ESTONIA

Interpellation concerning the impact of the green transition was discussed in the Riigikogu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas replied to the interpellation concerning the impact of the green transition in the area of administration of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture (No. 341), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler, Kert Kingo and Kalle Grünthal.

Kallas explained that, without doubt, the green transition was having major impact precisely on the food production sector and particularly on primary production in agriculture.

“As a generalisation, it can be said that all impacts arising from the green transition, above all on agriculture, are mainly due to the fact that climate change needs to be taken into account,” Kallas emphasised.

He explained that the green transition may not have as good and positive an image as does the sustainable use of the environment and the use of environmental resources. We will definitely need to make a joint effort in this regard. “Therefore I am saying that Estonia has been moving slowly and steadily in terms of sustainable resource use. We have made several right decisions in view of how such decisions have been made in our neighbouring countries,” the minister said. He admitted that there were several decisions with which Estonia had indeed in a sense fallen behind the trends and good developments that could have been in use in Estonia already earlier.

Kallas noted that the main principle had always been that, in the case of state intervention, the economic, environmental as well as social dimensions must always be taken into account. “I think that if we keep these three indicators in mind all the time, we will actually end up making right decisions without suppressing any of these three important aspects or raising any of these three aspects too high,” Kallas said. According to him they need to be viewed in conjunction so that these decisions would be balanced and that they would support the sectors in the area of administration of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture and would not be detrimental in any way.

When speaking of measures, the minister said that they actually contained the grants of the whole common agricultural policy. This will be over 1.5 billion euro for Estonia in the next period.

“One way or another we have also kept in mind how we could use our natural resources more sustainably, at the same time not forgetting the economic aspects and social aspects,” Kallas said.

These processes in the area of administration of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture have been launched already much earlier. “All the activities that have been carried out in agriculture, land use, and food production are to my mind already going in the right direction, considering the outcomes of previous common agricultural policy periods. At the same time, we must not forget the economic side of rural life and the social side of rural life,” Kallas said.

The Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas also replied to the interpellation concerning the rise in expenses (No. 354).

The Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo replied to the interpellation concerning the amendment of the Family Law Act (No. 256), submitted by members of the Riigikogu.

The Minister of Culture Heidy Purga replied to the interpellation concerning the endangering of the independence of press publications (No. 345), submitted by members of the Riigikogu.

The Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas replied to the interpellations concerning the closing down of schools in rural areas (No. 406), the integral impact of the tax package (No. 443), and support specialists (No. 487), submitted by members of the Riigikogu.

Due to the absence of interpellators, it was not possible to discuss the interpellation concerning the integral impact of the tax package (No. 301), submitted to the Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas.

Due to the absence of interpellators, it was not possible to discuss the interpellation concerning g the rise in VAT (No. 417), submitted to the Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas.

The initiators withdrew the interpellations concerning the integral impact of the tax package (No. 235) and the impact of the green transition in the area of administration of the Ministry of Social Affairs (No. 237), submitted to the Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo. The interpellation concerning the impact of inflation on the area of administration of the Ministry of Culture (No. 265), submitted to the Minister of Culture Heidy Purga, and the interpellation concerning the rise in VAT (No. 323), submitted to the Minister of Regional Affairs Madis Kallas, were also withdrawn.

The sitting ended at 6.36 p.m.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

 

Link uudisele: Interpellation concerning the impact of the green transition was discussed in the Riigikogu

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Hussar named the reform of the language of instruction as one of the key challenges of the new year

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Hussar said in his New Year Address, broadcast on the national TV channel ETV, that the greatest hope of last year had sadly failed – the war between Ukraine and Russia had not ended. “We can only hope that the brand new year will bring peace in the shape of Ukraine’s victory, or at least under the conditions worded by President Zelenskyy. Until this has happened, we will be unable to shake off the shadow of war that walks beside us,” he said.

He sees Estonia as a country of realists who put their money where their mouth is when it comes to our security policy – Estonia is buying weapons and ammunition because the only way to prevent a war is to prepare for it. “Our neighbourhood is a historical inevitability and although ethnicity and culture have no price tags, national defence must be paid for according to the invoices submitted to the society,” he stated, expressing his conviction that we would succeed and that Estonia is stronger today than ever before thanks to our common efforts and the contribution of our allies.

