NordenBladet —This week, the members of the Estonian Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) attend the 140th Assembly of the IPU, held in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The main topics discussed at the Assembly are democracy, peace, education and sustainable development.
Head of the Estonian Delegation Helmen Kütt said that the states had to cooperate so that everyone would be ensured rights and liberties – rights to personal freedom, security, education and equal treatment. “As long as there are countries and regions in the world where these fundamental values are not valued, or are ignored, the cooperation between parliaments has a crucial role in solving this issue,” Kütt added.
The Assembly also discusses the opportunities for encouraging women to participate in politics. “According to a recent IPU analysis, women form 18 per cent of the members of the parliaments in the Middle East and Africa. As recently as in 1995, only 4 per cent of the members of these representative bodies were women. The progress is obvious, but it is still not enough, and the Assembly is trying to find solutions, so that women would not be afraid of being involved in politics,” Kütt said.
Fight against terrorism, ensuring of human rights and investments in renewable energy are also spoken about at the Assembly.
The Estonian Delegation to the 140th Assembly of the IPU in Doha consists of Head of the Delegation Helmen Kütt and members of the Delegation Toomas Kivimägi and Marika Tuus-Laul.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the oldest and largest organisation of parliaments in the world. It was established 130 years ago, and has 178 member states from the entire world. Estonia was a member of the IPU in 1921–1940, and restored its membership after regaining independence in 1991.
NordenBladet —This week, the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) participates in the Spring Session (Second Part of the Ordinary Session) of PACE in Strasbourg, where the focus issues are the challenges faced by the PACE in the future, and hate speech as well as the role of political leaders in combating hate speech.
Another topic to be discussed at the Session is the creation of a new EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. Combating organised crime and money-laundering will also be spoken about. Besides that, strengthening co-operation with the UN and implementation of the sustainable development goals, and promoting of parliaments free of sexism and sexual harassment will be discussed.
“Which other organisation in Europe would stand for the values of the rule of law than the oldest international parliamentary assembly, the already 70 years old PACE? What would its creators, who emphasised the need to stand for common European values, think us? Noblesse oblige – nobility obliges,” Head of the Estonian Delegation to the PACE Marianne Mikko said.
Besides Marianne Mikko, members of the Estonian Delegation Andres Herkel and Tiit Terik participate in the PACE Spring Session.
Pace is the oldest international parliamentary assembly in Europe that held its opening session on 10 August 1949. The task of the Council of Europe is to protect the fundamental values of its member states: human rights, the principle of the rule of law and democracy.
NordenBladet —Today, the local governments celebrate the 100th anniversary of the elections of the first democratic representative body of the Republic of Estonia, the Constituent Assembly, in the places of birth of the deputies elected to the Constituent Assembly.
The eldest member of the 14th Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Enn Eesmaa invites everybody to participate in these events in their home counties. “Let us recall with gratitude the activities of those 120 men and women who laid the foundations of our state and adopted the first Constitution of the Republic of Estonia,” Eesmaa said.
The events will be held in the places of birth of all members of the Constituent Assembly, in 49 local governments. The places of birth of the 120 members of the Constituent Assembly are marked on the map that can be found on the home page of Estonia 100 (EV100).
More information about the events is available in the information channels of local governments.
Elections of the Constituent Assembly took place from 5 to7 April 1919 all over Estonia on the basis of a general and uniform right to vote by secret ballot on the principle of proportionality. All citizens of Estonia who were at least 20 years of age had the right to vote.
The task of the Constituent Assembly was to lay the foundations for the Estonian statehood, to adopt the Constitution and the Land Act. The Constituent Assembly acted as the national representative body and the legislative power of Estonia from 23 April 1919 until 20 December 1920.
NordenBladet —The newly elected members of the Board Henn Põlluaas, Helir-Valdor Seeder, and Siim Kallas held a press conference after the opening sitting of the 14th Riigikogu, stressing the importance of parliamentary democracy.
The President of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas reflected that the new Riigikogu is assuming office in a politically fraught situation, but that this is a sign of democracy. Põlluaas explained that the Riigikogu must stand for the interests of the Estonian sovereignty, democracy, freedom of speech, and the people. The President expressed his conviction that the new Riigikogu and the new Board will fulfil their tasks with flying colours.
Vice-President Helir-Valdor Seeder declared himself a firm believer in democracy, and named improving the authority of the parliament as a working goal. The Vice-President called for a better balance between the legislative and the executive powers. Seeder added that debates should remain within the wall of the Riigikogu and politics should spill less out onto the streets.
Vice-President Siim Kallas called the parliament and the government two sides of a single coin. Kallas promised that the newly elected Board of the Riigikogu will do everything in its power to make sure the parliament has a worthy and weighty place in the democratic decision making process in Estonia. The Vice-Chairman said that the Board has a number of ideas on how to achieve this.
