NordenBladet —The world’s largest and oldest international agriculture and food fair International Green Week in Berlin has been exceptional in several aspects. For the first time, the 95th Green Week fair was held virtually.
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture and its high-level meeting of agriculture ministers held in parallel to the fair were also virtual. The meeting hosted representatives from nearly 100 countries. This makes it the largest meeting of ministers in its history by number of participating countries.
The main topic for this year’s forum was “How to feed the world in times of pandemics and climate change?”
„The topics discussed in the meeting are extremely important, as the world cannot allow for this health crisis to turn into a food crisis. Countries must act together, just as they’ve done in tackling the pandemic,” Minister of Rural Affairs Arvo Aller stated.
The key issues of the meeting were the continuation of international food trade consistent with WTO rules; strengthening cooperation across the health, agricultural, veterinary and environmental sectors; mitigating climate change; reducing food loss; and the implementation of new technologies and innovation in agriculture.
“The world is in a situation, where hunger is an increasing problem. An estimated two billion people do not have regular access to adequate food, while three billion people cannot afford even the cheapest healthy diet. At the same time, obesity and diet-related illnesses are also increasing. These are the biggest challenges we are facing and require a broad-based societal commitment to solve in light of the pandemic and climate change.”, Minister Aller noted.
The results of the GFFA will be integrated into the current United Nations discussions on food systems and, in particular, into the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit to be held in September.
NordenBladet — The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu is meeting the Belarus opposition representative Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at a public sitting today to discuss the most recent developments in Belarus.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Enn Eesmaa says that the situation in Belarus must be constantly monitored by the international community. “We continue to support the people of Belarus on this crucial fork in the road and in their fight for a democratic future. The sitting today will provide us with a direct and up-to-date overview of the latest developments, and express the continuous solidarity of the Estonian nation with the people of Belarus,” he said.
The public sitting starts at 2 p.m. and is streamed online with simultaneous Estonian interpretation.
NordenBladet — At a video conference today, the new Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives Gregory Meeks and the Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Baltic States discussed opportunities for future cooperation and emphasised the importance of protecting democracy in the world.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Enn Eesmaa underlined that Estonia highly appreciated the consistent support the United States had shown for decades, and their policy in ensuring the security of the Baltic States. He expressed thanks to the US Congress for adopting the budget package for the security of the Baltic region and asserted that Estonia took its security cooperation commitments very seriously. “The United States are a key ally for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We hope to have close ties and cooperation with our colleagues on the other side of the Atlantic also in the future,” he said.
The Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee assured that the Baltic States were an important partner for the United States. Meeks said that he had been following the politics and achievements of the Baltic States, and he considered them remarkable. The relations between the European Union and the USA, NATO’s partner relations and cyber security were also discussed at the meeting.
Eesmaa pointed out that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had been actively supporting the democratic changes in Belarus, Ukraine and Georgia. “The Eastern partners need our common support. The welfare of these countries is particularly close to our heart and of critical importance to European security,” the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu said.
Eesmaa also proposed his colleagues to initiate a US-Baltic parliamentary supervision programme in support of democracy and civil society in Belarus, Ukraine and Georgia. The programme would include parliamentary hearings and meetings, with the aim of supporting the strengthening of democratic societies. The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees agreed that protection of democracy and human rights was an important cooperation opportunity for the Baltics and the United States.
NordenBladet — The Act passed at today’s remote attendance sitting of the Riigikogu allows the Court en banc to be postponed for good reason and to be held partially or fully electronically.
Under the current Act, the Court en banc has been convened every year on the second Friday of February, without exceptions.
Under the Act on Amendments to the Courts Act (298 SE), initiated by the Constitutional Committee, in the Court en banc, voting and elections may be held by ballot paper, electronically, in written form or in any other manner provided for in the procedure of the Court en banc.
The amendments passed today also provide that the term of office of members of local government bodies who are judges elected by the Court en banc extends for as long as the following Court en banc appoints new members to replace them.
84 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Act. The Act enters into force on 8 February.
A Bill passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Traffic Act and the Road Transport Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (299 SE) will create a legal basis for checking the special systems of motor vehicles and their trailers. Considering the rapid technological development and the potential need to respond flexibly to the implementation of new technologies, the Bill will establish a general framework for checking special systems and for the bodies engaged in the checking. In particular, at present this concerns fuel tanks of the vehicles running on natural gas. The aim of the innovation is to ensure the safety of vehicles using compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas as fuel.
