Perusing the Riigikogu verbatim records from over one hundred years ago, we come across the nice tradition of reading aloud the cablegrams with greetings that had been sent to the parliament.
“I wish you all the strength as you start your new work. May our home grow strong and the pillars at its gate solid.”
This greeting was sent to the Members of the Riigikogu by lieutenant Schmidt in early 1921 from Lithuania. That military representative of the Republic of Estonia later Estonicised his name to August Johannes Torma and became a distinguished diplomat. There is nothing antiquated about the core of his wish even today, which makes it very fitting to be conveyed to the Estonian people on the first day of 2022.
I hope that Christmas and New Year passed in joy and security for all of you. I am sure that many of you had the chance to spend the holidays with your families and close ones, or peacefully alone. Meanwhile, there were others who because of their jobs or their own free will upheld the sense of security and holiday cheer of every one of us. They did it in rescue commandos, police force, health care institutions, businesses, production facilities, associations, authorities, shops, media, foreign missions, or other roles. I take my hat off in gratitude to all of you and hope that there was enough peace of mind and holiday spirit to reach you as well.
People of Estonia!
My hope for the new year is that we would be able to support one another better. Those who share our beliefs but also those who challenge us in finding a common ground. The big should support the small, and the small should support the big – both in the direct and the metaphorical sense. In politics and daily lives. Across the nation and in local governments. Face to face, in public space, and online. Estonia’s success and happiness are best measured by those among us who have the least.
Reminding ourselves that one in ten Estonians live abroad for any number of reasons, one in five still live on the threshold of poverty, many are suffering from mental or physical abuse, too many have been subjected to an unfair treatment through no fault of their own, and that the Estonian population numbers still keep declining… If we want Estonia to be a good home for us all and for lieutenant Schmidt’s cablegram to ring true for centuries, what we most need are human relations and care for one another.
We also need to be smart and keep our sight on our future, so that we would always be able to overcome the crises and stumbling blocks on our path.
Although our security might continue to be sound, the security environment is more strained than during the last New Year. Even though economy is developing, many among us have become less certain of coping over the last year. We are a single nation and society but too many among us feel rejected. The health crisis has remained a sad fact and hundreds of people still had to spend these holidays in hospitals or in sick beds. The number of fatalities among us has been tragically high.
People of Estonia,
Nearly a century and a half before we started receiving professional health care advice from the Scientific Advisory Board, our celebrated poet Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, who was after all also Võru city doctor, put together a health care manual for Estonian homes. In the foreword to this book from 1879, this figurehead of national enlightenment wrote:
Knowledge and life experience teach us that the sooner we deal with a problem, the quicker it can be overcome;
The signs of a disease need to be studied carefully to see which ones make it advance more lightly or more seriously;
Expenses cannot be skimped on because the higher a fire grows, the worse its consequences.
This is why I wish that we would all be fully committed to learning life’s lessons in the new year, taking note of concerns, recognising red flags, and getting everything under control more easily and early. All this to make the new year and the future centuries enjoyable for all of us and for the entire Estonia.
Members of Estonian contingent BKN-10 that has served in Mali for the past four months were awarded French deployment medals at a ceremony held in Gao, Mali yesterday. Additionally the outgoing Senior National Representative (SNR) Major Rauno Viitmann handed over responsibility to incoming SNR Major Rauno Vahimets.
„The past six months as Senior National Representative were challenging but as well productive,“ said Major Rauno Viitmann. „Estonian units that served here during that time did their job well and I am one hundred percent sure that the new SNR and contingent will continue keeping their standards high“.
The French overseas deployment medal (Medaille d’Outre-Mer) is issued to troops for participating in operations outside of French territory since 1962. Areas of service are indicated by a clasp that will be attached to the medal. Medals issued to Estonian service members have the clasp Sahel, which indicates to a respective area in Africa.
“Members of the current contingent, led by Major Viitmann, have done a great job which we are honored to continue,“ said the new SNR Major Rauno Vahimets. „We will do our best to keep our standards and professionalism high.”
50 Estonian service members, that received the medals, have served in Mali since August this year. Main tasks of the unit are manning gates and observation posts of Gao military base, forming the quick reaction force (QRF) and patrolling in and around the city of Gao.
