NordenBladet — At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu discussed the motion of no confidence in the Minister of Rural Affairs Mart Järvik, which Kaja Kallas had submitted on behalf of 44 members of the Riigikogu. The motion of no confidence was not supported. 43 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour and 51 were against. The support of at least 51 members of the Riigikogu was needed to express no confidence.

When submitting the motion of no confidence, the Chairman of the Reform Party Faction Kaja Kallas said that, over the past five months, the minister had proved that he was not worthy to hold the office of member of Government. “With his activities, he has hampered the activities of the Veterinary and Food Board in ensuring food safety and has potentially jeopardised the health of people. He has lied publicly and he has prioritised private interests over national interests. All these are sufficient reasons to express no confidence in the Minister of Rural Affairs,” Kallas said.

The Minister of Rural Affairs Mart Järvik briefly explained that he had become involved in a scandal in connection with a conflict in the ministry. “It began because I wanted to initiate a food safety audit, and announced that I would do so. From then on, our cooperation with the Secretary General of the Ministry faltered. It was from then on that obstruction against me began, not only by him but also by some other officials. Now it has been eventually amplified through the media to the point where I am standing here, and maybe I will have the honour of being included in the list of the ministers who have had a motion of no confidence tabled against them,” Järvik said.

Thereafter the minister responded to numerous questions from members of the Riigikogu asking for more detailed information about his activities as the Minister of Rural Affairs. In his responses, Järvik fended off the accusations made against him and confirmed that he would not resign from his post.

During the debate, Ivari Padar (Social Democratic Party) and Kaja Kallas (Reform Party) took the floor on behalf of the factions.

The Bill harmonising the control over the agri-food chain in the EU passed the second reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Infectious Animal Disease Control Act, the State Fees Act, the Feed Act, the Food Act and the Veterinary Activities Organisation Act (90 SE), initiated by the Government, will bring the Act into conformity with a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. The Bill will improve the enforcement of European Union agri-food chain legislation and the level of protection against risks to human, animal and plant health in Member States.

The aim is to establish a European Union framework to harmonise the organisation of official controls, and official activities other than official controls, along the entire agri-food chain. The principle arising from European Union law does not allow to duplicate the provisions of directly applicable legislation or to rewrite them in national law. Therefore, it is necessary to update or repeal several provisions of the Infectious Animal Disease Control Act, the Feed Act, the Food Act and the Veterinary Activities Organisation Act.

Among other things, the procedure for performing official controls on the transportation of feed of non-animal origin to Estonia from countries and territories that are outside the European Union customs territory will be amended. Imported feed of non-animal origin arriving in Estonia will no longer be subject to 100-per cent control at border control posts. Instead, the focus will be on the control of feeds that may pose a higher risk to animal and human health and to the environment. A significant amendment to the Feed Act is also the changing of the principles for financing of official controls and of other official activities. The current state fee paid for performing official controls will be replaced by the supervision fee charged for controls. Such a charging system takes into account the actual costs relating to controls and enables flexibility in the case of different types of establishments. Due to this amendment, the State Fees Act also needs amending.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu appointed Urmas Reitelmann a member of the Estonian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and Vilja Toomast a substitute member.

With the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europeˮ” (95 OE), submitted by the Foreign Affairs Committee, Vilja Toomast was appointed a substitute member of the Estonian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 89 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution.

After the discussions in the committee, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee had proposed to appoint, in order to strengthen the activities of the Estonian delegation, a third substitute member in adherence to the requirement to ensure equitable representation of the various political forces and women and men in the national parliament, as set out in the Statute of the Council of Europe. The Reform Party Faction nominated Toomast.

With the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe”” (96 OE), submitted by the Foreign Affairs Committee, Jaak Madison was excluded from the delegation in connection with the termination of his mandate and Urmas Reitelmann was appointed a member of the delegation. The Estonian Conservative People’s Party nominated Reitelmann. 52 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution and 44 voted against. There was one abstention.