According to the plan, starting from 2021, vehicles that use natural gas will have to begin to undergo mandatory regular checks where the conformity of the fuel tanks of such vehicles will be checked.
Generally, the safety of vehicles is ensured through regular roadworthiness testing supplemented by the roadworthiness tests carried out by traffic supervision. However, the fuel tanks of the vehicles using natural gas are mostly covered or are situated at the roof of the vehicle, which means that their condition cannot be sufficiently assessed at roadworthiness testing. Besides, the inspection requires specialist knowledge, for example, the competence to assess micro-damages to fuel tank, which it is not expedient to expect from all roadworthiness testers. At the same time, in the future, roadworthiness testers will still have an obligation to verify the overall safety of the gas supply system, for example, that the system does not leak.
At present, the natural gas tanks of vehicles are mostly checked at dealerships whose employees have undergone relevant trainings and do the checking according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, which roadworthiness testers cannot always readily access.
NordenBladet — At today’s remote attendance sitting of the Riigikogu, the Bill on Amendments to the Courts Act passed the second reading. It allows for the Court en banc to be postponed for good reason and to be held partially or fully electronically.
Under the current Act, the Court en banc is convened every year on the second Friday of February, without exceptions.
The Bill on Amendments to the Courts Act (298 SE), initiated by the Constitutional Committee, will amend the Courts Act so that, in the Court en banc, voting and elections may be held by ballot paper, electronically, in written form or in any other manner provided for in the procedure of the Court en banc.
It will also provide that the term of office of members of local government bodies who are judges elected by the Court en banc will extend for as long as the following Court en banc appoints new members to replace them.
On the proposal of the Constitutional Committee, the final vote on the Bill will be held on 20 January.
On the proposals of the sectoral committees, it was decided to remove one item from the draft agenda for today’s sitting, and six items from the draft agenda for Wednesday’s sitting. Then the Riigikogu approved its agenda for this working week.
Under a resolution of the Board of the Riigikogu, the plenary sittings of this working week (18–21 January) will be held by remote attendance. It is possible for Members of the Riigikogu to participate in remote attendance sittings in the Riigikogu Session Hall or in their offices in the Riigikogu or at home.
NordenBladet — In their Joint Statement, the Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania call on the Russian authorities to release Alexei Navalny immediately and unconditionally, and ensure his safety.
“We, Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments, condemn the detention of Alexei Navalny by the Russian authorities, upon his return to Russia, in what is clear to be yet another attempt to silence the opposition and critical voices by the Russian authorities. The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Mr Navalny and ensure his safety.
Russia is bound by international obligations to the principle of rule of law and the protection of civil rights, and detention of political opponents is against Russia’s international commitments and obligations, including those of Council of Europe. Mr Alexei Navalny was the victim of a despicable crime on Russian territory – the poisoning attempt, using a military-grade nerve agent from the “Novichok” group developed by Russia, a finding confirmed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Instead of investigating these crimes, the Russian authorities have chosen to, yet again, deprive Alexei Navalny of his liberty for exercising his human right to free speech.
We reiterate the call to Russian authorities to open a criminal investigation into Navalny’s poisoning and ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice in fair trial proceedings. We call on Russian authorities to immediately release Alexei Navalny and cease their campaign of political persecution and intimidation against critics of the regime.
Drawing the necessary conclusions from these facts, we call on our European partners and the parliamentary assembles (including PACE) to be swift and forceful in their condemnation of Russia’s undemocratic methods, and consider additional sanctions targeting those responsible for the unlawful detention of Mr Navalny.”
Full text of the Joint Statement by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Seimas of Lithuania Žygimantas Pavilionis and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima of Latvia Rihards Kols.
NordenBladet — The draft Resolution on holding a referendum on the issue of the definition of marriage was not supported at today’s sitting of the Riigikogu. 26 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Resolution and 49 were against.
The draft Resolution provided for submitting the question (other national issue): “Shall marriage remain a union between a man and a woman in Estonia?” to the referendum to be held on 18 April 2021.
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu on holding a referendum on the issue of the definition of marriage, submitted by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction and the Faction Isamaa, passed its first reading in the Riigikogu on 14 December. Nearly 10,000 motions to amend the draft Resolution had been submitted by the deadline.
