At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu discussed the Cohesive Estonia Development Plan 2021–2030, which aims to make Estonia more cohesive and inclusive over the coming decade. The development plan focuses on the promotion of adaptation and integration, Global Estonia, the civil society and population accounting.
Minister of Culture Anneli Ott and member of the Cultural Affairs Committee Signe Kivi presented the development plan and the proceedings relating to it.
Minister of Culture Anneli Ott stated that, although social integration had been consistent, and there was more understanding in society, and people of different nationalities had a strong national identity, there was still a lot of language-based separation and consequent inequality. In the opinion of the minister, inequality and a lack of a sense of unity may however bring about a polarisation of society and increase the probability of value conflicts between people of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
In the minister’s words, over the coming years, the adaptation and integration policy is intended to support local governments who will have the opportunity and capacity to contribute more to integration. Ott emphasised that it was necessary to shape a common, understandable and reliable communication space, and the digital transition was inevitable. At the same time, it is necessary to facilitate the establishment of contacts fostering the sense of solidarity and to ensure an opportunity for people to improve their Estonian language skills. “This way we will be more likely to achieve a more cohesive and stable society,” Ott said. “This will be an Estonia where people of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds carry Estonian identity, participate actively in social life, share democratic values and a common cultural, information and communication space, and equal opportunities for successful independent living and wellbeing have been created for them.
In the opinion of the Minister of Culture, the civil society is the key issue; its influence must be strengthened, at the same time also supporting the development of NGOs. “The civil society is one of the mainstays of a cohesive and inclusive society. It is a pledge of the sustainability and security of a country,” Ott said. In the minister’s words, communities are not engaged and empowered systematically and on a daily basis in local governments. Therefore it is planned to implement a co-creation development programme directed at local governments and communities, and on the basis of its results, a model for co-creation of communities will be drawn up.
The minister also drew attention to the problem of the small proportion of permanent donors in Estonian society and called for looking for ways to promote donating.
The minister considered the promotion and upholding of Estonian identity abroad one of the important tasks for the next decade. She noted that the Estonians living abroad were part of the cohesive Estonian society regardless of their location. In order that they would not lose contact with Estonia, it is necessary to continue to communicate with the Estonian community abroad and to involve them systemically. “It is important that the people living abroad maintain their Estonian identity, feel the support of our country and get an opportunity to participate in the life of Estonian society. Only then can they help promote our country and reinforce its good reputation, thereby contributing to ensuring the Estonian economy and security,” Ott noted.
She added that big steps needed to be taken to facilitate the return of Estonians to their native country. “For smoother return and adaptation to life in Estonia, we will ensure services supporting the return, we will consolidate the knowledge about the people who return, and we will increase awareness of society. We will involve more local governments and improve their capability in supporting the people who return,” Ott said.
The minister also highlighted the digital transition as a key topic of the development plan. She said that the heart of the Estonian electronic governance was smart population accounting that supported a cohesive society as well as undoubtedly all other sectors of national life. In the words of the Minister of Culture, the software of the population register is outdated and does not allow for the creation and development of up-to-date services, nor do the current data collection procedures ensure the quality of data that would meet the users’ expectations. She noted that the development plan was intended to keep pace with technological development, to take account of the changing needs and habits of people, and to simplify procedures for everyone. As the most tangible change for the citizen, the minister pointed out the plan to create more proactive government services where, in the case of a life event, a person can conduct their affairs with the state in a once-only communication and mostly automatically. For example, when submitting a marriage application, it will be possible to apply for new identity documents, or when using the online service relating to the birth of a child, the birth will be registered immediately.
Member of the Cultural Affairs Committee Signe Kivi gave an overview of the discussion that had been held at the joint sitting of the Cultural Affairs Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Legal Affairs Committee.
During the debate, Jüri Jaanson (Reform Party), Jaak Valge (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Marko Šorin (Centre Party), Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party), Heiki Hepner (Isamaa), Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Paul Puustusmaa (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
A Bill was dropped from the proceedings of the Riigikogu
The Bill on Amendments to the Estonian Public Broadcasting Act (393 SE), initiated by Member of the Riigikogu Viktoria Ladõnskaja-Kubits, was intended to ensure that the appointment of the acknowledged experts in the field of activity of the Estonian Public Broadcasting to the Estonian Public Broadcasting Council would be more independent of political procedure.
The Bill would have amended the regulation of the appointment of the acknowledged experts in the field of activity of the Estonian Public Broadcasting to the Council. Under the current Act, the Riigikogu appoints experts to the Estonian Public Broadcasting Council on the proposal of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu. The Bill proposed to establish a system where the authorities, institutions or representative organisations specified in the Act, such as Universities Estonia, the Association of Journalists, the Employers’ Confederation and the Bar Association, appoint members to the Council.
According to the Bill, the procedure for the appointment of the members of the Council who are members of the Riigikogu would have remained unchanged – the Riigikogu appoints a representative from each faction of the Riigikogu.
During the debate, Mihhail Stalnuhhin (Centre Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.
The Cultural Affairs Committee as the lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 64 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion, 12 voted against and there was one abstention. Thus, the Bill was rejected and it was dropped from the proceedings.
In a festive ceremony at the beginning of the sitting of the Riigikogu, Alar Karis took the oath of office of the President of the Republic and delivered a speech before the Riigikogu. President Kersti Kaljulaid also made a speech.
After that, the Riigikogu continued with its regular sitting to discuss the Cultural Development Plan 2021–2030. Minister of Culture Anneli Ott and member of the Cultural Affairs Committee Heidy Purga made reports.
The Cultural Development Plan 2021–2030 is a document that sets strategic goals for the cultural sector and it is a follow-up strategy for the document “The Fundamentals of the Cultural Policy until 2020”.