After the passing of today’s Resolutions, the Estonian delegation to PACE has six members: head of the delegation Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski, members Eerik-Niiles Kross and Urmas Reitelmann and substitute members Indrek Saar, Raivo Tamm and Vilja Toomast.

A discussion on whether the member of the delegation was suitable for the office was held before the Resolution was passed.

Raimond Kaljulaid took the floor on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Faction in the debate. Marko Mihkelson spoke on behalf of the Reform Party Faction and said that the faction would vote against the Resolution. Urmas Reitelmann spoke on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party.

Three Bills passed the first reading:

The Bill on Amendments to the Foreign Service Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (45 SE), initiated by the Government, is intended to harmonise foreign service with the principles of general public service. For example, the current foreign service officials’ salary system will be made similar to that of other officials. The principles of the reimbursement of the costs relating to the payment of the foreign mission allowance and to long-term assignments abroad will also be changed. The amendments will not reduce the total income of officials who are on long-term assignment abroad.

The procedure for assignment of specialised diplomats and non-staff administrative officials to foreign missions will also be amended, and the decision-making competence relating to the assignment, including appointment to posts, will be left to the sending ministry. Amendments will also bring greater flexibility to deciding issues at local level.

The explanatory memorandum notes that the amendments concern all officials employed in foreign missions and their family members, that is, approximately 800 people.

The Bill on Amendments to the University of Tartu Act and the Estonian Health Insurance Fund Act (98 SE), initiated by the Government, will create the legal bases for the reimbursement of the labour costs of medical residents from the budget of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund from 2020.

The Bill provides that the organisation of residency, the theoretical training and the organising costs incurred by residency teaching hospitals will be financed from the state budget. The labour costs of medical residents will be reimbursed from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund in the future. So far, all costs related to residency have been financed from the state budget through the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The proposed amendments concern in particular the Estonian Health Insurance Fund which will begin to reimburse the labour costs of medical residents to the University of Tartu; currently the Ministry of Social Affairs is in charge of reimbursing. 18 million euro have been planned for that in 2020. The Bill also concerns the University of Tartu who will have an additional contract partner to fund residency places, the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, besides the Ministry of Social Affairs.

With the Bill on Amendments to the Act on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors thereof (99 SE), initiated by the Government on 21 October, opportunities will be created to interlink the data of the Estonian Drug Treatment Database operating at the National Institute for Health Development. The aim is to interlink registries (the population register, the Tuberculosis Registry, the Communicable Disease Information System and the Causes of Death Registry). The amendments will provide an opportunity to ensure the accuracy of data and an opportunity to interlink them through personalisation. This in turn will ensure more effective treatment and quicker communication between doctors and patients. Organised and interlinked registry data will also enable to obtain a whole picture of the spread of a disease in Estonia and to obtain adequate statistics when forecasting service volumes.

The explanatory memorandum notes that, at present, data are entered in the Estonian Drug Treatment Database in such a manner that it is impossible to identify patients. For that, at the start and end of drug treatment, the personal identification code of a patient is encoded with a unique code in the Estonian Drug Treatment Database, and this code is linked with the data of the specific treatment case (i.e. data are not personalised in the database). For the service provider, already now, the patient is always personalised at the beginning of a treatment case, but the data are not reflected in the Estonian Drug Treatment Database.

In the future, data will be entered in the Estonian Drug Treatment Database in personalised form for every drug treatment case. This is already being done now in the case of other registries. For example, patients’ data are entered in the Tuberculosis Registry in personalised form. Due to the amendments proposed by the Bill, a higher security class will be assigned to the Estonian Drug Treatment Database, and cases when data can be issued to other persons will be provided for.

The amendment does not concern the service providers offering drug treatment. Since additional data fields that will contain personal data will be added to the notifications from the Estonian Drug Treatment Database, only the working arrangements of the employees of the National Institute for Health Development may change.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — The Minister of Social Affairs Tanel Kiik replied to the interpellation concerning psycho-social support in crises (No. 6), submitted by members of the Riigikogu Signe Riisalo, Erkki Keldo, Vilja Toomast, Annely Akkermann, Signe Kivi, Maris Lauri, Jüri Jaanson, Kalle Laanet, Helmen Kütt, Riina Sikkut, Liina Kersna, Andres Sutt, Marko Mihkelson, Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, Urmas Kruuse, Ants Laaneots, Urve Tiidus, Eerik-Niiles Kross and Yoko Alender on 26 September.