Hussar sees one of the greatest challenges of the new year as linked to the objective set out in the preamble of the Estonian Constitution to preserve our language and culture. “The Estonians are a modern nation and finally we are able to do something that every self-respecting European nation has done long ago – the education system will transfer wholesale to the official language. The actual beginning of the reform of the language of instruction will be one of the key steps of this year. This step will take years and all the results will only appear decades from now,” he said.

The President of the Riigikogu remarked that the transfer to a common Estonian school would help to dispel the illusion that people who were physically living side by side lived on different planets culturally. He sees it as a major misconception of the last decades in Estonia. “Similarly, politics in Estonia have artificially kept up the perception that there are several different Estonias that rotate on closed orbits and only rarely meet, unable to politely agree to disagree when they do. We only have one Estonia, and it is up to every one of us to treasure it,” he declared.

Hussar referred to the twentieth anniversary of Estonia’s membership in the European Union, which is coming up this spring, and also to the elections to the European Parliament, where the debate on the environment and energy is set to become a key topic. “I hope that this will be based on scientific facts, will adequately assess the state of our ever more rapidly warming planet, and propose solutions for the future,” he said.

He would also like to see the new year bring along a plan for the Estonian economy, which would give our businesses the freedom and the opportunity to succeed. “The Estonian economy is as strong as are our businesses, as attractive as is our business environment, and as quick as is our progress through innovation. In the end, we all depend on the well-being of the Estonian economy,“ said the President of the Riigikogu.

Full text of the New Year Address

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Hussar named the reform of the language of instruction as one of the key challenges of the new year

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu finished its autumn session

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

During the autumn session, the Riigikogu held 48 regular sittings and 1 additional sitting. Together with 12 Question Times, the working time of the plenary was 294 hours and 53 minutes. The Riigikogu passed 17 Acts; the adoption of 13 of these Acts had been declared to be a matter of confidence in the Government. The Parliament of Estonia also adopted 21 Resolutions, and one Statement, which was made in support of the State of Israel and its people.

Of the committees, the biggest burden fell on the Finance Committee, which was the lead committee for 13 Bills. The National Defence Committee was the lead committee for nine Bills and the Social Affairs Committee for five Bills during the autumn session. Altogether, the 15th Riigikogu, which was elected in March this year and convened for the first time on 10 April, has adopted 70 legal acts.

According to the law, regular sessions of the Riigikogu are held from the second Monday in January to the third Thursday in June, and from the second Monday in September to the third Thursday in December. The Riigikogu will convene again for regular sittings on 8 January.

In the meantime, the committees of the Riigikogu will continue their work and the members of the Riigikogu perform their other functions. If necessary, extraordinary sessions may be held between the regular sessions. Extraordinary sessions can be convened by the President of the Riigikogu on the proposal of the President of the Republic, the Government of the Republic or at least 21 members of the Riigikogu.

More information on the legislation and the topics discussed by the Riigikogu

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu finished its autumn session

Source: Parliament of Estonia

71 Members of the Riigikogu urge not to allow Russian and Belarus athletes to Olympic Games

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The Members of the Riigikogu write in their communication, which was initiated by the Estonia-France Parliamentary Friendship Group, that the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow athletes from aggressor states Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as „neutral“ athletes goes against our values. “The IOC decision to let “neutral” individuals to take part was described as “respecting human rights.” We think that murder, destruction, and terror does not go together with Olympic principles,” they wrote.

The Members of the Riigikogu pointed out that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General has recorded more than 110,000 cases of war crimes. “That is why we think that until the war is brought to an end, Russian and Belarussian athletes should not be allowed to take part in international competition, including the Olympic Games, the world’s foremost sports competition,” they stated in the communication.