The development plan sets out that the shaping and implementation of the cultural policy is guided by our constitutional objective to guarantee the preservation of the Estonian nation, language and culture through the ages, as well as the principles of freedom of the arts and sciences, the right to property, and cultural diversity defined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
The Minister of Culture explained that the development plan had been drawn up as a joint creation of several ministries, the Government Office, the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities, as well as a result of cooperation between experts and representatives of the cultural sector. The drafting of the development plan has taken into account various analyses and studies, expert opinions, international level documents, the results of public discussions and engagement events, as well as the results of the implementation of the Fundamentals of the Cultural Policy until 2020.
Ott noted that, when the preparations for drafting a new development plan had started at the beginning of 2018, it had been found that the new strategy document should lay down a clearer cultural policy vision that would also take into account the proposals of the actors in the sector and the ideas and opinions of people who cared about the future of the Estonian culture. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, seminars and development discussions had been held, where representatives of the public, private and voluntary sector had been invited. Besides that, there had been several meetings with representatives of the ministries that were sectorally connected with the organisations, and other interested parties.
Ott said that discussion days had taken place in all counties in 2019. In autumn 2020, meetings with representatives of all sectors were held. The vision document “Culture 2030”, which was created as a result of joint cooperation and a contribution by all, sets the following sub-aims: to keep the Estonian cultural life strong and functioning; to ensure that the Estonian cultural memory is cared for and valued; and that culture and creativity are valued in the development of society. They will contribute to the overarching aim: the Estonian culture is viable, it is developing and is open to the world, and participation in culture is a natural part of every person’s life.
Ott said that one of the main questions was what imprint the global crisis had left on our culture and for how long it would continue to influence the sector. “The state has taken several steps to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the sector. If the cultural and sport sector received a total of 25 million euro of crisis assistance in March 2020, the supplementary budget adopted in mid-April this year allocated 42 million euro to the area of administration of the Ministry of Culture,” Ott noted. She added that that was important support that had helped keep the operational structures and jobs functioning. “The current crisis has shown to us how different sectors are interlinked and therefore we are pointing out in the development plan that it is necessary to support the institutions, organisations, creative persons and businesses in the cultural sector in overcoming the current crisis, in recovery and in adapting to the long-term impacts of the crisis,” Ott explained. She underlined that it was definitely important to increase the capacity of the whole cultural sector to prevent, mitigate and manage risks, and to prepare for future crises.
Ott pointed out that the time of the crisis had boosted changes and had dramatically highlighted the issue of digitalisation. “Culture 2030” considers it very important to take action to make the Estonian culture and culture in the Estonian language more widely available on digital platforms.
Ott explained that the development plan was a very extensive document that set out the general objectives. “And this development plan covers a large number of cultural managers, involving a very wide range of sectors. This development plan is not just a working document of the Ministry of Culture. It is a working document of the whole sector, which means that it cannot spell out in great detail who needs to do what, or which programme is going to be implemented. The programmes will emerge while the objectives of the development plan are being implemented,” the Minister of Culture said.
In conclusion, Ott said, “the Estonian culture is thriving, but it needs the common care of us all. We have a clear and strong vision of what the Estonian culture should be like in 2030, and we are capable of achieving these objectives with joint efforts of all parties involved.”
Member of the Cultural Affairs Committee Heidy Purga gave an overview of the discussion that had taken place in the Cultural Affairs Committee.
During the debate, Signe Kivi (Reform Party), Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party), Marko Šorin (Centre Party), Helle-Moonika Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Üllar Saaremäe (Isamaa) and Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) took the floor.
Minister of Culture Anneli Ott replied to the interpellation concerning the valuing and protection of the Estonian vernacular architecture (No 82), submitted by members of the Riigikogu.
The Baltic Assembly Prize in Literature was awarded to Estonian writer Vahur Afanasjev for his novel “Serafima and Bogdan” (“Serafima ja Bogdan”).
The Jury noted that the story of Serafima and Bogdan paints a vivid picture of the characters’ exceptional world: the villages, lifestyle, religion and language of the Old Believers. “It is partly a fairy-tale, and partly an ethnographic portrayal of a community rich in traditions and history. Afanasjev’s mastery of style, detailed descriptions and metaphors make different feelings and actions clear to the reader. He pays special and acute attention to environment and details,” the materials of the Jury underline.
Head of the Estonian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly Aadu Must emphasised that in the Baltic cultural space, it was important to know the literature and culture life of one’s neighbours and to cooperate closely in this field as well. “The novel “Serafima and Bogdan” by Vahur Afanasjev, who unfortunately passed away young this year, is a pearl on the cultural landscape of our country, and as the history of our countries is similar, this book should also have a place on the reading table of our southern neighbours. We hope that it will soon be translated into Latvian and Lithuanian,” Must said.
The BA Prize in the Arts was awarded to Ginta Gerharde-Upeniece (Latvia), and the BA Prize in Science was awarded to Virginijus Šikšnys (Lithuania).
The Prize consists of a monetary prize, a certificate and a statuette, which are presented every year at the Baltic Assembly session. This year, the prize ceremony will be held in Vilnius on 4 November.
The members of the Joint Jury of the BA Prizes were outstanding specialists in the fields of literature, the arts and science from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia: Valdemaras Razumas, Erika Drungytė, Petras Skirmantas, Rimantas Jankauskas, Bārbala Simsone, Diāna Lagūna, Guna Zeltiņa, Triin Soone, Piret Tibbo-Hudgins and Marika Mänd.
The Baltic Assembly has been awarding the Prizes in literature, the arts and science since 1994. The aim of the prizes is to promote outstanding achievements and to support the development of these fields in the Baltic States. Creation of opportunities to learn about the achievements of neighbouring countries, demonstrating the mutual interest of the countries in this region to uphold their national identity and self-esteem, and supporting outstanding achievements in literature, the arts and science strengthens the cooperation between the Baltic States and encourages people’s interest in the intellectual values and languages of the Baltic nations.
Today, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas made a political statement before the Riigikogu in connection with the submission of the State Budget for 2022 Bill. After the statements of the factions, the sitting continued with the deliberation of the matter of significant national importance “How to achieve a restriction-free Estonia?” initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction.