Estonian troops are serving in the French military camp on the banks of river Niger since 2018.
The aim of the French-led operation Barkhane is to support the fight of five Sahel region states (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad) against terrorist groups. Operation Barkhane was initiated on August 1, 2014.
Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee delegation is meeting their colleagues from the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments to discuss the latest developments in security as well as issues related to China and Russia.
“The interconnectedness of the three Baltic states and their close cooperation is unique from the global perspective,” said the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson. “Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania sitting together and speaking as one is a rare example of regional unity. Keeping up this unity along with a strong and permanent cooperation is vital for the security of our region, particularly in the context of ever-increasing tensions,” he added.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee expects the discussions to focus on the latest developments on the EU and NATO borders as well as the border regions of Ukraine. Questions surrounding China and Russia will be on the agenda as well. The delegations will also visit the Tapa Army Base.
Yesterday Estonian Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Martin Herem met with Belgian Chief of Defense Admiral Michel Hofman, who was visiting the Belgian Air Force detachment serving at Ämari airbase for their rotation of Baltic Air Policing mission.
“I am delighted about the excellent cooperation with the Estonian Defense Forces,” said Belgian Chief of Defense Admiral Michel Hofman. “We are proud to be able to participate in this NATO mission and to contribute to the security of the Baltic airspace.”
Belgium was the first country to participate the Baltic Air Policing mission when it was established in 2004. Belgian Air Force started their current Baltic Air Policing rotation from Ämari airbase on December 2 this year when they took over responsibility from the outgoing rotation of Italian Air Force. Belgian aircraft have taken part in Baltic Air Policing from Ämari airbase also in 2016 and 2017.
“For years Belgium has contributed to the safety of Estonia and the whole region and I am thankful to our good allies for their actions,” said Estonian Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Martin Herem. “Our meeting was also a great opportunity to give an overview of Estonian defense readiness and introduce our perspective about the threats in current security environment.”
Belgium and Estonia share years of defense cooperation. Estonian naval officers have participated courses at the Belgian-Netherlands Mine Warfare School since 1998. Belgian units have taken part in Estonian military exercise Spring Storm since 2014 and Belgium joined the Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence in 2017. In addition, in 2019 a Belgian armored infantry unit was a part of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup serving in Tapa.
At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, Minister for Economy and Infrastructure Taavi Aas made a political statement in connection with a steep rise in electricity price. He underlined that, in order to solve the energy crisis, both long-term measures and quick decisions regarding short-term measures were needed.
“The biggest energy crisis of the century has been going on for a short while, but it has already had a painful impact on the subsistence and daily life of a large part of the Estonian people. Energy bills for November have already reached families and companies and the reality is harsh. Unless we do something about it together, we will continue to be getting monthly price shocks,” Minister for Economy and Infrastructure said.
Aas underlined that, besides developing long-term solutions, it was necessary to see to the implementation of temporary measures. He pointed out that the state had approved several support measures, suspended the rise in excise duty for liquefied gas, reduced the network charge twice and decided to pay compensation for the price rise to low-income people. “According to plans, the web application for partial compensation of the rise in energy price will be launched next week,” Aas noted. The minister added that broad-based measures such as value-added tax reduction or stock exchange price ceiling were also needed. “The measures will have to be implemented together and at the same time because only in this way will they be effective.”
The minister also emphasised the importance of longer-term solutions and pointed out what had been done in connection with renewable energy generation. He added that it was also necessary to find a long-term solution for controlled energy generation. “The national nuclear energy working group formed at the Government is analysing, with the help of foreign experts, the opportunities to implement nuclear energy in Estonia,” Aas said. He added that the provisional deadline for the analysis was autumn 2022 but the process could be sped up.
Aas urged to act jointly and to focus on supporting people.
During the debate, Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party), Jaanus Karilaid (Centre Party), Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party) and Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor on behalf of their factions. Minister for Economy and Infrastructure Taavi Aas also made his closing remarks.
A Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Act on the Ratification and Implementation of the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism (480 SE), initiated by the Government.
The Agreement Amending the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) was signed on 27 January and 8 February 2021. The agreement is intergovernmental and it is amended by an intergovernmental agreement where all member states of the euro area are parties.