The Members of the Riigikogu referred to the decision of the Riigikogu from the 18 October 2022 to declare Russia a terrorist regime and the Russian Federation a country that supports terrorism, whose actions must be confronted together. “It is usual for dictators and authoritarian regimes to weaponize sport as an instrument of expanding their influence. For Russia and the Putin regime sport is primarily a political tool; this has been clearly demonstrated by the fact that Russia has a state-sponsored doping programme,” they emphasised.

The Members of the Riigikogu feel unable to ignore the fact that those athletes are supported by their governments, as well as businesses backing up current regimes in Russia and Belarus. “Moreover, we have seen over recent years that Russia has been exploiting the presence of “neutral“ athletes at international competitions in its state propaganda, which includes glorifying the aggressor’s military and promoting military recruitment. A ban on Russian athletes currently serving in the military does not adequately prevent that,” they warned.

The Members of the Riigikogu feel the moral obligation to stand for peace in Europe and they cannot simply refrain from acting when the IOC decides to allow aggressor states’ athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games. They also pointed out that the decision is contrary to the official values of the IOC itself.

“Therefore, we, the undersigned Members of the Estonian Parliament, call on the Republic of France as the host country to not let athletes with Russian and Belarussian passport to enter France in 2024 for the Olympic Games. This has to be done for the sake of the Ukrainian sporting community, athletes around the world, and future generations who deserve to live in a world where aggression as a political tool has been completely discredited and the values we hold dear as part of the Olympic movement have been maintained,” they declared in the communication.

The communication was signed by the President of the Estonia-France Parliamentary Friendship Group Andres Sutt, and the members of the Group Toomas Kivimägi, Eerik-Niiles Kross, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, Lauri Laats, Eero Merilind, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Heljo Pikhof, Henn Põlluaas, Mati Raidma, Kersti Sarapuu, Aivar Sõerd, Vilja Toomast, and Kristo Enn Vaga.

Members of the Riigikogu Jaak Aab, Annely Akkermann, Yoko Alender, Anti Allas, Arvo Aller, Rain Epler, Andre Hanimägi, Anti Haugas, Lauri Hussar, Züleyxa Izmailova, Karmen Joller, Mario Kadastik, Raimond Kaljulaid, Liina Kersna, Tanel Kiik, Meelis Kiili, Signe Kivi, Mait Klaassen, Rene Kokk, Leo Kunnas, Katrin Kuusemäe, Helmen Kütt, Hanah Lahe, Alar Laneman, Maris Lauri, Jürgen Ligi, Priit Lomp, Mart Maastik, Andres Metsoja, Marko Mihkelson, Tõnis Mölder, Jevgeni Ossinovski, Pärtel-Peeter Pere, Õnne Pillak, Anti Poolamets, Juku-Kalle Raid, Reili Rand, Valdo Randpere, Jüri Ratas, Marek Reinaas, Maido Ruusmann, Luisa Rõivas, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Andrus Seeme, Pipi-Liis Siemann, Riina Solman, Kalev Stoicescu, Margit Sutrop, Kadri Tali, Peeter Tali, Tarmo Tamm, Igor Taro, Tanel Tein, Urve Tiidus, Toomas Uibo, Jaak Valge, and Kristina Šmigun-Vähi also signed the communication.

Full text of the communication in Estonian, French, and English.

For more information, please contact:

Andres Sutt
President of the Estonia-France Parliamentary Friendship Group
504 3402
andres.sutt@riigikogu.ee

 

Link uudisele: 71 Members of the Riigikogu urge not to allow Russian and Belarus athletes to Olympic Games

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu passed again without amendments the Act enhancing tax proceedings

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

On 22 November, the Riigikogu had passed the Act on Amendments to the Land Tax Act and the Taxation Act (297 UA), initiated by the Government. It is intended to amend the rules for electronic delivery of documents in order to enhance tax proceedings. According to the Act, in the future, in the case of legal persons, documents will be deemed to be delivered once five working days have passed since they were uploaded to e-tax board or forwarded to e-mail. At present, for documents to be deemed to be delivered, the legal person must either open the documents in e-tax board or confirm by e-mail that they have received the documents. The Act also restricts the right of natural persons to receive documents on paper. The person will lose this right once they have already received the document electronically. The amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2023.

