Head of the Estonian delegation Kadri Tali thinks that it is appalling and unreasonable that regardless of the possibilities of technology, we still have to speak about disappearance of people in the 21st century. “It is the duty of us, Estonians, to show the world through telling our stories the sad and unjust fate a nation has experienced in its history. Each Estonian family has its own painful history to share. We know how important it is to stand up to injustice and not to wait for things to sort themselves out,” Tali said.
At today’s sitting, the PACE will hear the statement by the winner of the 2022 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize Vladimir Kara-Murza and a report on implementing the Reykjavik Declaration on the situation of Ukrainian children.
Tomorrow, the 90th anniversary of the tragic Holodomor of the Ukrainian people will be commemorated.
The autumn session of the PACE plans to discuss the threat of genocide faced by Ukraine, propaganda campaigns and freedom of information in Europe. There will also be debates on a shared European approach to address migrant smuggling, clarifying the fate of missing migrants, and the situation in Iran.
On Wednesday, the PACE will hold a debate on the detention and conviction of Julian Assange and their effects on human rights. The ensuring of human rights and the situation of rule of law in Azerbaijan, as well as the complicated living conditions of women and children in Gaza will also be discussed.
The Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendment to the Energy Sector Organisation Act , the Electricity Market Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management System Act (359 SE), initiated by the Government, which lays down a framework to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy.
The Act sets the criteria on what conditions environmental impact assessment can be waived for accelerated establishment of renewable energy projects of overriding public interest. At the same time, a system of mitigation and compensation measures for natural values for renewable energy projects is established.
Energy source projects set out in the National Energy and Climate Plan 2030, such as wind energy, solar energy, heat pumps and biomethane production projects, are considered to be renewable energy projects of overriding public interest. In the case of such projects, it will be possible to make derogations from the Nature Directive, the Bird Directive, and the Water Policy Framework Directive. Overriding public interest will be applicable only in the course of planning projects and in development consent proceedings. Renewable energy projects of overriding public interest will have to be located outside Natura 2000 network and must not harm protected species.
In order to settle the infringement procedure launched by the European Commission, the Act specifies the content of the notice on making an environmental impact assessment programme and report public.
During the debate, Rain Epler from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Lauri Laats from the Centre Party Group and Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor.
53 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and 22 were against it.
The Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendments to the Emergency Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (426 SE), initiated by the Government, which expands the range of essential services and critical entities and helps improve the readiness of service providers and the whole country to address crises.
The Act transposes into Estonian law the European Union directive aimed at ensuring the resilience of critical entities and the functioning of the country in different kind of crises. A service is deemed to be essential if it has an overriding impact on the functioning of society, the disruption thereof threatens, among other things, human life or health or brings about major environmental damage and it has a significant impact on national economy and national security.
The Acts adds to the list of essential services the operation of airports, air navigation services, public railways and ports, the supply of food and medicines, and the operation of family medical care. While the Ministry of Social Affairs currently organises the ensurance of emergency care, in the future it will be necessary to ensure the wider functioning of health services as an essential service. As a result of the amendments, for example airport, railway and port operators, as well as family physicians, wholesalers of medicinal products and larger food handlers will become critical entities.
In the course of the second reading, the Riigikogu decided to extend the directive to be transposed for Estonia and to also include among essential services the functioning of the media service under public law and the guaranteeing of the functioning of the national broadcasting network necessary therefor. For this, the Estonian Public Broadcasting and the communications company Levira Ltd were included among critical entities.
Critical entities will be required to prepare a business continuity risk assessment and plan, to organise exercises, and to meet other requirements set to ensure resilience, including to identify the posts fulfilling the most critical functions and to carry out background checks on the people performing them, if necessary. According to the amendments, service providers will also have to be ready to undergo an independent audit to assess the resilience of the service.
The Act also creates the bases for setting strategic objectives and for planning measures across critical services nationally. Under the leadership of the Government Office, a nationwide risk analysis and a strategy for the resilience of critical entities will be drawn up in the future, in order to better target and plan the resilience of service providers. As part of the strategy, all municipalities will be required to draw up their own risk analyses and to assess risks, vulnerability, and preparedness for the materialisation of risks.
During the debate, Arvo Aller from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Raimond Kaljulaid from the Social Democratic Party Group and Peeter Tali from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor.
63 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act and 10 were against.
In addition, the Riigikogu passed the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of an Auditor to Supervise the Activities of the National Audit Office in 2024–2025” (495 OE), submitted by the Finance Committee, which designates Sirius Audit OÜ to audit the activities of the National Audit Office.
The parliament designates an auditor to audit the activities of the National Audit Office in a financial year on the proposal of the Finance Committee. When making the proposal, the committee had taken into account the results of the purchase procedure organised by the National Audit Office.
54 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Resolution and there was one abstention.
A Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Social Welfare Act and to Other Acts (special welfare services and change of residential address) (421 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading in the Riigikogu. It will continue the implementation of care reform and the reduction of the burden of family caregivers.
