.
Border violations were also discussed at today’s Plenary Sitting of the Annual Session, where NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte gave a speech and answered questions from delegates. “During the assembly’s debate with Secretary General Rutte, the question arose as to whether the violation of Estonia’s airspace was intentional. It came as a surprise to us that Secretary General Rutte also considered it possible that it was a mistake. We pointed out that the Russian pilots were naturally aware that they were flying in NATO airspace, and that it certainly could not have been an accident or a mistake,” Kaljulaid said.
Mihkelson underlined that NATO must be more decisive than it had been so far. “Russia must know that NATO will not tolerate deliberate violations of our sovereign territory. There must be zero tolerance in this regard. NATO must move from the Baltic airspace patrol mission to an air defence mission,” he said.
The same topic was addressed in the resolution adopted today by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which noted that Russia’s recent airspace incursions of Estonia and other allies were in line with Russia’s escalating behaviour towards the Allies’ territory, populations, infrastructure, and interests. The Assembly also welcomed NATO’s decision to launch the Eastern Sentry vigilance measure, under which Allies are strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture with additional air defence elements in Estonia and across the Eastern Flank.
In the resolution on supporting Ukraine, the Assembly recommended that NATO allies ensure the timely and continuous delivery of air defence, long-range precision strike systems, ammunition, and other critical capabilities needed by Ukraine, expand and tighten sanctions on Russia, and reaffirm that Russia’s attempts to annex Ukrainian territory will never be recognized.
At its Annual Session, the Assembly adopted a total of six resolutions which, in addition to NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities and support for Ukraine, addressed the strengthening of economic cooperation, increasing of societies’ resilience to external interference, the future of unmanned warfare, and the situation in the Western Balkans.
During the Annual Session in Ljubljana, the Estonian delegation also participated in a separate meeting with delegations from the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States, as well as Poland, and Germany.
Kaljulaid said that the Estonian delegation had been asked to give the Assembly’s Standing Committee an overview of the violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russia. “After letting the world know about Russia’s aggressive actions and provocations through the UN, and informing our allies in the North Atlantic Council, we also want to give members of the parliaments of NATO countries an overview of Russia’s hybrid warfare against NATO. There is certainly a great deal of interest in this, and it is important for us to highlight to our allies that this is not a coincidence, but a part of Russia’s efforts to threaten European security, intimidate the citizens of NATO countries, and test NATO’s resolve and unity. We can also show at the level of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that Russia is not able to do these things,” he said.
The Standing Committee, which brings together the heads of member state delegations, will meet on Sunday to discuss airspace violations against Estonia and other allies. Discussions will also be held in other committees of the Assembly during this week. In addition to the Standing Committee, Kaljulaid is a member of the Defence and Security Committee, and Mihkelson participates in the work of the Political Committee of the Assembly.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly will convene for the Plenary Sitting of the Annual Session on Monday. Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte and Vice-President of the European Investment Bank Robert de Groot will address the Plenary Sitting and reply to the questions of the members of the Assembly, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver an online address, and Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob will also make a speech.
The debates at the Plenary Sitting will focus on NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities, as well as strengthening economic cooperation, increasing the resilience of societies to external interference, the future of unmanned warfare, further support for Ukraine, and the situation in the Western Balkans. The Plenary Sitting plans to adopt six resolutions on these topics.
During the Annual Session in Ljubljana, members of the Estonian delegation will also participate in a separate meeting with delegations from the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States, as well as Poland, and Germany.
Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that combating and preventing child sexual abuse was also naturally necessary on the internet, but Estonia could not agree to indiscriminate scanning of message files before they are sent.
“It is unthinkable that in the European Union we will start restricting the freedoms of our citizens and undermining their privacy,” Tali underlined. “As a preventive measure, just in case, and no matter how noble the pretext.” He added that many countries are critical of the initiative and expressed his satisfaction that the Presidency had decided at the last minute to remove the draft regulation from the agenda of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on 14 October and put it on hold. He stressed that if the draft were to be put back on the agenda in the same form, Estonia would vote against it.
The European Commission submitted a proposal for a regulation to establish rules for preventing and combating child sexual abuse already in 2022. So far, no compromise that is acceptable to all Member States has been reached – some countries agree to greater infringement of privacy rights, while others, such as Estonia, consider the protection of privacy rights a higher priority.
Estonia supports the general objectives of the draft regulation – protecting children from sexual abuse, preventing the dissemination of such web content, and bringing perpetrators to justice – but cannot support the blanket scanning of content shared by users, such as images, videos, or web addresses. Estonia also believes that if a person refuses to give permission for scanning and is therefore restricted from accessing the service, this constitutes a violation of the principle of voluntary consent.
Minister of the Interior Igor Taro gave an overview of the position of the Government on the draft regulation at today’s sitting of the European Union Affairs Committee. The European Union Affairs Committee decided by consensus to support the position presented by the Government.