The agreement that amends the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism, which entered into force in April 2012, will provide the legal basis for the reform of the ESM, agreed upon by the euro area heads of government and heads of state at an inclusive format summit in December 2018. The Agreement is a part of a wider package of measures endorsed at that summit to strengthen the European Economic and Monetary Union and to work on building a banking union.
The essence of the reform is the broadening of the mandate of the ESM. In addition to supporting member states that have temporarily lost access to market funding, the ESM will also have a stabilising role in the banking union that is being created in the European Union from 2012. The ESM will become a backstop provider to the banking union’s Single Resolution Fund, with the task of supporting the functioning of the Single Resolution Mechanism. Besides that, the reform will update the ESM’s support instruments and extend the role of ESM in crisis resolution. The reform will not change the scope of the ESM.
The national procedures relating to the implementation of the ESM are provided in the Act on the Ratification and Implementation of the Treaty Establishing the ESM. As the Agreement Amending the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism will make changes to the existing ESM instruments and the task of providing a backstop will be added, this Bill will provide for amendments to the procedures of the Government of the Republic and the Riigikogu relating to ESM issues, arising from the amendments to the Treaty.
During the debate, Anti Poolamets (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) and Aivar Sõerd (Reform Party) took the floor.
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. 23 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 46 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported and the second reading of the Bill was concluded.
Interpellation concerning the rapid tests procurement
Auditor General Janar Holm replied to the interpellation concerning the rapid tests procurement of the Ministry of Education and Research (No. 90), submitted by members of the Riigikogu Helir-Valdor Seeder, Heiki Hepner, Priit Sibul, Andres Metsoja, Tarmo Kruusimäe, Aivar Kokk, Üllar Saaremäe, Sven Sester, Mihhail Lotman and Urmas Reinsalu.
The interpellators wished to know if the Ministry of Education and Research had acted in accordance with the law when procuring the rapid tests, done everything in its power to prevent problems, ensured fair competition and transparency during the procurement and used taxpayers’ money cost-effectively. The interpellators also asked for the National Audit Office’s assessment of whether the ministry should have been more open with journalists as regarded the details relating to the procurement of the rapid tests.
Auditor General Janar Holm said that, when procuring the rapid tests, the Ministry of Education and Research had used the exceptional procurement procedure in view of urgency. In Holm’s opinion, with better planning, the ministry could have avoided acting in a hurry. In his words, in the procurement situation, the urgency had no longer been avoidable, but asking a tender from only one company could indeed have been avoided. He admitted that, considering the large amount of the procurement, tenders should also have been taken from other companies regardless of the time pressure.
Holm said that the ministry had started to make a procurement in a field in which it lacked specific skills. In Auditor General’s words, the reason was that the Ministry of Social Affairs had failed to achieve the necessary result within the planned time frame, which had become clear at the last moment. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Research had done what it had been able to do and in the way it had been able to do it. In Holm’s words, in the case of such a specific procurement, the procurement should be made by an agency that has the competence needed for that.
In Auditor General’s words, the ministry had got what it had wanted with the procurement, but it seemed that the agencies had different understandings of what the Government had decided and what the agencies had to do in that light. So Holm underlined that, in order to execute a decision, somebody must be given the responsibility for it.
During the debate, Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa), Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party) and Aivar Kokk (Isamaa) took the floor.
During the open microphone, Ivari Padar (Social Democratic Party) and Leo Kunnas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
At the beginning of the sitting, the justice of the Supreme Court Heili Sepp took the oath of office.
At its sitting today, the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) elected its Chairman and Deputy Chairman. Raimond Kaljulaid was elected the Deputy Chairman and Siim Kallas will continue as the Chairman of the Committee.
The extraordinary election was held due to the resignation of Riina Sikkut from the position of the Deputy Chair.
Other members of the European Union Affairs Committee are Enn Eesmaa, Kalle Grünthal, Ruuben Kaalep, Siret Kotka, Tarmo Kruusimäe, Oudekki Loone, Lauri Läänemets, Anti Poolamets, Martin Repinski, Riina Sikkut, Timo Suslov, Margit Sutrop, Aivar Sõerd, Raivo Tamm and Urve Tiidus.