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that the presented state budget is the first from her government. “I am proud of this budget because it is a budget of good news, which will help us to keep the people in Estonia safe, and support the ongoing development of the Estonian economy,” Prime Minister said. “This caring and responsible state budget has come into being mainly thanks to the speedy recovery of our economy after the crisis.”
The revenue volume of the state budget is EUR 13.13 billion, the volume of expenditure is EUR 13.64 billion, and the volume of investments EUR 716 billion. Next year’s tax burden is 33.7 % of the GDP, so less than this year.
The Prime Minister highlighted the three main directions 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.
The government will start using the budget to patch up the hole that has been torn in the purse of the state over the last years, setting its sight on reducing the deficit to below 3% as early as next year. According to the budget, the state debt burden will remain within 20% of the GDP next year, reaching EUR 6.4 billion, and EUR 7.8 billion by 2025.
There are funds planned for increasing the salaries of teachers, health care workers, police officers, rescue workers, and cultural professionals. The minimum salary of teachers and cultural professionals will grow by more than 7%. The minimum salary of police officials will increase by nearly 5%, and for rescue workers by nearly 12%. The average pension would increase by 7%.
The minimum hourly pay for doctors and nurses will increase by more than 7%, and fore care workers by 10%. The salaries of care providers that are funded by the state will match those of the nursing staff.
Kallas also shone a light on the invisible victims of the pandemic, which is why the budget allocates funds for mental health, and finances activities to fill educational gaps for children. A family mediation system will also be built up.
The Bill should increase the revenue basis of local governments by more than EUR 100 million, complemented by more than EUR 10 million for children’s hobby education.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the defence budget will remain at two percent of the GDP. The next year’s budget will include EUR 103 million more for national defence compared to this year, taking the total to EUR 750 million, which forms 2.3% of the GDP.
The budget also allocated more funds to Estonian medium education. EUR 8 million is intended for developing Estonian medium education system and for involving an Estonian speaking assistant teacher in kindergarten and general education school classes with a different language of instruction.
EUR 30 million is allocated for developing the digital state and ensuring cyber security. R&D funding is increased by EUR 29.5 million to a total of around EUR 300 million.
The head of government said that all the excise duty increases that had been previously planned would not take place next year. “We will not increase excise duties because we do not want to accelerate the price hike. We also plan to add measures to the budget that compensate for the high price of electricity,” Kallas said. “If the price of electricity remains at an unreasonably high level for a long time, we will help to reduce its effect on our people and businesses. The people must not feel confused or anxious about possible price shocks on energy markets.”
Kallas added that the 2022 budget also contributes towards the further future goals mentioned in the strategy, as well as making sure that the Estonian people and the state are well taken care of in the present. She added that the European Commission would confirm a recovery plan for Estonia next week, which would attract investments into the green and digital projects of the public sector.
Representatives of the factions took the floor during the debate.
Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa) was critical of the fact that the Bill did not include measures for alleviating the drastic rise in the price of electricity for Estonia’s economy. He listed hybrid warfare and problems with illegal border crossings as unresolved challenges, and deplored that the pressing issue of building border barriers as soon as possible wad been ignored. Seeder believed that the increase in the salaries of public sector workers was not enough to compensate for the inflation.
Seeder felt that it was an insult to the old age pensioners that the extraordinary increase in pensions and the income tax exemption on pensions will only become valid on 1 January 2023. He stressed that the pension reform has already started, people have already been paid out their money and the revenue on this has already reached the state budget this year, which is why the extraordinary increase in pensions should be carried out on 1 January 2022.
Martin Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) also asked why the increase in pensions would not take place next year already, and reminded the Riigikogu that one of the objectives of the second pillar reform was to allow the social taxes paid today to be paid to those who receive a pension today.
Helme also said that the 2022 budget included a EUR 600 million deficit. He sees the bulk of the cuts planned in the budget Bill as deceitful i.e. virtual, whereby an amount is moved from one budget item of a ministry to another budget item, keeping it at the same level or even increasing it.
Indrek Saar (Social Democratic Party) called next year’s state budget a feat of prestidigitation. He pointed out that on the one hand the Minister of Finance is talking about cuts and calls to save money, yet on the other hand additional millions are distributed here and there, although the sources for funds to cover those millions are not known.
Saar explained that due to rapid economic growth, the deficit in Estonia’s state budget next year would be reduced by EUR 400 million, yet the plan to cut EUR 50 million in the spring is still standing. Saar sees the opportunities for children’s hobby education reducing instead of expanding because EUR 4 million would still be erased from this item, albeit instead of the EUR 7 million planned this spring. The pay rise for teachers is clearly insufficient in a situation where there is an ongoing salary race in Estonia and the average salary will increase by twice that much during the same period.
Mart Võrklaev (Reform Party) listed the priorities of his party. The 13.1 billion revenue and 13.6 billion expenditure in the state budget is something that we must first and foremost thank the Estonian people and businesses for, because they have restarted our economy. He added that the government’s decisions have played their part, because a decision was made not to keep empty cuts in the budget.
Võrklaev also stressed the efforts of the government in ensuring a worthy pay to frontline health care workers, police officers and teachers, but also to other state employees for their valuable work. He also referred to the defence expenditure, building the external border of Estonia, and transition to Estonian medium education. Võrklaev affirmed that the government had made a fundamental decision and that the funds freed with the disintegration of the second pillar would not be taken out of the pension system.
Erki Savisaar (Centre Party) did not agree with the criticism of the opposition. He named pension increase as a priority. Next year, pensioners can count on the average increase of EUR 342, and a two to three times higher increase can be expected in 2023 as well. Support for pensioners living alone will increase from EUR 115 to 200 next year.