During the debate, Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party), Priit Sibul (Isamaa), Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Kalle Grünthal (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Eduard Odinets (Social Democratic Party), Mart Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Heiki Hepner (Isamaa), Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa), Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party), Valdo Randpere (Reform Party), Imre Sooäär (Centre Party), Indrek Saar (Social Democratic Party), Siim Pohlak (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Mihhail Lotman (Isamaa), Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party), Raimond Kaljulaid, Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) and Helmen Kütt (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.
On behalf of the Centre Party Faction, Andrei Korobeinik moved to remove the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Holding a Referendum on the Issue of the Definition of Marriage” (288 OE) from the agenda for today’s sitting. The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction disagreed with that, and therefore the item remained on the agenda.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu also rejected the protests that had been lodged concerning the proceedings on the draft Resolution on the referendum.
Because the Board of the Riigikogu had not reached a consensus at its meeting the day before and Vice-President Siim Kallas had held a dissenting opinion on the Resolutions of the Board, the plenary of the Riigikogu voted on two motions of the Board at today’s sitting. They concerned the protests that had been lodged by members of the Riigikogu in connection with the proceedings on the draft Resolution on the referendum in the Constitutional Committee, and issues relating to obstruction.
The plenary of the Riigikogu passed with 49 votes in favour and 48 against the Resolution of the Board of the Riigikogu that provided for a rejection in their entirety of the protests that had been lodged concerning the proceedings on the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Holding a Referendum on the Issue of the Definition of Marriage” (288 OE). The Resolution notes that, considering the very broad right to self-regulation of the committees, the Constitutional Committee had acted within the framework of the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act to ensure its ability to work.
The Resolution of the Board to regulate obstruction was not supported by the Riigikogu.
“The Board of the Riigikogu accepts obstruction as a means of the opposition in the parliament to demonstrate their disagreement with certain decisions of the majority of the parliament. However, blocking the work of the parliament must remain within the limits of dignity. Submitting thousands of motions to amend, a large part of which are unconstitutional, insulting and damaging to Estonia’s security and undermine Estonia’s international reputation does not serve the interests of democracy but lowers the Riigikogu’s reputation and discredits the functioning of the democracy as a whole. The Board of the Riigikogu disapproves of and condemns the submission of such motions and calls on members of parliament to refrain from submitting such motions in the future. Under the Constitution, the functioning of the parliament must be ensured in every situation and obstruction must not lead to blocking the daily legislative work of the Riigikogu.”
41 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of that Resolution of the Board of the Riigikogu and 45 were against. Thus, the motion was not supported.
NordenBladet — The President of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas met the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen via a video bridge today. The two speakers discussed managing the corona virus, bilateral parliamentary cooperation, and cooperation opportunities in the Baltic Sea region.
Both agreed that the Baltic states shared the same history and the same values. “We are each other’s closest partners,” Põlluaas said. “Working together rather than individually, we can achieve more on the international level as well. For example, when planning visits to our partners.”
Põlluaas highlighted the fully established cooperation between the speakers of Nordic and Baltic parliaments, who will be engaged in the ongoing dialogue on economy, security, as well as environmental protection. “Being in the same region, we share the same challenges in these fields,” Põlluaas said.
Both speakers outlined the COVID-19 situation and the rate of vaccinations in their countries. They also shared their experiences on the organisation of parliamentary work during the corona crisis, and compared remote sitting solutions.
Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the defence of the Vilnius TV Tower after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence. Põlluaas expressed his condolences to the friends and families of those who lost their lives in these events. Lithuania will celebrate that day as a national holiday tomorrow, commemorating the victims and remembering freedom fighters.
The Riigikogu concluded the first reading of two Bills
The Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (293 SE), initiated by the Government, will set out safeguards with regard to the jurisdictions included in the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, in order that aggressive tax planning would be impossible through the jurisdictions included in the EU list.
Under the Bill, the calculation of the basic exemption in Estonia will be equal for a resident natural person and a resident natural person of another Contracting State. The current Act also enables a resident natural person of another Contracting State to make the deductions from income earned in Estonia that are allowed for a resident natural person. The difference in the treatment of an Estonian resident and a resident of another Contracting State is however manifest in the calculation of the basic exemption.
At the same time, the Bill will ensure that, in terms of the taxation of the reimbursement of the daily subsistence allowances and the transport, accommodation and other costs of servants participating in secondments by Frontex and EASO, they will be treated equally as regards the taxation of the reimbursements made to the national experts at a European Union institution or office or agency who participate in civilian missions.