The European Union Affairs Committee is a standing committee of the Riigikogu that has a deciding and coordinating role in the issues relating to the European Union in the Riigikogu. The Committee gives the mandate to the positions of the Government of the Republic on proposed European Union legislation and to Estonia’s positions for the meetings of the Council of Ministers of the European Union and the European Council. The positions of the European Union Affairs Committee are binding for the Government, and the Government proceeds from these in the discussions held in Europe.
Photos of the sitting (Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Today, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson met with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta Evarist Bartolo. They discussed the security situation in Europe and Russia’s attempts to disrupt the current security architecture through hybrid activities.
According to Mihkelson, Estonia and Malta, as small countries, have excellent relations and common values to uphold in the European Union.
“Authoritarian regimes have put democracy and human rights under strong pressure,” Mihkelson said. “We have to stand for these values in a situation where Russia’s ambition is to expand its reach, and all means can be used for that in order to try to disrupt the current security architecture in Europe.”
Mihkelson recalled that Russia’s aggressive activities in Europe were nothing new, they started already around 30 years ago with the Chechen war and had continued in Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as in the Middle East and Africa, where the mercenaries of Russia’s Wagner Group fought.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta said that it was important that the southern Member States of the European Union understood what was happening on the Eastern border, and vice versa. Therefore, the communication and exchange of experience between the Member States is vital.
Relations with China and increase of China’s influence in the world were also discussed at the meeting. Transatlantic relations were spoken of as well, and information about the security policy situation in both regions was shared.
59 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the passing of the State Budget for 2022 Act and 37 were against.
According to the State Budget for 2022 Act (464 SE), the volume of the revenue of the coming year’s state budget is 13.132 billion euro, the volume of expenditure 13.633 billion euro, and the volume of investments is 724 billion euro. The volume of expenditure will exceed the volume of revenue, but the structural position has improved compared to both last year and the state budget strategy for 2022–2025. Defence spending accounts for 2.3 per cent of GDP, and research and development expenditure for one per cent.
The next year’s budget allocates 2.78 million euro for regional investments. During the third reading, funds were added for increasing the competitiveness of the maritime sector and continuing the support measure for international passenger shipping.
The Government has set following of three main directions the aim of the state budget – getting the daily expenditure of the state under control, investing into people, and ensuring a rapid a sustainable development for Estonia.
Next year’s state budget is expected to ensure emergence of the Estonian society and economy from the coronavirus crisis, and to make the economy future-proof. Besides emerging from the crisis, long-term goals are also focused on by moving towards structural balance of the budget. When drafting the state budget, the Government took into account its priorities: rapid exit from the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting the mental and physical health of people, financial sustainability, education and innovation, green economy, pro-active foreign policy, national defence and reducing regional inequality.
Drafting of the state budget for 2022 was based on the State Budget Strategy 2022–2025, Action Programme of the Government of the Republic, recommendations of the European Commission given within the framework of the European Semester and the summer economic forecast of the Ministry of Finance.
The Foreign Affairs Committee had a video meeting today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto to discuss the security situation in the region, Russia’s activities in the border regions of Ukraine, and issues concerning Belarus.
The Chairman of the Committee Marko Mihkelson emphasised that Russia’s activities and any developments in Ukraine must be kept under close scrutiny at all times. The parties highlighted the crucial importance of European Union cohesion, solidarity with Ukraine, and all-round support to free and successful Ukraine.
Regarding Belarus, strict sanctions are both important and necessary. “We must continue supporting the sovereignty of Belarus and demand that new free and fair presidential elections be organised in Belarus. Today, the best way to put pressure on the Lukashenko regime is to enforce strong and effective sanctions,” the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee said.
Mihkelson expressed his happiness over the strong bilateral relations and close exchange of information between Estonia and Finland. He highlighted the report on the future cooperation of Estonia and Finland which is to be completed in February. The report outlines the state of bilateral relations and suggests new opportunities for cooperation.
The Chairman of the Committee raised the issue of qualified majority decisions in the EU foreign and security policy, and the possibilities for enhancing the speed and strength the foreign policy of the Union. The participants also exchanged ideas about the upcoming meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and the OSCE Chairmanship of Finland in 2025.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu received an overview of the Estonian Digital Society Development Plan until 2030.