The interpellators referred to the tragic events that had caused crises, traumas and life changes to many people. In such a situation, the main rules are rapid response, honest information, listening, and not abandoning persons in distress. The interpellators noted that psycho-social support in crises had to be part of the national response to situations of danger and the previously agreed plan for solving crisis situations.

The interpellators wished to know what the current situation of the organisation and provision of psycho-social support in crises was.

Kiik explained that psycho-social support in crises was a process of support that focused on post-case resolution of tasks with a view to supporting the employment of the personal, social and other resources of people affected by crises with the aim of coping with what has happened and quickly reducing its impact on daily functioning and coping. “At the national level, events that endanger the life or health of many people and resolution of which requires prompt coordinated activities of several authorities or persons involved by them are considered crises or emergencies,” Kiik said.

“By today, psycho-social support in crises has indeed been set out as a mandatory component in the emergency response plans of all authorities in charge of managing crises – the Police and Border Guard Board, the Rescue Board, the Health Board and the Environmental Board,” the minister noted. He said that the Social Insurance Board was the leading institution who in 2019–2022 would develop at the victim support system the capability to also organise provision of psycho-social support in various emergencies and in the case of events with large numbers of victims or a wide impact. “And in the course of that the Social Insurance Board is going to become a centre of excellence for psycho-social support in crises,” Kiik explained. He said that, at present, victim support officials located all over Estonia offered support to people who had gone through traumatic events. The main focus of the support is on people who have gone through traumatic events who may have fallen victim of crime or experienced violence, disregard or bad or inhuman treatment in another way.

Kiik said that the Social Insurance Board as a centre of excellence would also advise other authorities to ensure better noticing of a need for support when building up the systems of support for their people, that is, the people who help others. “This competence should be created in the first half of 2020, and thereafter other authorities responsible for responding to crisis events will be constantly advised,” Kiik explained.

During the open microphone, Peeter Ernits took the floor.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — Today at 2 p.m., Member of the European Court of Auditors Juhan Parts will give an overview of the 2018 annual report of the European Court of Auditors to the European Union Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee and the State Budget Control Select Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) at a public sitting. The European Court of Auditors observes the implementation of the budget of the European Union and the lawfulness of the use of the funds.

According to the 2018 report of the European Court of Auditors, the Union’s revenues as a whole were legal and regular, and were not materially affected by errors. The estimated level of error in expenditure from the 2018 European Union budget was 2.6%, which is within the range of error estimates for the last two years.

Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Anneli Ott said that generally the payments of 2018 had been regular, but the Court of Auditors was once again drawing attention to the range of error in high-risk cost reimbursements in member states. “This concerns the payments about which it has later found out that the payments made did not meet the rather complex eligibility rules,” Ott explained. She added that direct aid payments to farmers had been free of material error.

However, for the third year in a row, the Court of Auditors issues a qualified opinion on payments. There are problems with cost reimbursements in areas with higher level of error, like research and development aid projects and investments in regional and rural development. The area of cohesion was affected by material error, mainly due to the reimbursement of ineligible costs and infringements of internal market rules. The Court of Auditors also found errors in research expenditure, where the beneficiaries had overdeclared personnel costs, other direct costs, overheads and ineligible subcontracting costs.

The joint sitting of the Committees will be streamed online.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — The Riigikogu passed a Resolution on an amendment to the membership of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Head of the delegation Kadri Simson (Centre Party) was excluded from the delegation, and Kerstin-Oudekki Loone (Centre Party) was appointed head of the delegation. Member of the delegation Sven Sester (Isamaa) was excluded from the delegation, and Andres Metsoja (Isamaa) was appointed member of the delegation. Alternate member of the delegation Sven Mikser (Social Democratic Party) was also excluded from the delegation and Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) was appointed as an alternate member of the delegation.