NordenBladet – At the opening sitting of the new Riigikogu, Henn Põlluaas was elected the President of the Riigikogu, and Helir-Valdor Seeder and Siim Kallas were elected the Vice-Presidents.
The President of the Republic Kersti Kaljulaid opened the first sitting and also made a speech.
Kaljulaid presented her recommendations to the new Riigikogu. “Let us keep what we have and speak honestly about what to do better from now on by building, not by tearing down. Let us recognise our success as an e-state. We are proud of our role in the European Union and NATO, not merely as a member but as an active and dutiful contributor. Let us recognise and thank all those Estonian politicians who have led us so far. But let us also be honest about how to improve the functioning of society,” the President said.
“Today, the 14th composition of the Riigikogu commences work. Everyone who is here is here as a result of democratic processes. Estonia’s democracy works. Still, we should ask why, a month after the elections, a large portion of the people feel as if something has been broken in our society. Certain agreed limits no longer seem applicable. It is not a matter of world views but often of elementary politeness and respect. Of respect towards each other and the people,” Kaljulaid noted.
Then the members of the Riigikogu took their oath of office. The eldest member of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa read aloud the text of the oath.
After the members of the Riigikogu began to perform their duties, the elections of the Board of the Riigikogu were held, which were organised by Meelis Eerik, Chairman of the National Electoral Committee.
Member of the Riigikogu Martin Helme nominated Henn Põlluaas as a candidate for the President of the Riigikogu, and member of the Riigikogu Jevgeni Ossinovski nominated Sven Mikser.
100 members of the Riigikogu took part in the secret ballot. 55 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Henn Põlluaas, who was elected the President of the Riigikogu, and 45 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Sven Mikser.
Member of the Riigikogu Aivar Kokk nominated Helir-Valdor Seeder as a candidate for a Vice-President, and Member of the Riigikogu Jürgen Ligi nominated Siim Kallas.
100 members of the Riigikogu took part in the secret ballot. 55 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Helir-Valdor Seeder, and 44 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Siim Kallas. One ballot paper was invalid. Thus, Helir-Valdor Seeder was elected the First Vice-President of the Riigikogu and Siim Kallas was elected the Second Vice-President.
After the election of the Board of the Riigikogu, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas announced the resignation of the Government in accordance with the Constitution.
At the festive opening sitting of the new Riigikogu, Ellerhein Girls’ Choir conducted by Ingrid Kõrvits performed.
On Thursday, 4 April at 11 a.m., the 14th Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) will hold its opening sitting and elect the Board.
President of the Republic of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid will deliver the opening speech. Members of the Riigikogu sign the oath of office, which will be read out by the oldest member of the Parliament Enn Eesmaa.
The Riigikogu elects the President of the Riigikogu and two Vice Presidents from among its members.
Pursuant to the Constitution of Estonia, after the election of the Board of the Riigikogu, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas announces the resignation of the Government of the Republic.
Ellerhein Girls’ Choir, conducted by Ingrid Kõrvits, will perform at the festive opening sitting of the Riigikogu.
Dear members of the press,
You are kindly invited to attend the opening sitting of the Riigikogu and the press conference of the new Board, which will be held 15 minutes after the end of the sitting in Room L240 (next to the White Hall).
Journalists wishing to cover the opening sitting and attend the press conference are asked to register by 12 o’clock on 3 April at the latest on the web page of the Riigikogu.
Please note that the permanent accreditations of the Riigikogu are not valid on the day of the opening sitting. Unregistered representatives of media publications are not allowed entrance to the Riigikogu.
Members of the Estonian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly are in Ukraine to observe the presidential elections held on Sunday.
Head of the Estonian delegation Mart Nutt said that the situation in Ukraine was unpredictable and most probably the President would not be elected in the first round of the elections. In that case, a second round will be held on 21 April. Three candidates, Volodymyr Zelensky, who is the leading candidate, incumbent president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, have a real chance of progressing to the second round of voting.
Nutt added that the President of Ukraine was elected directly, and as Ukraine was a semi-presidential republic, its president had relatively extensive powers. “Election of the president may make Ukrainian-Russian relations tenser. The relations between Estonia and Ukraine are good, and the presidential elections probably will not have any impact on them,” Nutt said.
The presidential elections in Ukraine are also observed by members of the Estonian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Jaanus Marrandi and Mati Raidma. The members of the Estonian delegation will be staying in the capital of Ukraine Kiev and its surroundings.
Deploying of election observation missions has been an important part of OSCE’s activities since 1993. The missions monitor whether the elections are conducted legitimately and according to democratic standards. Nearly 110 observers participate in the OSCE mission in Ukraine.
Chairman of the Estonian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Marko Mihkelson participates in the meeting of the NATO PA Defence and Security Committee in Honolulu, Hawaii (United States), where the Committee will visit several military bases and learn about the Pacific missile defence system.
