Kivimägi gave his Norwegian counterpart an overview of Estonia’s online elections and pointed out that more than half of the votes in Estonia were cast online, and therefore more young people participated in elections. He also admitted that voter turnout could always be higher. The Vice-President of the Riigikogu noted that Estonia was happy to share its experience in holding online elections with other countries.
Speaking of energy and the potential of renewable energy, Kivimägi said that the time of producing electricity from oil shale had come to an end, but the price of electricity in Estonia was unfortunately still considerably higher than in Finland and Scandinavia. “Energy in Estonia is often two times more expensive than in Finland, which also means that Estonian businesses are in a worse competitive situation in comparison to the companies in Finland and the Nordic Countries,” he said, and explained that another underwater interconnector cable between Estonia and Finland would be needed to balance the price. “Unfortunately, the construction of such a connection will take many years,” Kivimägi said, and added that Estonia was using biofuels and developing wind energy, and that soon the power grid of the Baltic States would be desynchronised from Russia’s grid. “Energy security is very important for us,” he said.
The situation of the state budgets of Estonia and Norway, changes in the taxation system, events in the European Capitals of Culture Tartu and Bodø in 2024, and the technical aspects of parliamentary work were also discussed at the meeting.
Head of the Estonian delegation Mario Kadastik said that therefore the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) would host the delegations from the EISC member states, the European Space Agency and the European Space Policy Institute over the next year.
According to Mario Kadastik, it is planned to hold a space workshop in spring 2025, and the Plenary Session in autumn. Kadastik said at the Plenary Session today, “Today’s discussion on defence and security in space has been an excellent introduction to the upcoming Estonian Presidency. Next year, we intend to focus even more on the common ground of security and space sector and increase the involvement of politicians in these debates.”
The European Interparliamentary Space Conference (EISC) was established in 1999. National parliaments of the Member States of the European Union and/or of the European Space Agency that have created a parliamentary body dealing with space affairs are eligible for full membership.
The aim of the EISC is to offer the national parliaments of Europe an opportunity to exchange information, discuss issues and make analyses in the space policy sector. The resolutions adopted at the meetings of the EISC are not binding for national parliaments, but the organisation helps define the role of the legislators of European countries in dealing with space issues.
Currently the EISC has 14 full members, including Finland that became a member at today’s session. The official languages of the EISC are English, French and German.
The chairmanship of the EISC rotates, and one country holds it for one year. The task of the presidency is to organise a workshop dealing with space issues from a practical perspective, and the plenary session, where a resolution on relevant issues of the year is passed.
In 2017, Estonia held the Presidency of the EISC. The aim of Estonia’s Presidency is to launch a discussion on how to use entrepreneurship in the space sector, and how to deal with the legislation regulating these issues.
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a Proposal to the Government of the Republic to transfer the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem” (325 OE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, was intended to express support to Israel and to transfer the Estonian embassy to Jerusalem.
The Riigikogu did not support adoption of the Resolution. 14 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing it and there were no votes against and no abstentions. The support of at least 51 members of the Riigikogu was needed to pass the Resolution. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to revoke the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on closing down the Consulate General of the Republic of Estonia in New York“ (328 OE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, was intended to make a proposal to the Government to revoke the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on closing down the Consulate General of the Republic of Estonia in New York.
The Riigikogu did not support adoption of the Resolution. 13 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing it and there were no votes against and no abstentions. The support of at least 51 members of the Riigikogu was needed to pass the Resolution. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
During the open microphone, Kalle Grünthal, Mart Helme, Rain Epler and Hele Everaus took the floor.
In summer, the European Commission imposed provisional countervailing duties on subsidised electric cars from China. Within four months from the provisional decision, Member States have to decide whether to impose a definitive countervailing duty.
Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that a study conducted by the European Commission had proved that China subsidised its electric car manufacturers, which was clearly unfair competition on the European car market. “The European Union needs to mitigate the risk to its automotive industry and its economy in a wider context, and that is why it is fair to impose a countervailing duty on the electric cars imported from China. Tariffs create an opportunity for our European manufacturers to compete with Chinese electric cars in Europe,” Tali added. “We must not accept market distortions silently, because if we do that, we will remain under the economic pressure from communist China also in other sectors.”
According to the Transport Administration, 12,944 passenger cars have been bought in Estonia during the first eight months of 2024. Of these, the electric vehicles form 6.4 per cent, or 878 vehicles, and the electric vehicles from China account for 15.6 per cent of electric vehicles, or 137 vehicles, which is one per cent of all passenger cars purchased.
If the European Commission imposes a definitive countervailing duty, its size will depend on the manufacturer, and will range between 7 and 35 per cent. The United States and Canada have also imposed tariffs on electric cars from China.