The Bill will create a day and week care service for people with intellectual disabilities who need extensive support but have the possibility to live with their close ones in their own home part of the time. The target group of the service will be people with moderate, severe or profound disabilities, as well as people with other intellectual disabilities, both specified and unspecified, who have high care needs. Up to now, this target group has been using a daily living support service, which is however designed for people with low support needs and is more about guiding them towards independence.
Under the Bill, a person will be able to use the day and week care service for a maximum of 23 days per month. For people who need support for less than 10 days a month, a suitable solution will be found among the special care services provided by the local government or among other special care services.
In order to guarantee access to the service, it will be specified that, in the case of support for daily living, the costs relating to the premises used or owned by the service provider will have to be covered by the municipality where the person is residing according to the population register. With regard to the registration of place of residence, the Bill will introduce a derogation for those who are staying in a social welfare institution providing a 24-hour social service and whose registered place of residence is a special care home that has been closed in the course of the reorganisation of special care institutions, or the municipality of its location, or who do not have a valid residential address in the population register following the closure of a special care home. The municipality will be able to register their place of residence to the accuracy of municipality or city district.
The Riigikogu heard the annual report by minister Hartman
The Riigikogu heard the report by Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman on the implementation of the long-term national development strategy “Estonia 2035”.
Hartman expressed her wish to the Riigikogu that no person in Estonia should have to choose their place of residence solely on the basis of where they work or where their children go to school. “If it is possible everywhere in Estonia to get a decent wage for a job and a good education for children and to enjoy a supportive community life in old age, why shouldn’t every other family live in the countryside or in a small town in ten years’ time,” she said in her report. She focused on actions that would help create better paying jobs and homes, strengthen agriculture and ensure food security in Estonia.
The Minister stressed that the opportunity for a good life everywhere in Estonia would not happen by itself. “We must not run our country in the hope that invisible hands will set things right. Whether it’s people’s decent incomes, food security and security of supply, or well-functioning public transport. The cluster crises of recent years have painfully and acutely highlighted the need for a strong and effective regional policy,” she said. She added that regional and agricultural policy was no longer just a matter of well-being and dignity but had become one of the pillars of our independence and security.
According to her, regional policy touches every aspect of life and must become both a way of thinking and a way of acting. “Researcher Mati Heidmets has said that the biggest failure of Estonia’s policy after the restoration of its independence is the ever-deepening regional inequality. It will do Estonia and its people no good if we timidly and unambitiously set our sights on sustainable shrinkage. In order for us to be able to stop or slow down the population and economic concentration trends of the last 30 years, we need the contribution of the Riigikogu, members of the government as well as the rest of the public sector,” Hartman said.
During the debate, Lauri Laats from the Centre Party Group, Ando Kiviberg from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Urmas Kruuse from the Reform Party Group, Anti Allas from the Social Democratic Party Group, Arvo Aller from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor.
Five Bills passed the first reading
The Bill on the Ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention (No. 190) concerning the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work (469 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. It will ratify the International Labour Organization Convention aiming to reduce the violence and harassment in the world of work. It is the first international instrument setting out specific standards applicable worldwide to prevent work-related harassment and violence, and the measures that countries and other actors are expected to adopt.
The aim of the convention is to recognise the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment and to prevent the physical, psychological, sexual and economic harm to people that violence and harassment in the world of work can cause. By ratifying the Convention, Estonia will commit itself to ensuring that laws and practices continue to comply with international standards and will express support for the fight against violence and harassment in the world of work.
During the debate, Kert Kingo took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party and Tanel Kiik on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group.
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading, but the plenary did not support the motion. Seven members of the Riigikogu supported rejection of the but 46 voted against.
The Bill on Amendments to the Response to Memoranda and Requests for Explanations and Submission of Collective Proposals Act (475 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. According to it, public authorities will have to provide responses to the memoranda and requests for explanations by people within 15 days instead of the current 30 days.
The Bill will maintain the principle that a response to a memorandum or request for explanation must be provided without undue delay but will shorten the maximum time within which this must be done. At present, the question of a person must be answered within 30 calendar days after the date of registration thereof, but under the Bill it will be no later than within 15 calendar days. In the case of more complex addresses that require additional time to respond, the possibility remains to extend the term for response to up to two months to ensure thoroughness and quality of the responses. The person who has submitted the memorandum or request for explanation must be informed of extension of the term and of the reason therefor.
The Bill is intended to speed up the response to people’s memoranda and requests for explanation, which concern, for example, the organisation of the work of institutions, the shaping of the development of a field, information related to public life or state governance, as well as legislation and drafts developed by an agency. The amendment mainly concerns state and local government authorities, but a non-profit association, foundation, sole proprietor and company may also be an addressee of a memorandum or request for explanation if the information concerns the use of the budget funds of the state or a local government.
Tarmo Tamm from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
The Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (misdemeanours relating to sanctions) (441 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. Its aim is to make the proceedings on violations of sanctions more efficient.