“The Pacific region is of great relevance to the USA, the most important NATO ally. Besides the Russian and Chinese influence, a real threat caused by the North Korean nuclear programme has also emerged, especially during the last decades,” Mihkelson said before the visit. In his opinion, the visit will provide an excellent opportunity to learn about the threat picture and the necessary deterrence measures in one of the most critical regions for the USA, and thus also for the whole Alliance.
In the beginning of April, NATO will celebrate its 70th anniversary. “During those years, NATO has become the strongest defence alliance of free democratic countries, which has a stabilising impact from the Pacific region to the Baltic Sea,” Mihkelson emphasised. “NATO has justified itself in every way, and it is the duty of the allies to contribute to maintaining the operational strength of the Alliance.”
Mihkelson thinks that the visit of the NATO PA Defence and Security Committee to Hawaii proves that the member states trust and defend each other, and are constantly ready for all-around cooperation.
The Committee will visit the marine base Camp H. M. Smith, the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command, where the members of the Committee will be briefed about the missile emergency system and the Pacific Missile Range Facility. They will also go to the training centre and the underground fuel storage facility.
The members of the Committee will also visit Pearl Harbor military base, where they will be given an overview of the US Pacific Air Force and US Pacific Fleet, and the ballistic missile defence system.
NordenBladet —At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, deliberation of the matter of significant national importance “Information security and the associated threats to democracy and the rule of law” was held at the initiative of the Estonian Free Party Faction. Andres Herkel, Chairman of the Estonian Free Party Faction, Ilmar Raag, strategic communication expert, Helen Eenmaa-Dimitrieva, Research Fellow in IT Law at the School of Law of the University of Tartu, and Ivo Juurvee, Research Fellow at the International Centre for Defence and Security, made reports.
To introduce the deliberation, Andres Herkel spoke of the concept of information security. He said that the list of the problems linked to the field was much more extensive than interpretation of the information spreading via social media. Herkel pointed out that the security of large databases, the security of Internet communication and data transmission, and human rights on the Internet were also information security. He added that inasmuch as the strategic infrastructure and services such as transport and banking were operated on the basis of the Internet, the security of these sectors was also information security. “Very big security threats may be involved here. And last of all, the protection of our statehood and the democratic institutions of the state against cyber attacks and other information attacks,” Herkel said.
In his report, Ilmar Raag said that, when analysing information, the state should ask about its potential impact on the behaviour of the people and the constitutional order. He pointed out that, according to European experts’ assessment, in the case of certain criteria, the Member States had the right to define for themselves what kind of speech or influencing activity could be criminalised or repressed in another way. “The first of them is about whether the messages or activities contain a clear call to violence, and the other one is about whether it contains operations for introducing lies into public space, carried out knowingly,” Raag explained.
Helen Eenmaa-Dimitrieva spoke of the influence of technology on legal systems. She stated that little research had been done on how datafication could serve the interests of being a citizen, and freedom and social justice, but it was indispensable. “Within the context of information security, what we need is more substantive combination of mechanisms and competition – that would be of much use. It is good to use all opportunities to develop the cooperation capacity of society and the decision-making processes,” Eenmaa-Dimitrieva said.
Ivo Juurvee spoke of the influencing activities of special services in the past and today. He said that influencing activities did not include only manipulation of big data, but influencing agents had not disappeared anywhere either, and it was simpler to use them thanks to technological development. He suggested that the problem of influence agents could be reduced to a certain extent with Acts against money laundering and Acts against defamation. “And finally, more specific regulation of lobbying is also a question that the next Riigikogu could perhaps consider,” Juurvee said.
During the debate, Erki Savisaar (Centre Party), Andres Herkel (Estonian Free Party), Keit Pentus-Rosimannus (Reform Party) and Tanel Talve (Social Democratic Party) took the floor on behalf of the factions.
Erki Savisaar said that the information analysis skill was paramount for ensuring security. When reading news and documents, people should think critically why and in whose interests they have been written. He added that innovative solutions should be found how to protect people against fake news and how to offer even better and more human-centered national services.
In his speech, Andres Herkel also called on to critically evaluate information sources, and stressed the importance of digital education. He extended a call to all political parties to conclude an agreement of goodwill to the effect that politicians do not write anonymous comments or use fake accounts.
Keit Pentus-Rosimannus said that greater unity was needed to counter extensive information and influencing operations of foreign countries. For that, she said, a coordinating unit should be designated who would address the issue, and where the know-how and experience of the field would be collected.
Tanel Talve noted in his speech that, when developing new e-services, more attention should be paid to security. He found that cross-party cooperation was possible in that issue, and called on the following Riigikogu to address it.