At the meeting in Reykjavik, Mihkelson will make an introductory report to the Chairs of committees at the discussion on the situation in Ukraine and continuing support to the country in its fight against Russia, which is waging a war of aggression. Situation in the Middle East and the Sahel region of Africa, as well as security in the Arctic region will also be discussed at the meeting.
In the afternoon, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees will participate in a public debate at Reykjavik University. Together with students and lecturers, the views of the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States will be discussed on issues such as support for Ukraine, pressure from Russia on the borders, Sweden’s and Finland’s accession to NATO, and ensuring the security of the region in a wider context.
The meeting, which is held in NB8 format, brings together the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
The Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (388 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group, provides for raising the child allowance for the first and each subsequent child of the family to 150 euro per month to improve the livelihood of families with children. At present, the child allowance is 80 euro per month for the first and second child of the family and 100 euro per month for the third and each subsequent child.
During the debate, Aleksandr Tšaplõgin from the Centre Party Group and Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor.
The Social Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill.
43 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the rejection of the Bill and 10 were against. As a result of the voting, the Bill 388 SE was dropped from the proceedings of the Riigikogu.
The Bill on Amendments to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act and the Vocational Educational Institutions Act (404 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group, did not pass the first reading either. It is intended to provide for a minimum rate for school meal subsidy and to determine the minimum cost of daily school meal at two euro per student. The national school meal subsidy has been one euro per student since 2018.
During the debate, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Centre Party Group took the floor.
The Cultural Affairs Committee moved to reject the Bill.
36 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the rejection of the Bill and seven were against. As a result of the voting, the Bill 404 SE was dropped from the proceedings of the Riigikogu.
The Riigikogu passed a Resolution
At the sitting, the plenary adopted 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”” (491 OE) which amends the membership of the Estonian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Liisa Pakosta who became the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs is excluded from the delegation and Kadri Tali is appointed as the new head of the delegation.
In addition, with the Resolution, the current alternate members Reili Rand and Ants Frosch are excluded from the delegation and Hanah Lahe and Martin Helme are appointed as new alternate members. Aleksei Jevgrafov and Eerik-Niiles Kross continues as members of the delegation and Tõnis Lukas continues as a substitute member. Amendments were made in consideration of the motions of parliamentary groups.
The PACE Delegation represents Estonia and protects the interests of the country in the Council of Europe which aims to promote democracy and to protect human rights and the principles of the rule of law in Europe.
63 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution, and there was one abstention. The draft Resolution 491 OE was passed as a Resolution of the Riigikogu.
“By continuing to purchase LNG from Russia, the EU maintains its dependency on a country that uses energy as a hybrid weapon and a tool of manipulation; this undermines EU unity and diminishes public trust,” the Chairs of EU affairs committees underline, and point out that that every euro paid to Russia for energy helps finance its war against Ukraine and poses a direct threat to the EU.
According to the Chairs, imports from Russia should be halted through strong political will. They note that existing LNG terminals and the terminals that will be built should fulfil their initial purpose: diversifying gas import routes and enabling the EU to stop importing gas from Russia, not the other way around. “These capacities must not become a backdoor for Russian gas entering Europe,” the Chairs of Committees emphasise.
The signatories call on the European Commission, the European Parliament, national parliaments, and the governments of the EU Member States to act urgently to meet the goal set by the European Commission and enforce the deadline of 1 January 2027 for the cessation of imports of gas from Russia.
The communication stresses that the decision to cease energy imports from Russia must be a long-term commitment. “We must remain steadfast in strengthening our security and resilience by seeking solutions that align with EU values,” it says.
The Chairs of the EU affairs committees call on continuing diplomatic efforts to strengthen relationships with reliable energy suppliers from other regions such as Central Asia, the Middle East, the US, and Norway in order to ensure a stable and diversified energy supply, preventing the EU from replacing its dependency on Russian energy with reliance on other unstable suppliers.
Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Peeter Tali signed the communication on behalf of Estonia. The Chairs of the European Union Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland met at the beginning of this week in Vilnius, Lithuania, where they focused on joint priorities, like protection of external borders, and energy security.
Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said in her report that, in the past year, the office of the Chancellor of Justice had met a large number of officials and elected representatives who were doing their job exactly as it should be done: with dedication, dignity, and awareness of their power and responsibility. However, according to her, it must be admitted that the work of officials on the “front line” is becoming increasingly difficult.
“I am talking about the officials with whom you come into direct contact: those who have to issue building permits, environmental permits, go to crime scenes, and so on. We have noticed that, with every major cutback and redundancy – and we have them almost every other year –, their lines get thinner and their work stress increases. At the same time, all kinds of development planning, outcome measurement, and all kinds of replacement activities take up a huge amount of work hours and money,” she noted.