Savisaar highlighted transport related expenses in the budget Bill. EUR 400 million is planned over the next four years to support public transport. Several regional plans will also receive funding, such as a permanent connection in the Suur Väin Strait, Tallinn orbital railway, or thematic plan for mineral resources in Harju County. Road construction and maintenance work will also continue, e.g. reconstructing the Võõbu-Mäe stretch as a four-lane road, the Kose-Mäo stretch, continuing to build the multi-level crossing of Riia Road in Tartu, and constructing the new four-lane Pärnu-Uulu stretch. We can also expect the electrification of the existing railways and the completion of six additional electric trains, as well as the ongoing design and construction work of Rail Baltic.
At the deliberation of the matter of significant national importance “How to achieve a restriction-free Estonia?” initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, reports were given by Minister of Health and Labour Tanel Kiik, North Estonia Medical Centre Foundation Medical Director and member of the COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board Peep Talving, Professor of the Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine of the University of Tartu and Head of COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board Irja Lutsar, and Member of the Riigikogu Andrei Korobeinik.
Minister Kiik gave a summary of the infection indicators and correlated the increased number of vaccinations with the reduced hospitalisations. He explained that the main objective of vaccination is to safeguard lives and health, not reduce infections.
Kiik sees it positive that vaccination rates are higher among the older population groups. Among the adults across the country, about 67 percent have received one shot; in the 60+ age group, this indicator is nearly 73%. The highest vaccination rates are among the 70–79 year old age group, where nearly 77% have received at least one shot. He feels that more work needs to be done with the 80+ age group, where two out of three are vaccinated. Around one half of the 12–17 year old age group is vaccinated.
According to Kiik, about 70% of Estonia’s population has achieved a certain protection by now. As far as opening up the society is concerned, Kiik sees a need to make stronger efforts. “We are on the home stretch, so increasing vaccination rates by just a few percentages would give us the option to gradually start alleviating the control rules, the restrictions and measures that we have in place today, and then we can all contribute towards encouraging people who are still on the fence or who have still not had time to get vaccinated to do this at the first opportunity,” the Minister concluded his presentation.
Professor Talving outlined the COVID-19 disease and its general progression, spoke about the tolerance limits of the hospitals and how much the planned treatments have suffered as a consequence.
The most difficult moment in hospitals was early April 2020. As an example, the North Estonia Medical Centre Foundation had two intensive care wards reserved exclusively for COVID treatment. A traffic lights system has now been put in place to classify the tolerance levels of hospitals. Planned treatments can already be limited if the light is amber, and as the infection numbers progress, so will planned treatments also be gradually restricted.
According to Talving’s estimation, 21,642 people – our neighbours, friends, parents, family members – have not received their planned treatment. Looking into the future, it is clear that access to vaccination must be made easy, otherwise we would again need to start limiting planned treatments.
In conclusion, Talving expects the burden to hospitals to be a little lower than during the second wave, however the third wave will last longer. He stressed that even without restrictions, the hospital network must ensure emergency medical care in Estonia.
“Planned treatment will be guaranteed 100 percent if we have up to 150 patients in the general ward, and 100 percent if we have up to 20 patients in intensive care,” Talving explained. “The successive waves accumulate a deficit. And vaccination is key. Our neighbours, families, relatives – everyone will lose in treatment capability if we do not get vaccinated in larger numbers.”
Professor Lutsar said that as of the previous week, 223 million COVID cases had been registered around the world, and 4.6 million had died. In Estonia, COVID mortality is relatively low, around the one percent level.
Lutsar sees COVID clearly as an illness of the elderly, and particularly elderly men. A man who is over 80 and is hospitalised is more than two times likely to die compared to a woman his age.
Lutsar also explained that the presence of antibodies and immunity are not exactly one and the same thing. She said that for the delta strain, it is not possible to achieve herd immunity with the current vaccines. We need to talk about individual immunity, the presence of antibodies, and the need for everyone to take care of themselves. Professor also added that recovery from the infection gives an excellent immunity.
Lutsar concluded that a restriction free life means the ability to live together with the virus. She advised to accept the virus. “If we can prevent the difficult cases, both sides should actually be happy. The virus is not actually interested in destroying us because that would end up destroying it, and this is certainly something that it does not want,” Lutsar explained.
The Professor said that the capability of the medical system is the decisive factor. She believes that the elderly care system should prevent the spreading of the virus instead of favouring it. “Let’s do everything in our power to stop the virus from spreading uncontrollably: let’s get vaccinated and accept that the masks are not going anywhere,” was Lutsar’s advice. “And let’s make decisions based on science, not emotions.”
MP Korobeinik summarised the discussion by saying that the main and actually the only way out of the restrictions is vaccination, particularly among the elderly, because it is the elderly unvaccinated patients who are causing the hospital crisis.
He recommends concentrating on positive solutions instead of applying pressure. First off, we need to acknowledge honestly that there are already such low numbers of unvaccinated people that we would be able to approach them individually. He proposed establishing a vaccine emergency unit that could be ordered to your home as easily as an online order from the grocery store.
Another potential solution would be additional remuneration, i.e. 13th salary to vaccinated staff of care homes, e.g. at the end of this year, and also to those who have already been vaccinated earlier. He has calculated that this would take about three million euros. Korobeinik admitted that the state awarding people for vaccinating may sound silly but that this would save lives and not only the lives of the elderly clients, but also the lives of the people who would not consequently be left without medical assistance.
Korobeinik stressed the need to understand that the stigmatisation of the unvaccinated would lead to more harm than good, and could very easily get out of hand. “Not only does it drive a wedge in the society, it also turns someone who is on the fence into an active anti-vaxxer,” he said. “If you are attacked you will inevitably get defensive. A counter-attack with the vaccine does not increase the vaccination rate, but can instead lower it.”
Korobeinik is convinced that now is the time to establish an Estonian vaccine injuries foundation, which already exists in countries like Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, which are already doing away with the restrictions, but also in Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and many other countries.
Korobeinik explained that if vaccination leads to negative health effects, the individual or their family would receive payments from the foundation. He admitted that money does not bring anyone back from the dead, but neither do insurance policies; however, the vaccine injuries foundation would enhance the sense of justice in the society and reduce polarisation. He considered the expense of the establishment of the foundation as marginal.