When introducing the development plan, the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Andres Sutt said that Estonia had created a unique ecosystem that was difficult to copy. “Digital prowess has made us known all over the world. World-changing digital solutions crop up and grow into unicorns here. Digital prowess has helped us be bigger than could be presumed by the size of our population or economy. Estonia has been a trailblazer,” Sutt said.
The Minister underlined that, in order to continue to be a trailblazer, just tinkering on what we already had was not enough, and customer-centeredness and adoption of the latest technology were needed as well. “All this will also have to be cybersecure. These are the principles we have observed when drawing up the new digital society development plan,” Sutt said.
The minister enlarged on three sub-aims set out in the development plan: the development of digital governance, connectivity and cybersecurity.
In terms of digital governance, the development plan has put the focus on the quality of public services and public administration, which marks the next maturity level and development stage of digital governance. “Up until now, the use of IT has been targeted mainly at enhancing the public sector, but now we are shifting the focus on the value created for people in the form of user experience,” minister Sutt explained.
As regards connectivity, he said that the aim was simple: by 2030, ultra-high-speed, reliable and affordable telecommunication would be available independently of location in Estonia. “For that, we will improve the availability of communications services and the affordability of accession in rural areas by developing access networks. It is important to develop the 5G‑base infrastructure and the provision of services, in order to also be ready for 6G in the future,” Sutt said.
Regarding cybersecurity, Sutt noted that it was the enabler of digital society. “Without it, there would be no trust, without which digital services have no users, that is, meaning or impact. That is why, in cybersecurity, the aim is to have a cyberspace that is secure, reliable and resilient to cyber threats.”
The minister also spoke of money and explained that the total need had been estimated to be slightly over 1.2 billion euro over ten years.
Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee Kristen Michal gave an overview of the presentation of the development plan at an Economic Affairs Committee meeting.
During the debate, Andres Metsoja (Isamaa), Kert Kingo (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Andrei Korobeinik (Centre Party), Heiki Hepner (Isamaa), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Kalle Grünthal (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
The Riigikogu passed an Act
The Act on Amendments to the Maritime Safety Act (455 SE), initiated by the Government, is intended to continue supporting international maritime transport through Estonian ports and to motivate consignors to direct their trade flows through Estonian ports where possible.
The Act reduces the fairway dues payable for January to December 2022 by 50 per cent. According to the explanatory memorandum, the reduction of fairway dues will contribute to ensuring preservation of jobs in the sector, which will have a direct positive impact on the state budget and will help prevent an extensive need to make employees redundant.
During the debate, Aivar Kokk (Isamaa), Mihhail Stalnuhhin (Centre Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Annely Akkermann (Reform Party) took the floor.
73 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Act.
Two Bills passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Medicinal Products Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (413 SE), initiated by the Government, will bring the Medicinal Products Act into conformity with the legal acts of the European Union that provide for rules on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use, clinical trials for veterinary medicinal products, and medicinal products under hospital exemption.
The Bill provides for the possibility to prepare and use advanced therapy medicinal products on a non-routine basis in hospitals. Standards will be set to ensure the quality and safety of medicinal products, and monitoring of treatment. Such advanced therapy medicinal products can be prepared and used only in accordance with the specifications of a specialist in Estonia and under his or her professional responsibility to treat an individual patient in hospital. They are medicinal products called advanced therapy medicinal products in the EU that are divided into gene therapy, somatic cell therapy and tissue engineered medicinal products and that offer patients advanced therapies for the treatment of certain types of diseases and dysfunctions. On the basis of the data obtained from the use of a medicinal product under hospital exemption, it will be possible later to start clinical trials with the medicinal product and then to reach application for marketing authorisation. The hospital exemption regulation allows planning specific development paths and cooperation opportunities between Estonian universities, biotechnology companies and hospitals.