According to Madise, the former are often much more demanding functions requiring much more competence than the functions of the officials burdened with replacement activities on the so-called “higher side” and with higher pay. “And it is precisely what is going on on the ‘front line’ that determines how people feel about our country, our Estonia,” she said.
Madise pointed out that perhaps it was high time to do away with everything in public institutions that was not directly necessary to serve the people. “Indeed, to limit ourselves to clear, comprehensible, and well-thought-out provisions in the laws, honest impact analysis in the explanatory memorandum, and, where possible, do away with metrics, reports, and development plans. The point is that they create neither a sense of justice nor a sense of security,” she said.
The Chancellor of Justice stressed that the task of all officials must be to serve the people and to solve their problems, so that it would be easy to raise children in Estonia and it would be possible to grow old with dignity, to have a job of your liking, to engage in business, to build a home and to manage land and forests. “This is key. Measurements, planning, all the rest is secondary. If you have the money and the time, why not. But I have come to understand – and our work shows this – that there is no money and no time,” Madise said in her report.
The overview by the Chancellor of Justice’s discusses the work of the Chancellor’s office from 1 September last year to 31 August this year, covering a wide range of topics from taxation, banking, surveillance and environmental protection to the rights of children and young people, the situation of disabled people, social welfare, and inspection visits.
During the debate, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Centre Party Group, Hendrik Johannes Terras from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Eduard Odinets from the Social Democratic Party Group, Maris Lauri from the Reform Party Group and Martin Helme from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group took the floor. Jaanus Karilaid took the floor on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group.
A Bill passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Medicinal Products Act and the Health Services Organisation Act (458 SE), initiated by the Social Affairs Committee, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. Its aim is to transfer the establishment, management, renewal, and deployment of the national health reserve from the Health Board to regional hospitals with public participation.
The amendment will allow to disperse the location of stocks and to reduce or avoid the cost arising due to expiring of medicines and equipment when they are rotated. Locating the stocks at regional hospitals will also make it easier for them to be deployed, as it is expected that the hospitals that will be holding the stocks under the proposed amendments will also have the highest workload in a crisis. The explanatory memorandum points out that regional hospitals are staffed with specialists with the necessary experience to manage stocks.
Photos (Author: Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
The Riigikogu received an overview of the implementation of the long-term national development strategy “Estonia 2035”.
Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets who made a report said in his report that a country was only as strong as its people. “And we all have a responsibility to provide a sense of security for the people of Estonia, and to do so in a variety of ways. A big part of ensuring a sense of security is the need to ensure a strong and functioning internal security network. This is what we are striving for in the implementation of the ‘Estonia 2035’ strategy,” explained the Minister of the Interior.
According to him, we all seem to understand that the biggest factor affecting our internal security continues to be the actions of our aggressive eastern neighbour. While Ukraine is at daily direct war, we are unfortunately at daily covert war with our eastern neighbour, the Minister of the Interior explained.
“Russia has taken all the capacities of the public and private sectors into its arsenal and is using all spheres of life, be it education, economy, sport, culture or the church, for this purpose. While in the field of national defence we are preparing for a possible armed conflict, in the field of internal security we are already on the battlefield every day. We are no longer in a preparatory phase. We are already taking action,” stressed Läänemets.
He pointed out that the co-operation between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence had been highly effective, and the renewed cooperation agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence demonstrated the effectiveness of that co-operation. The agreement establishes, among other things, common preconditions in the areas of internal defence crisis reserve, stockpiling, comprehensive national defence, and civil protection.
“Thanks to our joint efforts, we have reached a situation where the Estonian people have confidence in the agencies that contribute to ensuring internal security. The police are trusted by 88% of people, the Rescue Board by 97% and the Emergency Response Centre by 96%. These are still the three most trusted institutions in Estonia,” said Läänemets.
Läänemets said that 2023 had been a landmark year in the field of internal security. “For the first time, the state budget strategy has guaranteed permanent funding for the field of civil protection for several years. This will allow us to increase the crisis preparedness of institutions better and more systematically, starting with crisis stocks and sirens and ending with civil protection training. The aim is to equip the people of Estonia with the knowledge and skills to protect and help themselves and their neighbours in the event of any crisis,” said Läänemets.
He added that, among the developments in the field of public protection in 2023 with a practical impact, we could mention the introduction of the location-based threat information system EE-alarm message, the activities for the installation of a nationwide network of emergency sirens, which would continue in 2024, the call for applications for cooperatives to improve the sheltering of basements, and series of training courses for state agencies, local governments, educational institutions, and residents.
In this context, one of the largest crisis management exercises in Estonian history, CREVEX23, took place last year. In total, it consisted of 36 exercises. They took place in Harju County and nearly 50 institutions and organisations and hundreds of volunteers participated in the conduct of the exercises. There were approximately 3,000 registered participants.