Korobeinik expressed hope that we would be able to overcome our differences of opinion in the near future and take the necessary steps to come out of the corona crisis and its restrictions in only a couple of months, and that in future we would be able to cope even better as a country in similar situations.
During the debate, Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Margit Sutrop (Reform Party), and Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.
The general assembly of the Estonian session of the Model European Parliament is held today in the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia). It was opened by President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas, who spoke to the young people about the role, importance and responsibility of decision-makers.
Ratas told the members of the Model European Parliament that on 20 August, the 30th anniversary of the restoration of independence of Estonia had been celebrated in the Session Hall of the Riigikogu. In his opinion, it is symbolic that the young people are holding their session in the same place to discuss the issues of the future of the European Union. “For as long as you have lived, Estonia has been a member of the European Union, and this has been a successful time in every sense,” Ratas said. “It has been a time of peace, a time of movement without borders, an opportunity for learning, for economic growth, for strengthening cultural connections.”
“You are the decision-makers of the future, you have very big role,” Ratas emphasised. “Your responsibility is growing day by day, and I mean your responsibility not only for your municipality or city and Estonia, but also in Europe. This is not just responsibility for Tallinn and Estonia, but it is responsibility towards 500 million people.”
The President of the Riigikogu underlined that the young people of today would soon have to decide what would become of internal combustion engines, what would become of energy, what would become of East-Virumaa. Besides topics connected with climate and the green transition, there are issues relating to security and the future of the European Union.
“Will you allow to set up wind turbines on the territory of your municipality, or what should the relations between the European Union and Russia be like? It is a very serious and necessary discussion,” Ratas described the challenges faced by the young people. “These are serious and important questions. I wish you a lot of strength for that, and readiness to make compromises, and success!” With these words, Ratas opened today’s session of Model Europe.
Ratas pointed out that, in decision-making, it was important to proceed from the values the European Union was based on, like freedom, democracy, the rule of law, cooperation and solidarity.
After a break of one year due to the pandemic, the European Parliament simulation for school students, which has been organised since 2003, is again taking place today at the Riigikogu. The topics of discussion of the 16th Estonian Model European Parliament are very diverse, ranging from the green transition to football. Some of the young people participating in the session will become members of the Estonian delegations to the Model European Parliament Baltic Sea Region and the international session of the Model European Parliament.
Exercise Decisive Lancer got underway today in Estonia, emphasizing and putting to the test the procedures and activities of the EDL Regional Commands in preparing, coordinating and conducting defensive operations in Estonia.
“In last year’s exercise, we focused on activities taking place after a military conflict has emerged. This year our main effort is on the time period and activities preceding a full scale conflict – practicing comprehensive national defence in cooperation with other national authorities, focusing on the preparation of military defence,” said colonel Mati Tikerpuu, chief of Exercise Control.
Estonian Defence League’s Regional Commands’ command posts, Estonian Defence Forces units, allied units in Estonia and different Estonian national authorities are participating in the exercise, involving close to 300 people.
“These exercises prepare us to act properly during a possible crisis situation. If the commanders and command posts have trained for possible crisis- and wartime scenarios, then the decisions in the real situation will be faster, use of resources will be better, more lives will be spared and more losses will be inflicted upon the adversary,” said colonel Tikerpuu.
EDL Regional Commands’ command posts play a key role in coordinating the activities of different national authorities on a local level. The units were for the first time the main training audience on a similar command post exercise last year, on exercise Decisive Lancer 2020.
The Act that was passed in the Riigikogu today aims to increase competition in the reverse auctions for generation of electricity from renewable energy sources, to reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and to improve the supply security of electricity generation in Estonia.
Under the current regulation, the reverse auctions organised for the attainment of the national renewable energy objective are open only to generating installations that have not generated electricity before the reverse auction. According to the Act on Amendments to the Electricity Market Act (156 SE), initiated by the Government, in the future, existing producers will also be allowed to participate in such reverse auctions, in order to motivate such producers to use renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels as input for electricity generation in the future. In such a case, the winner of the reverse auction can be paid support for each reverse auction during up to two years starting from commencement of the generation of electricity from the renewable source related to the reverse auction.
A securities system is also introduced to the regulation of reverse auctions, in order to ensure more efficiently that the winners of reverse auctions implement the activities they commit to undertake.
During the debate, Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party), Sven Sester (Isamaa) and Kalle Grünthal (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
69 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing of the Act, nine voted against, and there was one abstention,
The Riigikogu passed another Act
The Act on Amendments to the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Act, the Identity Documents Act and the State Fees Act (376 SE), initiated by the Government, provides for a clear division of competence and responsibility between agencies regarding electronic identification in the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Act and the Identity Documents Act.
The Act updates the regulation concerning the assessment of the assurance level of private-law electronic identification schemes. At the same time, the State Fees Act is amended by providing for a state fee applied for reviewing an application to assess the assurance level of a private-law electronic identification scheme in the chapter concerning the acts of the Information System Authority.
In the course of the resolution of the security flaw with ID-cards that appeared in Estonia in autumn 2017, the need to organise the legal space concerning identity documents, electronic identification and trust services as well as the division of work and responsibility between the state agencies responsible for these areas rose.
The Act also amends the Identity Documents Act, among other things, incorporating the amendments to implement the Regulation (EU) 2019/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
76 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Act.
A Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Product Conformity Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (372 SE), initiated by the Government, will extend the surveillance competences of market surveillance authorities in connection with products offered for sale in e-commerce. Authorities will get access to communication data in order that they would have the opportunity to identify owners of webpages and, where necessary, to restrict access to online interfaces and to require the removal of information content or the display of a warning. The aim of the amendment is to ensure that dangerous products are removed from sale as quickly as possible.
The supervision of products from third countries will also be enhanced. For this, a new requirement for making construction products, personal protective equipment, appliances burning gaseous fuels, and toys available on the European Union market will be introduced. In the case of such products, there will have to be an interlocutor established in the European Union mandated by the manufacturer who can be addressed in the event of additional questions or problems and who is responsible for the availability and verification of declarations and, where necessary, for taking corrective action.