Currently, all violations of sanctions are punishable under the Penal Code and the Estonian Internal Security Service conducts proceedings on such criminal offences. In order to reduce the burden on the Estonian Internal Security Service, under the Bill, some of the violations of sanctions currently punishable as criminal offences will be classified as misdemeanours and the Tax and Customs Board will be in charge of them. According to the Bill, the Tax and Customs Board will start to process violations of the ban on import and export if the value of goods or cash is less than EUR 10,000 and will have the right to confiscate prohibited goods in misdemeanour proceedings. According to the Bill, a misdemeanour relating to a sanction will be punishable by a fine of up to 300 fine units or by detention.
The Bill will also amend the Penal Code so that violation of the ban on the carriage of prohibited strategic goods or provision of services relating to prohibited strategic goods will be considered a more severe criminal offence. This means that while criminal offences relating to sanctions will be punishable by a fine or up to five years’ imprisonment, the Act will provide for a three to 12 years’ imprisonment for the carriage of prohibited strategic goods or provision of services relating to such goods. The Bill will also introduce punishments for carriage of prohibited strategic goods and provision of services relating to prohibited strategic goods through negligence.
During the debate, Peeter Tali from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group and Arvo Aller from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group took the floor.
The Bill on Amendments to the Land Register Act (467 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. It will restrict the making of queries in the land register. According to the Bill, it will no longer be possible for an ordinary user to search for data in the electronic land register on the basis of the name and personal identification code of a natural person with an individual query.
In order to increase the protection of private life and at the same time preserve the public nature of the land register, in the future, those who need it due to their work, such as lawyers, notaries and journalists, will be able to make queries on the basis of name or personal identification number. Queries can still be made on the basis of address or cadastral code to contact the owner of the property if necessary.
The Bill on Amendments to the Imprisonment Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (474 SE), initiated by the Government, also passed the first reading. Its purpose is to ensure more effective protection of legal order and prison security, and to contribute to directing prisoners to law-abiding behaviour.
The Bill will specify the right of the prison service to carry out background checks in justified cases and will provide for clearer legal bases for this. It will also specify the provisions concerning the database of prisoners, detained persons, persons in custody and probationers.
A Bill was dropped from the proceedings
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Act on Amendments to the Income Tax Act and the Military Service Act (432 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. It was intended to amend the provisions concerning the entry into force of the Act adopted last June and to postpone the elimination of the tapering of the personal allowance until 1 January 2028.
During the debate Andrei Korobeinik from the Centre Party Group and Annely Akkermann from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor and Jaanus Karilaid made a speech on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group.
50 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill at the first reading and 15 were against it.
The Plague Train was published in 2023. It is a fast paced and cinematic story centering around medical officer Jakob Sarapik who is sent to Manchuria to deal with the consequences of an outbreak of plague and who later works in Tallinn Central Prison. The Head of the Estonian delegation to the Baltic Assembly Timo Suslov expressed his happiness over the fact that Raud, who had also been nominated for the Prize last year for his previous novel, managed to bring it home this year. “The last Estonian winner of the BA Prize in Literature Kai Aareleid has said that there were few writers that compared to Rein Raud in the Estonian literature post-Jaan Kross. Not many have a similarly masterly grasp of character building, storyline construction, or a language rich in metaphors – not to mention the erudition that underlies each sentence. It is a pleasure to introduce Latvians and Lithuanians to his world,” Suslov said.
The Baltic Assembly Prize in the Arts was awarded to the Latvian film director Dāvis Sīmanis whose movie Maria’s Silence depicts pivotal events in Baltic history and was well received at Berlinale 2024. The Prize in Science was given to the Lithuanian researcher Limas Kupčinskas for his outstanding scientific research into the digestive system and liver diseases and innovations in treatment.
Estonia nominated painter Kristi Kongi for the BA Prize in Arts and renominated the Professor of Media Studies of the University of Tartu Andra Siibak for the Prize in Science for her research work on opportunities and risks linked to the introduction of new digital technologies, which she has been studying for the past five years.
The Baltic Assembly Prize consists of a monetary prize, a certificate, and a statuette, which are presented every year at the Baltic Assembly session. This year, the Prize Awarding Ceremony will take place during the 43rd Session of the Baltic Assembly, on 18 October in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Jury consisted of artists and experts from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (photo by Baltic Assembly): Vano Allsalu, Karl Martin Sinijärv, Ragne Kõuts Klemm, Donata Mitaitė, Ramutė Rachlevičiūtė, Valdemaras Razumas, Ieva Kolmane, Edīte Tišheizere, and Valdis Muktupāvels.
The Baltic Assembly has been awarding the Prizes in literature, the arts and science since 1994. The aim of the prizes is to promote the development of these fields in the Baltic States.
NordenBladet —A Spanish air defence unit, equipped with the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) medium-range air defense system, has arrived to Estonia to contribute to NATO’s efforts to secure the alliance’s eastern flank and protect strategic objects under the command of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. „The presence of the …
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.