We continued to build the eastern border which is the external border of the European Union. Preparedness for the use of on-site surveillance equipment is being established. The planned construction of border facilities along the Piusa River will receive additional funding, while next year’s budget will also include funding for the Luhamaa Control Centre, which will be built by State Real Estate Ltd.
Läänemets explained that the Police and Border Guard Board and the Estonian Internal Security Service had been granted additional rights to increase their capability to deter threats and to prevent and combat offences. In today’s security situation, that really was a necessity, and our responders have better capabilities should they be needed.
Besides that, the Riigikogu had restricted the right to own weapons to Estonian residents who are not citizens of the European Union or NATO member states. It had been the right move, both in substance and morally, and by today the weapons had been handed over by aliens. What was particularly important in all of that was that the police had conducted their activities in a professional manner, and they had not had any conflicts affecting security, the Minister of the Interior explained.
“Communities and local governments have an important role to play in improving crisis preparedness and creating a safe living environment. Municipalities know their communities and their people best, and it is important that they also perceive their role and responsibility. The task of the state, however, is to lead the way and to help with its knowledge,” Läänemets stressed.
Bearing in mind the importance of local governments, a working group of the Ministry of the Interior and the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities has started to work to foster broader cooperation, regularly discussing issues of the work in the field of crisis preparedness and internal security. In addition, a Civil Society Innovation Foundation was launched with the aim of helping local governments and communities create and develop inclusive forms of cooperation and engagement, including in the preparation for crises.
From 2023 until the end of 2026, the Ministry of the Interior will have new permanent partners to increase the capacity of communities and to enhance community-centred governance. They are the Estonian Village Movement Kodukant, the NGO Association of Estonian Folk High Schools in cooperation with the NGO County Development Centres.
“Ukraine continues to be an important partner for us, and we also fulfilled an important objective of ours to enhance the coordination of assistance to Ukraine in the area of governance,” explained the Minister of the Interior.
“In terms of setting the broader and strategic direction, it is important that important documents were put in place last year: the National Security Concept of Estonia, the Action Plan for the Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence 2024–2027 and the Estonian Drug Policy White Paper 2030. We renewed the Laulasmaa agreement. In addition, for example, the vision document “Social Innovation in Estonia – Vision 2030″ was prepared, and the Action Plan for Civil Protection was also completed this year,” the Minister of the Interior said in his report.
During the debate, representatives of parliamentary groups Kalev Stoicescu (Estonia 200), Andre Hanimägi, Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa), Anti Poolamets (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Anti Haugas (Reform Party) and Lauri Laats (Centre Party) took the floor.
The Riigikogu concluded the first reading of a Bill
The Bill on Amendments to the Restrictions on Acquisition of Immovables Act (321 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, is intended to provide for restrictions for aliens who wish to acquire agricultural or forest land in Estonia.
According to the Bill, in order to acquire agricultural or forest land, aliens would have to meet the conditions set out in the Bill, such as be proficient in Estonian at B1 level, have lived in Estonia for at least five years and have an education in agriculture or forestry.
The Bill will not prohibit the leasing of land and earning an income, or engaging in agriculture, forestry, or business in this way, and thereby promoting Estonian life and the management of land and forests.
The Riigikogu rejected a draft Resolution at the first reading
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Development of Measures to Increase the Birth Rate” (208 OE), submitted by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, was intended to make a proposal to the Government to develop and submit to the Riigikogu Bills to create an environment that supports the increase of the birth rate in Estonia.
During the debate, Riina Solman (Isamaa), Helle-Moonika Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor
The Social Affairs Committee moved to reject the Draft Resolution at the first reading. 14 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of this and there were no votes against. The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
During the open microphone, Rain Epler and Kalle Grünthal took the floor.
Hussar said at the meeting that Estonia had been and remained a firm supporter of the EU’s enlargement policy. “We are ready to share with Serbia our experience in the EU integration and reform process and to continue our cooperation in the field of e-governance and cybersecurity,” he said.
Speaking of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, Hussar expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine and underlined the need for further support for Ukraine. “We must support Ukraine until victory, because they are fighting on the battlefield not only for their own freedom, but for the whole democratic world,” he said.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and support for Ukraine were also main topics of discussion at the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee also pointed out at the meeting that Ukraine needed all the support it could get in its fight against Russia. According to him, this means not only providing military and humanitarian aid, but also imposing and strengthening sanctions against Russia. “There is no alternative to Ukraine’s victory, because Russia’s success would be a disaster not only for Ukraine but for the entire European security architecture. The countries that aspire to become members of the EU have to understand that it is crucial to defend our common interests and values,” Mihkelson said.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)