In cross-border cooperation, digital operation and information exchange will be introduced between European Union surveillance authorities. The competence of market surveillance authorities in respect of personal transporters used in traffic and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) intended to be operated in the ‘open’ category will be specified. According to the amendments, the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, and not the Transport Administration, will carry out market surveillance of such appliances. For the purpose of more effective sanctioning, the amount of the fine for legal persons will be increased from 3200 euro to 32,000 euro.
Five Bills passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Traffic Act (414 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose into Estonian law the European Union directive that provides for making the payment of road fees within the European Union more convenient. At the same time, a regulation for cross-border information exchange for cases of failure to pay a road fee will be established.
Regardless of the fact that, in Estonia, road toll is not collected through automated identification, the directive needs to be transposed to the minimum mandatory extent, that is, in respect of the provisions concerning the right of European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) providers to register their activities in every EU Member State. Therefore, every Member State must provide, in accordance with the directive, for the requirements for the technology and equipment used, and set out the rights and obligations of both service providers and users.
The Bill on Amendments to the Energy Sector Organisation Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (382 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose the European Union Renewable Energy Directive, which aims to increase the production and consumption of renewable energy both in households and at the level of large producers and consumers.
The amendments made with the transposition of the Renewable Energy Directive can be divided into three groups according to their content and scope: the national renewable energy targets and the principles for the calculation thereof together with the issues of guarantees of origin; the boosting and facilitation of the consumption of renewable-source energy generated for own use, which includes spatial plans and administrative and authorisation procedures; and the sustainability criteria for biofuels.
During the debate, Kalvi Kõva (Social Democratic Party) and Heiki Hepner (Isamaa) took the floor.
The Bill on the Approval of the Amendments to the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail and to its Appendices (386 SE), initiated by the Government. The Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail COTIF is a uniform system of legal provisions concerning international carriage of passengers, luggage and goods by rail. The uniform rules of COTIF are applied in international rail transport, but also in road and water transport, which are related thereto.
As at 1 December 2020, OTIF includes 50 Member States in Europe, North Africa and Central Asia, as well as Jordan, and the European Union as an organisation. All EU Member States are members of the organisation, except for Cyprus and Malta, as these countries have no railways. The uniform rules on the carriage of passengers and goods (CIV and CIM) contained in the appendices to the Convention are applied on railways to the extent of more than 250,000 km.
During the debate, Kalle Grünthal (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
According to the Bill on Amendments to the Building Code (395 SE), initiated by the Government, the Building Code will be amended in connection with the transposition into Estonian law of the European Union directive on road infrastructure safety management. Insofar as the scope of regulation of the directive was expanded, the road safety measures provided for by the directive will have to be implemented on all primary roads as well as public-use roads constructed with EU funds, in addition to roads of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T).
On the basis of the directive, the competent authority, mostly the Transport Administration, will have to assess road safety impacts, carry out road safety audits, assess road safety on the road network, and undertake periodic checks on the safety of roads. When local governments construct roads with the involvement of EU funds in the future, the obligations of the competent authority will also have to be performed on roads constructed by them with EU funds, in addition to the current TEN-T roads.
The Bill on Amendments to the Planning Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (378 SE), initiated by the Government, provides for the establishment of a central database of spatial plans. The purpose of the Bill is to update the whole planning procedure and to economise on resources.
With a central database of spatial plans, it will be possible to store and disclose information on spatial plans in force, the annexes thereto, and the decisions made in the course of planning procedures.
The Bill will bring the provisions on planning proceedings into conformity with the Administrative Procedure Act according to which it is also possible to deliver documents and send notices electronically in planning proceedings. At present, the authorities arranging the preparation of spatial plans send notices and documents in planning proceedings only by registered mail.
The Bill also provides for the possibility to hold public discussions online. According to the Bill, in the future, notices to persons involved in planning proceedings can also be sent through apartment associations.
The Riigikogu received an overview of a draft development plan
Minister for Economy and Infrastructure Taavi Aas presented the draft of the Transport and Mobility Development Plan 2021–2035.
The development plan is projected for 15 years, as many changes that are taking place in the sector, such as the construction of Rail Baltic and the consideration of the construction of Tallinna-Helsinki tunnel, are long-term processes the results of which will be seen over the longer term. The main focus of the development plan is to reduce the environmental footprint of the means and system of transport in order to contribute to achieving the climate goals by both 2030 and 2050.
According to the development plan, with a view to improving mobility, the state wishes to make using public transport more convenient, quicker and more accessible to people by organising and planning it better, and making more use of the opportunities of digitalisation. It is also planned to pay more attention to movement by bicycle and on foot.
The development plan is in conformity with the national development strategy “Estonia 2035”.
During the debate, Kersti Sarapuu (Centre Party), Sven Sester (Isamaa), Raimond Kaljulaid, Heiki Hepner (Isamaa), Jüri Jaanson (Reform Party), Heljo Pikhof (Social Democratic Party) and Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
Two Bills were rejected at the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Citizenship Act (388 SE), initiated by the Faction Isamaa, was intended to preclude the grant and restoration of Estonian citizenship to persons who have been repeatedly punished under criminal law for intentional crimes.
During the debate, Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa) took the floor.
The lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading; 43 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of the motion and 23 voted against.
The Bill on Amendments to the Tobacco Act (412 SE), initiated by members of the Riigikogu Tarmo Kruusimäe, Raivo Tamm, Üllar Saaremäe, Madis Milling, Kert Kingo, Kalle Grünthal, Andres Metsoja and Paul Puustusmaa, was intended to set out a regulation for tobacco-free snus, which has so far not been regulated in detail, in order to thereby ensure the safety of the product. It was also intended to correct the provisions that, contrary to the objective set, have brought about an increase in smuggling and health risks.
During the debate, Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) and Kalle Grünthal (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
The lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading; 33 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of the motion and 18 voted against.