Three Bills passed the second reading:
The Bill on Amendments to the Estonian Defence League Act (786 SE), initiated by Member of the Riigikogu Ants Laaneots, will specify the co-operation of the Defence League with the Defence Forces in reservist trainings, in the military defence of the country and in the preparation for the collective self-defence, and upon participation in international military cooperation. Where necessary, the Government will establish additional duties for the Defence League by an order.
The Bill will also extend the entitlement of an active member of the Defence League to unpaid holidays for up to 30 days from his or her employer upon participation in military training or involvement in the activities of the Defence Forces or law enforcement. The Defence League may pay compensation for such a holiday. Under the current Act, compensation is paid to the extent of up to five days.
The Bill on Amendments to the Police and Border Guard Act and the Rescue Service Act (768 SE), initiated by the Government, provides for a more flexible organisation of the employment in service of the Deputy Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board, and the promotion in the service rank of a police officer, and specifies the grant of the state old-age pension of rescue service workers.
Under the current procedure, old-age pension is granted to rescue service workers on the basis of the State Pension Insurance Act. In addition, the Rescue Service Act provides for an increase of 10-15 per cent in old-age pension, depending on the length of service of rescue service worker (starting from the tenth year). In practice the question has arisen as to whether a person who has the required length of rescue service but who attains pension age after 1 March 2023 would not benefit from an increase in their pension. According to the Bill, the person would retain the entitlement to the increase in old-age pension.
The Bill also provides for the entitlement to an increase in the old-age pension of rescue service worker also for persons who were in rescue service at the time of entry into force of the Act (on 1 March 2008) but who have left the service after that and are not retiring from rescue service. Under the current procedure, the state old-age pension of rescue service worker is granted and paid after termination of employment in the position of rescue service worker. Until the end of 2017, the Act was interpreted to mean that only rescue service workers retiring immediately from rescue service benefited from an increase in the old-age pension of rescue service worker. Under the Bill, rescue service workers who do not retire immediately from rescue service will also benefit from an increase in the old-age pension of rescue service worker if the conditions for receiving the pension are met. This concerns the persons who were in rescue service at the time of entry into force of the Act and who have the length of rescue service required for an increase in old-age pension. The increase will be paid retroactively also to the persons for whom no increase in old-age pension was calculated earlier.
The general objective of the Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (658 SE), initiated by the Government, is to reduce recidivism and to increase social security.
The Bill will create the possibility to impose life imprisonment on persons with recidivist past who commit manslaughter or a sexual offence again. Victims of serious crimes will be given an opportunity to express their opinion on the release of an offender on parole. The amendment aims to pay more attention to the rights of the victim and the liability of criminals.
In addition, the Bill will organise the regulation of life imprisonment. Under the current law, a person can be released on parole in the case of life imprisonment after he or she has served thirty years of imprisonment. The Bill will allow for a person serving life imprisonment to be placed in an open prison if he or she has served at least 23 years of imprisonment. The Bill will create the possibility to release on parole a prisoner serving life imprisonment if he or she has served at least 25 years of imprisonment. A person who is released on parole in the case of life imprisonment will undertake to be subjected to supervision of conduct in order that his or her coping in society would be secure.
The Bill will also create the possibility to enter into an agreement for leaving the country with an alien within the framework of settlement proceedings (except with regard to a person accused of a serious crime), which will involve prohibition on entry.
NordenBladet —The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson is taking part in the meeting of the Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Nordic and Baltic parliaments (NB8) in Bergen, Norway, to discuss various problems of international security, ranging from the situation in Afghanistan to food security and condition of the oceans.
Mihkelson cites the situation in Afghanistan as the first topic to be discussed. “The US and allied forces have kept the Afghanistan crisis under control for a long time, barred the spreading of terrorism, and have trained and supported the Afghan security forces,” Mihkelson said. “However, the supposed plan of the US President to leave Afghanistan can now lead to unforeseeable consequences. We will try to shape a common understanding about the further activities with our Nordic and Baltic colleagues.”
The host country Norway also presented its foreign policy goals to the guests yesterday. Another topic was global food security and sustainable management of oceans. Mihkelson said that global food security would keep increasing in importance because the world population is growing, and even now, food security is precarious in certain regions.
“It is critical for every country to remain self-sufficient in strategic food sectors like dairy, meat, fish, and grains, but we must work together to ensure food supplies in countries that suffer from crop failures or military and economic crises,” Mihkelson said.
On the topic of sustainable management of oceans, Mihkelson listed illegal fishing, piracy, climate changes, and marine pollution, all of which put the condition of the oceans at risk. “At the meeting in Bergen, we were looking for ways to ensure safe, secure, clean and fertile seas and oceans worldwide; these regulate our climate, supply us with food and clean air, but also drive our economic growth,” Mihkelson said.
Today, the programme will continue with a visit to the Institute of Marine Reasearch in Austevoll.