The Bill will simplify the process for applying for authorisation for clinical trials, in particular when the applicant wishes to conduct a trial in many EU member states. In this case, throughout the whole process, the applicant communicates with the medicines agency of one Member State who coordinates the whole process and information exchange between the applicant and other Member States in the EU and who prepares the report on the scientific assessment of the application for trial. In the future, application for authorisation for a clinical trial will take place on the basis of a single application in all Member States with the help of a single authorisation application dossier through the clinical trials portal and in a paper-free manner. In the future, the sponsor will also pay a one-off payment in a Member State upon application for a clinical trial. At present, the sponsor pays three different fees in Estonia: a fee to the State Agency of Medicines, a fee to the ethics committee and a state fee. The Member States will assess an application for a clinical trial jointly and a single joint final decision will be drafted. The final results of a clinical trial will be in a joint database and publicly accessible and therefore more information will be public. The summary of the assessment of the trial as well as the results of the trial and the inspection will be made public.
Standards will also be set in order to ensure the quality and safety of the medicinal products that are administered to subjects in the course of clinical trials. Special attention will be paid to high-level protection of patient rights and safety.
During the debate, Anti Poolamets and Kalle Grünthal from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party took the floor.
The amendments proposed under the Bill on Amendments to the State Assets Act (421 SE), initiated by the Government, concern the activities of partially State-owned companies and foundations established by the State as well as the activities of ministries in performing the functions of the State as a shareholder or a founder.
In January last year, the Government approved the principles of participation policy on why and how the State is involved in companies. The Bill provides for setting out the consequent amendments in the Act.
The approved principles set the direction that the State would have a holding only in the companies where this is necessary in view of public interest or for some other strategic consideration. Earning revenue through participation in business is not an independent aim for the State, but an additional aim accompanying acting in public interests. In the future, the participation of the State will be renewed regularly at least every five years.
The most important amendment in the Bill is making it obligatory to set out the expectations of the State as the owner and regularly updating them every three years. The reporting principles of partially State-owned companies and of foundations whose founders include the State will be amended. The presentation of forecasts will be synchronised with the state budget strategy process.
With the Bill, deciding on the retaining of holdings kept only for the purposes of gaining revenue will be transferred from the ministerial level to the level of Government, but in the case of smaller holdings, where the participation does not exceed 10 per cent, the right to make decisions will be granted to the ministries.
Pursuant to the Bill, the accounting services of State foundations will be consolidated under the State Shared Service Centre.
The explanatory memorandum to the Bill points out that the new regulation will concern the activities of all ministries, as well as 28 companies and 65 active foundations where the State was an owner or a (co-)founder as at June 2021. At the end of 2020, the volume of assets of such companies and foundations was 7.8 billion euro and 2.2 billion euro respectively, the volume of revenues 1.7 billion euro and 0.9 billion euro, and the number of employees around 12,000 and 13,700.
The first reading of a Bill was adjourned
Due to the end of the sitting, the deliberation of the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia for Changing the Procedure for the Election of the President of the Republic (462 SE), initiated by members of the Riigikogu Jaanus Karilaid, Kersti Sarapuu, Viktor Vassiljev, Peeter Rahnel, Mihhail Stalnuhhin, Dmitri Dmitrijev, Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski, Marko Šorin, Enn Eesmaa, Aadu Must, Kaido Höövelson, Tarmo Tamm, Jüri Ratas, Oudekki Loone, Siret Kotka, Erki Savisaar, Natalia Malleus, Igor Kravtšenko, Imre Sooäär, Marek Jürgenson, Mihhail Korb, Martin Repinski, Marika Tuus-Laul, Mailis Reps, Martin Helme, Urmas Reitelmann, Leo Kunnas, Uno Kaskpeit, Merry Aart, Peeter Ernits, Riho Breivel, Kert Kingo, Kalle Grünthal, Jaak Valge, Paul Puustusmaa, Alar Laneman, Helle-Moonika Helme, Rene Kokk, Henn Põlluaas, Mart Helme, Anti Poolamets, Siim Pohlak, Ruuben Kaalep, Andrei Korobeinik and Raimond Kaljulaid, which provides for the direct election of the President of the Republic, will continue at tomorrow’s sitting.
The explanatory memorandum emphasises that the election of the President of the Republic directly by the people meets the expectations of society and gives the people an additional opportunity to participate in making decisions that are important to the nation, thereby bringing people closer to the state.