Today the Riigikogu discussed the impact of the rise in the CO2 price on the state budget and economy as a matter of significant national importance, initiated by the State Budget Control Select Committee.
Chairman of the State Budget Control Select Committee Urmas Reinsalu, Minister for Economy and Infrastructure Taavi Aas and Member of the Management Board of Baltic Energy Partners Marko Allikson made reports.
In his report, Reinsalu noted that the current forecasts on the formation of the electricity price had proved inaccurate and they were jeopardising all Estonian residential customers and businesses and consequently the competitiveness of our whole economy and the livelihoods of people.
Reinsalu pointed out that businesses and consumers were paying a higher electricity price in connection with a rise in the CO2 trading price and, in reality, the money was all being accrued to the state budget. “When the burden increases for customers, this does not mean at all that the money accrued to the state budget will actually return to the consumers,” Reinsalu said. He added that the rise in the electricity price was projected to cost at least 250 million euro to Estonian consumers this year.
In Reinsalu’s words, the state needs a clear and dispassionate analysis of the impact of both emissions trading and climate policy, and of the cost of these for Estonian consumers. “In the conditions of the drastically increased energy deficit we need a clear and dispassionate analysis of what our national electricity supply security will be like,” Reinsalu said. He recalled that, at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, when countries had closed their borders, the countries had each stood for their own residents. “There is no doubt at all about the stock exchange conditions either. If a soaring deficit arises, countries will begin to make dispassionate decisions, choosing to ensure supply security for their own population, for the consumers in their country.”
Reinsalu also pointed out that, besides the supply security of electricity generation, a clear position was needed on what Europe’s current emissions trading dynamics meant in terms of electricity consumers.
Reinsalu pointed out the options for the Government to operate in the regulative market. He mentioned the renewable energy charge paid by consumers. “We have the opportunity to fully cancel the renewable energy charge and to compensate it to renewable energy producers with a corresponding state budget appropriation, like many European countries are doing,” Reinsalu suggested.
He noted secondly that it was necessary to review the ensuring of energy supply security and the decision to close down oil shale energy in Estonia. “We must also urgently increase the payments from KredEx, and simplify the support mechanisms to increase the energy efficiency of the housing stock, including private houses, and to promote local energy generation,” Reinsalu said.
In Reinsalu’s opinion, the electricity market is a politically distorted market but, in his words, the state must use mechanisms to prevent the price from skyrocketing for the consumer. In his words, the money the state accrues from the value added tax and the CO2 units must be used to develop an automated stabiliser as several European countries have started to do without delay.
Minister Aas explained the reasons for the rise in the electricity price. He noted that the price was formed by the fossil fuel power stations across Europe. Their price depends on the CO2 quota and the world market price of fuel.
The minister explained that this summer had been exceptionally hot not only in Estonia but in Scandinavia as well. The low rainfall meant that the amount of the water collected behind the dam of the hydroelectric power station in Norway was smaller than usual. Therefore, in the minister’s words, electricity power stations using fossil fuels need to be kept in operation. At the same time, the economy is undergoing a rapid recovery not only here in Europe but also in Asia and North America. The recovery has created an exceptionally high energy demand, and this in turn has given a push to the world market prices of fossil energy carriers.
Aas said that the Government did not have a lever to increase rainfall in Norway or to generate wind that would increase the production in European wind farms. Nor is it in the Government’s power to meaningfully influence the price of fossil fuels that is formed in the global market. “In the formation of the price of electricity, the CO2 emissions trading system and the measures to bring renewable energy to the market sooner are the only components dependent on the European Union energy and climate policy,” Aas said. He added that the Government had taken steps in both directions, but neither of them was a quick solution or a magic wand. However, they will help avoid such problems in the future.
Aas emphasised that the price pressure was caused by the high price of fuel, in particular the price of natural gas. “Once the price of natural gas begins to fall or the amount of rainfall normalises to what it has been on the average over the last ten years, the market price for electricity will fall as well,” Aas said. In his words, renewable energy is the long-term solution to avoid a price-shock, and this transition is being attended to on a daily basis.
Aas recalled that an amendment to the Electricity Market Act, Bill 156 SE, was in the legislative process of the Riigikogu that would create wider opportunities to replace the expensive fossil fuels with CO2-free waste wood in Narva power stations. Likewise, at the beginning of next year, the spatial plan for the Estonian maritime areas will enter its final stage and it will be possible to begin to launch the development of wind farms in the sea.
In Aas’s words, the previous Estonian Government has been proven to have made the right decision to maintain and to have available at any time at least 1000 MW of managed production capacity in Estonia. He admitted that there were periods when that capacity was not needed, but the current year was showing clearly that there were periods when we could not manage with just renewable power plants dependent on the weather.
In his report, entrepreneur Allikson spoke of the market price of electricity. Allikson explained how the electricity markets functioned. He pointed out that the price on the stock exchange was determined by the marginal producer, that is, the last electric power plant that made it to the market, on the basis of its variable costs. About 20 per cent of the electricity production in Europe is based on natural gas. “When the prices rise to around 100–160 euro in the spot market, then this is the level with which it is possible to produce electricity in a gas power station today,” Allikson said. In his words, this contains the CO2 cost, this contains the cost of fuel, and this contains the operating costs. If the price skyrockets, gas plants are the ones that determine the price.
He also pointed out that, in the Baltic states, there were particular additional reasons that had influenced the upward movement of the price. First he mentioned that supplies on the Russian-Belarusian borders would be reduced from November 2021 because Lithuania had not wished to buy nuclear energy from Astravyets. Second, our price is also affected by the fact that our connections with Latvia are larger than before. “In fact, Latvia and Lithuania have always been in a slightly higher price region and therefore the prices are converging. We are no longer in the same price range as Finland; our prices are slightly higher,” Allikson said. He admitted that Finland had been doing the right things looking into the future. “Next year, they will be launching a new nuclear power station, and significant new wind capacities will be added. So Finland will probably remain a region with a lower price also in the future.”