Member of the delegation Ants Laaneots (Reform Party) and alternate member Leo Kunnas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) are members of the delegation on the basis of an earlier resolution.

A lively discussion on whether the new head of the delegation was suitable for the office was held before the Resolution was passed. During the debate, Valdo Randpere (Reform Party) and Oudekki Loone (Centre Party) took the floor.

50 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization”” (85 OE), submitted by the Foreign Affairs Committee, and 33 were against.

The new Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology Kaimar Karu took his oath of office.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — The Bill will specify the formation of the membership of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia, and the requirements for members of the supervisory board, and the term of their mandate.

The Bill on Amendments to the Bank of Estonia (Eesti Pank) Act (97 SE), initiated by the Finance Committee, will introduce the requirement according to which the membership of the supervisory board will have to include representatives of all political parties in the Riigikogu, in addition to experts in the field. The amendments specify that the factions of the Riigikogu will appoint their representatives, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia will appoint the experts in the field. The Bill will specify that the members of the supervisory board will have to have sufficient knowledge and experience to participate in the work of the board, and no member of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia may be appointed for more than two consecutive terms. The Bill requires a majority vote in the Riigikogu to be passed.

In the debate, Jürgen Ligi, took the floor on behalf of the Reform Party Faction and noted that the amendment of the Act was motivated by the behaviour of the current Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia.

Aivar Kokk took the floor on behalf of the Faction Isamaa. He stressed that every member of the Riigikogu had the right to submit motions to amend a draft Resolution on the appointment of members of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia before the second reading.

Henn Põlluaas took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction and expressed his delight that all factions of the Riigikogu supported the Bill.

Another Bill passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the State Fees Act, the Identity Documents Act and the Consular Act (78 SE), initiated by the Government, will amend the rates of the state fees for acts performed in foreign missions, and will establish new state fees for acts which as yet are not subject to a fee. With the amendments, the planned state fees for acts performed in foreign missions are intended to be brought in line with actual costs. The state fee charged for acts performed under Acts in foreign missions will be raised so that it will be higher by 30 euro than the state fee charged for the performance of the same acts in Estonia. The Bill has been drafted in particular to cover the costs related to accepting applications, issuing documents and using the postal service. A state fee for issuing documents in Estonian foreign missions and through honorary consuls will also be established. This service has so far been free of charge.

The Riigikogu passed two Resolutions

The Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europeˮ” (86 OE), initiated by the Foreign Affairs Committee. Head of the delegation Mart Nutt is excluded from the membership of the delegation, and Sven Sester is appointed head of the delegation. In addition, with the Resolution, member of the delegation Kerstin-Oudekki Loone is excluded from the membership of the delegation, and Marko Šorin is appointed member of the delegation to replace her.

76 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the passage of the Resolution.

With the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of an Auditor to Audit the Activities of the National Audit Office in 2019-2021” (92 OE), initiated by the Finance Committee, the Finance Committee proposes to appoint AS Deloitte Audit Eesti to audit the activities of the National Audit Office in 2019–2021. Under the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act, such a draft Resolution is deliberated in a single reading and a majority vote of the Riigikogu is required to pass it.

74 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the passage of the Resolution.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — The Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Taavi Aas replied to the interpellation concerning the financing of road construction (No. 4), submitted by members of the Riigikogu Aivar Sõerd, Andres Sutt, Taavi Rõivas, Kaja Kallas, Annely Akkermann, Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, Heiki Kranich, Jürgen Ligi, Riina Sikkut, Maris Lauri, Kalvi Kõva, Ivari Padar, Heljo Pikhof, Urmas Kruuse, Katri Raik and Jüri Jaanson on 16 September.

The interpellators wished information on infrastructure investments in the next year’s state budget. The interpellators asked on what considerations the Government had rejected the application of the Road Administration to allocate 5 million euro from the state budget every following year in order to plan and design new four-lane highways and to purchase lands for reconstructing the three main highways as four-lane highways.