The Government had declared the passing of the Bill a matter of confidence in the Government before the second reading after members of the Riigikogu had submitted 200 motions to amend the Bill by the deadline. President Alar Karis had refused to proclaim the Act on 8 December. He had found that the Act was not in conformity with the Constitution as it had been passed in breach of procedural rules. According to the President, the Constitution does give the Government a possibility to declare legislative drafts it submits a matter of confidence but only under restrictive preconditions which had not been met in this case.

During the renewed deliberation of the Act, representative of the Constitutional Committee Hendrik Johannes Terras and representative of the Finance Committee Marek Reinaas made reports and answered questions by members of the Riigikogu.

During the debate, Andrei Korobeinik from the Estonian Centre Party Group, Martin Helme and Rain Epler from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group as well as Kalle Grünthal took the floor.

58 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act again without amendments and 31 were against.

The Minister of Health replied to two interpellations

The Minister of Health Riina Sikkut replied to the interpellations concerning alcohol-related deaths (No. 485) and concerning the rise in VAT (No. 280), submitted by members of the Riigikogu. Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.

The interpellations concerning national defence (No. 102) and concerning the rise in VAT (No. 271 and No. 303) submitted to the Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur by members of the Riigikogu were excluded from the agenda. The interpellation concerning the rise in VAT (No. 238) submitted to the Minister of Health Riina Sikkut was also excluded from the agenda.

Kristo Enn Vaga from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group and Tõnis Lukas from Isamaa Parliamentary Group made speeches at the open microphone session.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
maris.meiessaar@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed again without amendments the Act enhancing tax proceedings

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu made a Statement in support of the State of Israel and its people

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

In the Statement, the Riigikogu points out that there can be no justification for murdering civilians, taking hostages, or attacking civilian objects, and underlines that according to the Nuremberg Charter, planning, preparation or waging of a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances is a crime against peace.

The Riigikogu expresses its condolences to the State of Israel, its people and the relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack, and acknowledges the efforts made to free the hostages, which have secured the release of some of the hostages. The Parliament of Estonia also affirms that the State of Israel has the right and the duty to defend itself until the Hamas terrorist attacks stop, all hostages are released, and the planners and perpetrators of the 7 October massacre are captured, so that terror against Israel and its people would not happen again.

The Parliament of Estonia expresses its hope that Israel would achieve rapid success in its military and anti-terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip, and notes that it is of utmost importance for the future of Israel and peace in the region to avoid civilian casualties in the ongoing operations and to comply with the general nternational humanitarian law. According to the Statement, the Riigikogu condemns all acts of violence against civilians, regardless of who committed these or how these are justified, and calls on the Government of Israel and all parties to the conflict to do their utmost to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

The Riigikogu also expresses its concern about the anti-Semitic attacks and demonstrations that have taken place in Europe and elsewhere in Estonia’s allied countries, but especially in the Middle East and Russia in recent months, and states that Estonia will not tolerate any justification of terrorism, manifestations of anti-Semitism or incitement of hatred on the basis of religion. “The Riigikogu expresses its hope that Israel’s military self-defence actions against Hamas will achieve the goal founded on a repeated commitment in international treaties: the creation of an environment free of pressure, repressions, and violence in which to conduct peace negotiations between the State of Israel and the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people,” the Statement says.

65 members of the Riigikogu submitted the draft of the Statement of the Riigikogu in Support of the State of Israel and Its People (355 AE) for parliamentary proceedings last Thursday.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu made a Statement in support of the State of Israel and its people

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Four Bills and drafts were dropped from the legislative proceeding of the Riigikogu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Riigikogu committee of investigation to investigate the facts relating to the influencing of elections by the Liberal Citizen Foundation” (251 OE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, which proposed establishing a committee to investigate claims in the press about the actions of the Liberal Citizen Foundation in influencing the elections of the Riigikogu.

Anti Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group took the floor during the debate.

47 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee to reject the Bill and 27 voted against it.

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (80 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Evelin Poolamets, Arvo Aller, and Martin Helme, intending to lower the excise duty rates on diesel fuel to reduce the tax burden of the people.