The Bill on Amendments to the Social Welfare Act and Other Acts (295 SE), initiated by the Government, will ensure more flexible organisation of the alternative and continuing care service, extend the range of persons who are entitled to monthly family benefits, and enhance the possibilities for local authorities to support young people who need the continuing care service.
The Bill will also enable a contract of employment to be entered into with family parents in family homes providing the alternative care service, besides the authorisation agreement provided for in the current law. Specifications regarding the working and rest time will be provided for the cases when a contract of employment is entered into, which will ensure family parents social guarantees equally to other persons employed under the Employment Contracts Act. Under the current regulation, an agreement can be entered into with a family parent that is essentially an authorisation agreement under the law of obligations with special conditions and the conditions in place will not be amended.
The Bill will create the possibility to receive family benefits, for example, child benefit, guardianship allowance, the single parent’s child allowance, the allowance for families with many children, as well as the disabled student’s allowance and the disabled parent’s allowance if a child of up to 19 years of age has been included in the list of a full-time in-service training course at a state agency administered by the Ministry of Social Affairs. The amendment concerns children over 16 years of age who are studying at Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Centre and who do not have the status of a student and therefore are deprived of the above-mentioned allowance. Under the current regulation, the payment of family allowances in connection with studies is contingent on studies at a basic school, a secondary school or in formal vocational education.
The Bill will also make other amendments. For example, uniform state fee rates will be established for the social services provided under an activity licence. They include the social rehabilitation service, the safe house service and the general care service provided outside home. In the case of the continuing care service, local authorities will have possibility to use the resources of the support fund for all young people who have left alternative care and guardianship until they attain 25 years of age. Under the regulation in force, the age requirement is different.
Eduard Odinets took his oath of office before the Riigikogu.
At the beginning of the sitting of the Riigikogu, there was an intense discussion in connection with the proceedings on the motions to amend the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Holding a Referendum on the Issue of the Definition of Marriage” (288 OE) in the Constitutional Committee. The opposition had submitted protests, referring to violations of procedure. Since the protests submitted to the Board of the Riigikogu had not been reviewed, opposition members moved to remove the second reading of the draft Resolution from the agenda for the working week. The motion was not supported. The agenda was approved with 50 votes in favour and 45 against. Before the approval of the agenda, the deliberation of the research and development, innovation and entrepreneurship development plan 2021–2035 was removed from the agenda for the sitting on Wednesday on the proposal of the Cultural Affairs Committee.
During the open microphone, Peeter Ernits and Kalle Grünthal took the floor.
NordenBladet — At its extraordinary sitting today, the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) discussed the proposed amendments to the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu 288 OE. The Committee adopted a Statement which condemns the motions to amend regarding Estonia becoming a part of Russia and surrendering Saaremaa Island to Latvia.
The Statement says: “In their work, the Members of the Riigikogu must proceed from the oath of office of a Member of the Riigikogu and from the Constitution of Estonia. Article 2 of the Constitution provides that the land, territorial waters and airspace of the Estonian state are an inseparable and indivisible whole.
All motions to amend submitted by the Members of the Riigikogu that concern making Estonia a part of Russia and surrendering the island of Saaremaa to Latvia contradict the oath of office of Member of the Riigikogu and the Good Practice of the members of the Parliament, and damage the international reputation of Estonia.
We call on the members of the Riigikogu who submitted these motions to apologise for them. We condemn such activities on behalf of the Constitutional Committee.”
The Statement was supported by Anti Poolamets, Heiki Hepner, Martin Repinski, Marko Šorin (substitute member of Andrei Korobeinik), Tõnis Mölder (substitute member of Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski) and Kalle Grünthal.
Members of the Riigikogu Urmas Kruuse, Ants Laaneots and Jüri Jaanson have withdrawn their motions to amend containing the question “Would it be better to live in the Republic of Estonia if the Republic of Estonia were a part of Russia?”
The Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu will continue preparations for the second reading of the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Holding a Referendum on the Issue of the Definition of Marriage” at its extraordinary sitting at 12 noon on Sunday, 10 January.
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu on holding a Referendum on the issue of the definition of marriage (288 OE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction and the Faction Isamaa, passed its first reading in the Riigikogu on 14 December 2020. The second reading is scheduled for 13 January.
The Bill provides for submitting the following question (other national issue): “Shall marriage remain a union between a man and a woman in Estonia?” to the referendum to be held on 18 April 2021. By the date for submitting amendments, 9317 motions to amend the Draft Resolution were submitted.