Aas said that in spring the cabinet had decided to approve both the state budget strategy for 2020–2023 and the state budget for 2020 Bill with an overall national deficit. The Government was planning to come back to the saving on various costs as well as the content of the decisions on potential additional expenditure in the course of the autumn budget process after the Ministry of Finance would have released its summer economic forecast. Under the Government’s decision of 19 December, and the State Budget for 2020 Bill approved by the Government on 24 September and submitted to the Riigikogu, four million euro will be allocated next year for designing the reconstruction of the main highways as four-lane highways and for purchasing lands.

Aas explained that the investment possibilities of the state would be established in the course of the drafting of the state budget strategy and the annual budget. At present, a new road management plan is being drafted which will reflect the Government’s decisions regarding the state budget strategy for 2020–2023 and the state budget for 2020. Among other things, the volume of the preparation of projects will be increased by 4 million euro, and the volume of the surfacing of gravel roads will be increased by 10 million euro. “It must be noted here that the current state budget strategy does not contain the European Union 2021+ budgetary period funds as negotiations with the European Union institutions are still underway. The current road management plan for 2018–2022 was drafted in autumn 2018, based on the state budget strategy for 2019–2022 and the budget for 2019,” Aas said. He added that the road management plan also contained, among other things, the indicative need for financing national roads in 2023–2027. The indication gives an opportunity to better plan funds by years and, depending on the possibilities of the state, to implement sites earlier and to postpone them and to seek other funding alternatives. In addition, the possibilities of implementing larger road construction sites within the framework of public-private partnership cooperation are being analysed.

“We have examined the audit of the European Court of Auditors, and we will definitely take into account the observations and risks set out in the audit when preparing the public-private partnership projects. Relevant principles and instructions needed to implement public-private partnership projects are also already being developed in the Ministry of Finance in order to prevent, among other things, a situation where the risks set out in the audit would be realised in Estonia,” Aas said.

During the open microphone, Ruuben Kaalep took the floor.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — The President of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas spoke at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, focusing on the restoration of Russia’s right to vote in the Assembly.

Põlluaas said that when the PACE restored the voting rights of the Russian delegation in June, it overrode the fundamental principle of the Council of Europe: protection of the universal human rights.

“Russia has committed aggressive acts against Ukraine and refrained from following internationally negotiated guidelines to resolve the conflict,” Põlluaas said. “We need to keep the pressure on the perpetrator and demand the violations of the basic human rights in Eastern Ukraine to cease.”

Põlluaas said that this agreed framework of international law is supposed to provide us with a certain safety net of trust, applied universally by every Member State. “Equality before the law encourages a small state to instinctively trust the principle of the rule of law and to believe in active international cooperation. This trust can be easy to lose,” Põlluaas admonished.

Põlluaas said that Russia’s systematic destabilising and aggressive behaviour affects not only its neighbours but the whole Euro-Atlantic region. “We have to unite our efforts to counter this gravely dangerous development,” Põlluaas reminded his colleagues. “We are under obligation to consolidate our Common European Home. Nobody is going to do it instead of us.”

Põlluaas believes that the PACE decision in June did not do justice to the countries facing aggression by their neighbour, or to efforts to solve frozen conflicts.

The PACE unites the delegations of 47 national parliaments. The President of the Riigikogu is taking part in the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Strasbourg today and tomorrow. The main topic of the Conference is the future of the Assembly. Other topics include the UN Sustainability Action Plan, and the role that the national parliaments could play in fighting the ever intensifying harassment and hate speech directed at female politicians and parliamentarians.

The President of the Riigikogu has also scheduled in a meeting with the Presidents of the Nordic and Baltic parliaments (NB8), as well as a bilateral meeting with the President of the Ukrainian Parliament.

The text of the speech.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet — Today, the Riigikogu passed an Act that allows holders of UK driving licences to drive on Estonian roads for one year after Brexit.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

NordenBladet —

Source: Parliament of Estonia