45 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 21 voted against it.

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (84 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas and Anti Poolamets, intending to lower the excise duty rates on unleaded petrol to reduce the tax burden of the people.

47 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 21 voted against it.

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (83 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo and Rene Kokk, intended to increase the limit of the tax exempt compensation of employment related use of a personal automobile considering the increase in fuel prices over the last years.

48 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 19 voted against it.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Eleen Lindmaa
+372 631 6456, +372 5551 4433
eleen.lindmaa@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Four Bills and drafts were dropped from the legislative proceeding of the Riigikogu

Source: Parliament of Estonia

65 members of the Riigikogu submitted draft Statement in support of Israel

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

In the draft Statement, the Riigikogu points out that there can be no justification for the murder of civilians, the taking of hostages and the attacking civilian objects, and underlines that according to the Nuremberg Charter, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances is a crime against peace.

According to the draft Statement, the Riigikogu expresses its condolences to the State of Israel, its people and the relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack, and acknowledges the efforts made to free the hostages, as a result of which it has been possible to release part of the hostages. The Parliament also affirms in the draft Statement that the State of Israel has the right and the duty to defend itself until the end of the Hamas terrorist attacks, the release of all hostages and the capture of the planners and perpetrators of the 7 October massacre, so that terror against Israel and its people would not happen again.

In the draft Statement, the Parliament of Estonia expresses hope that Israel will achieve rapid success in its military and anti-terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip, and notes that it is of the utmost importance for the future of Israel and peace in the region to avoid civilian casualties in the ongoing operations and to comply with general international humanitarian law. According to the draft, the Riigikogu condemns all acts of violence against civilians, regardless of who committed it and what justifications they give, and calls on the Government of Israel and all parties of the conflict to do all they can to solve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

In the draft Statement, the Riigikogu also expresses its concern about the anti-Semitic attacks and demonstrations that have taken place in Europe and elsewhere in Estonia’s allied countries, but especially in the Middle East and Russia, in recent months, and affirms that Estonia will not tolerate any justification of terrorism, manifestations of anti-Semitism or incitement of hatred on the basis of religion. “The Riigikogu expresses hope that Israel’s military self-defence actions against Hamas will achieve the goal it has repeatedly committed itself to in international treaties: the creation of an environment free of pressure, repressions and violence for peace negotiations between the legitimate representatives of the State of Israel and the Palestinian people,” the draft statement reads.

The Foreign Affairs Committee will discuss the sending of the draft Statement to the plenary assembly for debate and voting this afternoon.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: 65 members of the Riigikogu submitted draft Statement in support of Israel

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Prime Minister gave the Riigikogu an overview of the implementation of European Union policies

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas began her speech by noting that, as a nation and a state, Estonia had clearly expressed the main guarantee of its independent existence – never would it be alone again. “During our history we have paid a heavy price for being on our own, and we will never want to experience it again,” she said. She added that Russia had attacked Ukraine precisely because Ukraine was not a member of NATO or the EU. Kallas underlined that every day Ukraine was fighting for our freedom as well and needed continuing support in that. “I want to believe that we will be able to agree during this week’s European Council on sanctions, the use of frozen assets, economic and military assistance, and on inviting Ukraine to accession negotiations, and thereby encourage all the other countries in the world.”

The Prime Minister also said that, when moving from one crisis to another, the European Union’s internal market and the European competitiveness gap had finally come into sharp focus in comparison to our global competitors. According to Kallas, it is therefore crucial for Europe’s competitiveness that countries implement the national reforms promised in the reform plans and that investments are used to improve competitiveness and productivity. “At the same time, there are some low-hanging fruit, because in order to achieve some important things, all you have to do is end the exceptions and start following the rules, for example, to end the exemptions for public debt and state aid. The European economy and internal market cannot function in the hope of public intervention, which more and more often requires state aid or protectionism as a distortion of competition, and the constant expectations that the public purse will come to the rescue. The purse of the taxpayer of rich countries will also run out eventually. Just as bureaucracy feeds on bureaucracy, state aid also feeds on state aid. A competitive advantage bought with the help of a taxpayer is like a wood chip fire, it doesn’t last very long,” she explained. She added that therefore Estonia had to return to the market economy functioning as a level playing field, and the digital and green reforms would need to increase competitiveness and help maintain the necessary resource base for the functioning of the economy. 