In his report, Allikson also touched on the longer-term projection. “Everything that rises in terms of price will probably fall eventually,” he said. He explained that, in the long-term perspective, it was presumed that more power links would be opened in the Nordic countries, prices would converge between different regions and, in the long term, the price level would be expected to remain low.
Allison noted that Estonia was not producing enough electricity – consumption was exceeding 1000 MW, while production remained at around above 900 MW. “This means that we have a shortage of electricity and we always need to buy electricity,” he stated. “If the electricity we buy has a higher price, then our price is higher, regardless of the price at which Narva Power Plants wish to sell.”
In Allikson’s words, it is impossible to separate the CO2 trading system and the electricity market. “It cannot be said that we kind of are in the CO2 market and remain outside the electricity market, or vice versa,” he pointed out the inevitability. He also thinks that it is not reasonable to change the current subsidies to renewable energy. “Because while Estonia needs renewable energy investments, this will not make Estonia more attractive to investors, but rather less attractive. After all, more investments are needed and not less investments,” he explained.
Allikson pointed out what the Riigikogu could do to influence the price of electricity. In his words, politicians can influence the administrative component of the price of electricity. “You can use the higher CO2 auction revenues to compensate either the components of the electricity bill or a price increase, and the excise duty and value added tax can always be lowered,” he said.
In other aspects, the price of electricity is affected by weather. In Allikson’s words, a reduction in gas consumption might help reduce gas prices. In a longer-term perspective, however, in his words, new connections such as Estlink 3 will be needed. He also mentioned the speeding up of the renewable energy development, the development of storage technologies, energy efficiency, the flexibility of consumption, and the ascertaining of the possibilities of nuclear energy and hydrogen.
During the debate, Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa), Dmitri Dmitrijev (Centre Party), Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party), Kristen Michal (Reform Party) and Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor on behalf of their factions. Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party), Martin Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Mart Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party and Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) also took the floor.
The main purpose of the Bill (409 SE) is to increase the availability and re-usability of open data to promote innovation and economy, the smooth functioning of the internal market and the promotion of the information society.
The amendments to the Bill will enforce the requirements for open data and the re-use of public sector information arising from a relevant EU directive. Another purpose of the Bill is to solve the practical shortcomings that have arisen upon the interpretation of the definition of open data and the principles relating to re-use provided for in the current Act.
The explanatory memorandum notes that public sector information has been gaining increasingly more importance and new meaning over the last nearly twenty years. As a result of the development of the data and platform economy, it has been realised that such information should be re-used as much as possible. At the European level, this awareness led to the adoption of the directive on the re-use of public sector information (PSI directive) in 2003. It aimed to create favourable conditions for the development of the internal market. It was understood that public sector information is an important primary material for digital content products and services and will become an even more important content resource with the development of information technology opportunities.
The wider re-usability of public information enabled European businesses, among other things, to make use of the potential of the information, and supported economic growth and the creation of jobs.
During the debate, Heiki Hepner (Isamaa), Kalle Grünthal (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and the Minister of Justice Maris Lauri took the floor.
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Approval of the Principles for the Implementation of the European Union Cohesion Policy Funds for 2021–2027 to Reduce Regional Inequalities” (390 OE), submitted by the Social Democratic Party Faction, was rejected at the first reading. It had been intended to speed up the growth of the regions with slower growth rates in order to stop the increase in regional inequalities.
During the debate, Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party) and Heiki Hepner (Isamaa) took the floor.
The lead committee moved to reject the draft Resolution at the first reading. The result of voting: 44 votes in favour and 24 against. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
During the open microphone, Kalle Grünthal and Peeter Ernits took the floor.
The meetings of First Vice-President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola with Vice-President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Hanno Pevkur, Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Riina Sikkut and other members of the Riigikogu focused on the issues relating to Belarus, the development of Europe, the green transition, and remote working of the parliament.
Vice-President of the Riigikogu Hanno Pevkur and Roberta Metsola spoke about digitalisation and the work of the Riigikogu in the COVID-19 crisis. Pevkur underlined that the whole Riigikogu was able to work via the video bridge, but presently there was no need for it, as most of the MPs were vaccinated. “Working online is still an excellent solution for crisis situation, and it is good to have a readiness for teleworking when necessary,” Pevkur said.
The hybrid attack by Belarus and migration issues were also discussed at the meeting. Pevkur emphasised that we had to defend all our borders, and to invest in land borders as well. He underlined that the problem did not concern only the Estonian border construction, but also defending of all external borders of the European Union and NATO. Speaking of the situation on the Belarusian border, Pevkur pointed out that Lithuania’s burden was the greatest, but Estonia was also trying to contribute by sending our people and equipment to help them.
The hybrid attack by Belarus, the situation in Poland and Lithuania as well as the events in Afghanistan were also discussed at Metsola’s meeting with Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Riina Sikkut, Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Mihhail Lotman. Besides that, the Conference on the Future of Europe was spoken of.
Sikkut underlined that the Conference on the Future of Europe should not be overshadowed by other current topics. She pointed out that the Conference should focus attention to issues that are important for citizens. “First, we have to understand what issues citizens want to be solved,” Sikkut said. “The Conference on the Future largely relies on the ideas of citizens and their active involvement.”
Issues relating to the achievement of the climate targets of the European Union were discussed at the meeting with Deputy Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Riina Sikkut, members of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Urve Tiidus and Timo Suslov and member of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Annely Akkermann.
It was admitted that the targets for a greener Europe were very diverse, and the situations and the problems that needed solution varied greatly by countries. Sikkut said that it was important to explain to everybody what needed to be done to achieve the targets, for example, in agriculture. “In this regard, it is important to bear in mind that, by recycling materials, we make our own lives better – we are not doing this for anybody else.”
It was agreed that the European Parliament considered it important that the Member States gave as detailed information as possible and gave specific examples in order to identify the points of concern for green topics, because only then would it be possible to address the problems in depth and to resolve them. The price of energy, power connections and green fuels were also discussed at the meetings.