The Prime Minister also expressed her delight over the fact that only Estonia and Lithuania had been able to put the European Union funds of the recent budget period to use the full extent. “This autumn we finally received the first payment from the new generation of budget funds (NGEU), so today, together with the advance payment, EUR 364 million (38%) of NGEU funds has already been injected and is reaching the Estonian economy.”

Kallas said that, in retrospect, we could say that while the recession feared due to the health crisis had not been as steep, the NGEU funds intended to alleviate it and carry out reforms had proved to be an important tool for economic recovery in the current situation caused by the war. “I note that the level of investment of the Estonian government sector compared to GDP is one of the highest in the European Union, and it will remain so during the entire period of the state budget strategy for the next four years. While the average level of investment compared to GDP in the EU is within three per cent, in Estonia it is over five per cent. We will do our best to ensure that the investments of this period will also reach the people of Estonia,” she said.

In her report, the Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Liisa Pakosta focused on ensuring the security of the European Union and on the need to develop defence industry and to support Ukraine. Pakosta also opened issues related to the enlargement of the European Union and paid attention to the need to reduce bureaucracy.

During the debate, Anti Poolamets (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Raimond Kaljulaid (Social Democratic Party), Enn Eesmaa (Centre Party), Kalev Stoicescu (Estonia 200), Andres Sutt (Reform Party) and Tõnis Lukas (Isamaa) took the floor on behalf of their parliamentary groups.

The Riigikogu passed a Resolution

The Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of a Member of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia Who Is a Specialist in the Field” (348 OE), submitted by the Finance Committee, was passed. Specialist in the field Toomas Tamsar was appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia.

The Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia is the oversight body of the Bank of Estonia which consists of a Chairman, representatives of the parliamentary groups of the Riigikogu and specialists in the field. The Supervisory Board of the Bank of Estonia is formed based on the principle that each parliamentary group of the Riigikogu nominates one of its members and the Chairman of the Board nominates four specialists in the field.

58 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution and three were against.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
maris.meiessaar@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Prime Minister gave the Riigikogu an overview of the implementation of European Union policies

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Riigikogu Committees before the European Council: Starting accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova is essential

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Chair of the European Union Affairs Committee Liisa Pakosta said that the Committees of the Riigikogu considered starting accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova very important. She was pleased that the European Union Affairs Committee had reached a unanimous decision on the enlargement of the European Union at its sitting on Friday.

“Opening of the negotiations will provide confidence that Europe will keep its promises and this will also motivate other countries to carry out the reforms that are necessary for accession,” Pakosta pointed out. “In addition to the accession negotiations, it is important to support Ukraine’s military victory at every opportunity, including financially as well as with ammunition and other weaponry. We need to continue with sanctions on Russia and uninterrupted assistance to Ukraine from the European Peace Facility, as well as take into use Russia’s frozen assets and jointly procure ammunition.”

Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Henn Põlluaas noted that, among other things, it was necessary to discuss how prepared the European Union itself was for enlargement, and what would be the work processes of the European Union when there would be more Member States.

At the sitting, it was noted that the accession process itself helped the countries to carry out reforms and become more successful economically. The members of the Riigikogu committees pointed out that Ukraine had been able to implement reforms even under war conditions. It was stated that no concessions would be made to Ukraine, but if they could meet the seven criteria that had been set, it was to be expected that accession negotiations would be started with them.

The starting of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova will be discussed at the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Estonia will be represented at the Council by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. Besides Ukraine and Moldova, the Council will also discuss the granting of candidate state status to Georgia and the opening of accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, provided the country meets the required conditions.

For more information, please contact: Liisa Pakosta, phone +372 502 6191

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Riigikogu Committees before the European Council: Starting accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova is essential

Source: Parliament of Estonia

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