Bilateral relations, economic cooperation, security situation and issues relating to international cooperation were addressed at the meeting.
Hussar underlined that Estonia and Namibia were small countries that valued the national independence they had won, and that it was important for them to preserve and defend it. “For Estonia, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is an existential issue, therefore we actively support Ukraine in every way. We have strongly condemned Russia’s aggression and consider it necessary that the aggressor should be severely punished. We wish that Namibia understood our concerns and supported the territorial integrity of states and adherence to international law and respect for the fundamental principles of the UN Charter in the resolution of this conflict,” Hussar said.
Hussar emphasised that in the fight against the aggressor state Russia, Ukraine was fighting for all of us in order to tame the ambitions of the invader.
Mushelenga assured that Namibia wanted peace between countries in conflict, both in Europe and in other crisis hotspots of the world.
Hussar and Mushelenga considered it important to develop parliamentary diplomacy and bilateral relations between their countries.
Hussar expressed his pleasure that the relations between Estonia and Namibia had become more active in recent years. “Namibia is an important for Estonia on the African continent,” Hussar pointed out. He added that the IT and green technologies sectors provided wide opportunities for cooperation.
Hussar said he was happy that there already was a functioning cooperation between the two countries in the IT sector, which made it possible to expand cooperation in digital transformation.
Chair of the Estonia-Africa Parliamentary Friendship Group Hanah Lahe also participated in the meeting.
Photos: (Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Child Protection Act and Other Acts (427 SE), initiated by the Government, is to improve the identification of and assistance to children in need and to increase the number of foster families. Although everyone has a duty to report a child in need to the local government, many cases come to the attention of child protection too late. The role of people working with children in identifying children in need will therefore be increased.
The Bill will list specialists, such as teachers, coaches and doctors, who will have a special duty of care to identify a child’s need for help and to inform the child protection worker of the municipality thereof. The Bill will also specify the right of municipalities and the Social Insurance Board to process personal data in the performance of child protection tasks.
The Bill will increase support for foster, guardianship and adoptive families who have taken a child from another family to be raised in their family and will establish the content, organisation, volume and funding of the support services for family-based alternative care.
The Bill will also create the possibility for information on children in need of permanent support due to their health condition to be automatically transmitted to municipalities via information systems early on. A list of such health conditions will be set out in a regulation. However, according to a provisional agreement they will be blindness in both eyes, cancer diagnosis, rare disease, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disabilities. The aim of the amendment is to integrate the health and social services offered to children and families in order to ease the burden on parents. Once the information about a child is received, the municipality and the Social Protection Board will have an obligation to offer support measures to the family without the parent or guardian having to apply for assistance themselves.
During the debate, Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Kert Kingo from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group took the floor.
The Social Affairs Committee moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill.
The visit will focus on the impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on society and economy of Russia as well as on the economy and security of Estonia. There will also be discussions on the situation on the battlefield, further support to Ukraine and ensuring security in the Baltic Sea Region. Besides that, the capabilities and priorities of Estonia’s and NATO’s cyber defence will be discussed at the meetings.
Today, the representatives of the ESC meet with the Head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO PA Raimond Kaljulaid and other members of the Estonian delegation and participate in discussions lasting the whole day in the Conference Hall of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia). Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu Kalev Stoicescu and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson will give the ESC delegation an overview of supporting Ukraine and strengthening the security of the Baltic Sea Region. Chairman of the Constitutional Committee Hendrik Johannes Terras will speak about the impact of sanctions on Russia’s economy. The representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Estonian Defence League and Foundation CR14 will also participate in the discussions.
On Thursday, the delegation will meet with Member of the Riigikogu Andres Sutt, who will speak about the impacts of Covid and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Estonia’s economy. The ESC delegation will also have meetings with the representatives of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association and the National Centre for Defence Investments. On Friday, they will visit the military base in Tapa.
The delegation of the Economics and Security Committee of the NATO PA consists of nearly 20 members from NATO countries and Ukraine.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu). Please note: Photos will be uploaded during the day in accordance with the programme of the delegation.
Chair of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart said that Nordica had not been privatised so far, that the company was making large losses, and that from 1 November, the cooperation of the national airline Nordica with SAS would end, after which several more aircraft would remain unused. “When managing and privatising a state enterprise in such a condition, it is important to be aware of the measures taken to avoid conflict of interest. Especially since criminal proceedings have been launched against the former members of the board of AS Nordic Aviation Group on the basis of a special audit report to establish whether the company had suffered any damage as a result of the contract,” the Chair of the Select Committee stated.
Kovalenko-Kõlvart added that at the sitting of the Select Committee on 7 October, the Prosecutor General had pointed out that public assets had not been used sustainably in the management of Nordica, and the company had also not submitted its annual report. “The management board of Nordica will submit their plan of action by 15 October, and the Select Committee considers it important to get an overview of the expectations of the Ministry of Climate regarding the action plan before that, so that it would be possible to compare them when the action plan is disclosed,” she said.
Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet and Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Climate Sander Salmu have been invited to the public sitting of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee.
The sitting starts at 11 a.m. in Room L332 and it will be streamed online.
Video recording of the public sitting will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
NordenBladet —The Government of the Republic of Estonia decided to declare a defence readiness exercise Okas 24-1 (Quill), with up to 59 members of the Force Protection Company, Coastal Defence Squadron, Estonian Navy, ordered to participate the snap exercise (SNAPEX). Exercise Okas is of a defensive manner, aimed at practicing national …
The draft Statement strongly condemns the extermination and the mass deportation of Crimean Tatars from their homeland on the Crimean Peninsula to the territories of Central Asia, which was planned and carried out by the totalitarian Soviet regime in 1944. Around 200,000 Crimean Tatars were deported. Tens of thousands of them perished. The entire nation lost their homeland and was subjected to brutal Russification for decades. The prohibition to return to homeland was lifted only in November 1989.
The draft Statement underlines that in Crimea, which was occupied in 2014, the Russian Federation is continuing the policy of genocide pursued by the Soviet Union against the Crimean Tatars, with the aim of destroying the identity and erasing the historical and cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars.
According to the draft Statement, the Riigikogu condemns the continuation of the policy of genocide against Crimean Tatars through systematic detention, torture, kidnapping and the prohibition to learn and use their native language. In addition, the Riigikogu calls on the international community to show solidarity with the Crimean Tatars and to continue to condemn the occupation and annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.
The members of the Riigikogu also request the unconditional restoration of Ukraine’s national sovereignty over the territory occupied by the Russian Federation during the armed aggression that began in 2014, and underline that Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine.
The Foreign Affairs Committee will discuss the sending of the draft Statement to the plenary assembly of the Riigikogu for debate and voting this afternoon.
Exhibition on the history of the Crimean Tatars will be opened
Tomorrow, President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson will open an exhibition on the history of Crimean Tatars “QIRIM İÇÜN / IN THE NAME OF CRIMEA” in the second floor gallery of Toompea Castle.
The exhibition has been prepared in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine in Estonia, and representatives of the Embassy and the Ukrainian community will attend the opening. Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea Tamila Tasheva will deliver an online address.
The Riigikogu has issued eight statements in support of Ukraine
Since the beginning of 2022, the Riigikogu has adopted eight Statements and one Communication to condemn Russia’s activities and to express support to Ukraine. The Riigikogu has also recognised the actions committed by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the military aggression against Ukraine as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation, and has declared Russia a terrorist regime and the Russian Federation a state sponsor of terrorism, whose actions must be confronted together. The Riigikogu has also supported the establishment of a centre for investigating Russia’s crime of aggression by the European Union in The Hague, called on the countries of the world to contribute in every way to the activities of the centre, and to continue with efforts to set up an international special tribunal.
The Riigikogu has supported Ukraine’s wish to become a member of NATO, requested holding to account individually those involved in planning, preparation, launching and committing the crime of aggression against Ukraine, and called on establishing for this a special international tribunal under the auspices of the UN. In February this year, the plenary of the Riigikogu adopted a Statement in which it condemned the deliberate and systematic deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia in violation of international law, and demanded the release of such children and the ensuring of their safe return to Ukraine.
Tali emphasised that Russia’s war against Ukraine has led to extensive kidnappings and forced resettling, particularly when it comes to children. “Some estimates say that over 700,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia in order to “save” them. In actual fact, this is a deliberate activity aimed at robbing a nation of its future and identity,” she declared.
Tali compared this to parallels in the Estonian history, referred to the experiences of her own family, and emphasised that the events taking place in Ukraine constituted a genocide. “If the Estonian nation had lost the same proportion of its children, our whole nation would have been wiped out,” she said.
Tali stressed the urgency of the crisis, where every hesitation cost lives and broke up families. She pointed out that we were expected to intervene immediately if we ever saw a child in distress in our daily lives. “Then what are we waiting for now? If this was your child, would you hesitate?” Tali asked.
She ended her speech by calling the international community to quick and decisive action. “Separating children from their native country and their parents is not only a crime but also brings along irreparable consequences because of Russification,” Kadri Tali emphasised.
Member of the delegation Eerik-Niiles Kross, who is the PACE rapporteur on democratic forces in Russia, discussed the frameworks of future cooperation between the Council of Europe and Russian opposition politicians at his meeting with Vladimir Kara-Murza. Kross also initiated a resolution on improving communication with democratic forces in Russia. In addition, Kross was appointed a rapporteur on the legal consequences of Russia’s war of aggression.
The assembly also discussed fight against propaganda campaigns and disinformation. The Estonian delegation supports the relevant PACE resolutions and cooperates with the delegations of Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Scandinavian countries to bring the topic into even greater focus.
The Estonian delegation to the PACE, made up of its head Kadri Tali and members Eerik-Niiles Kross and Aleksei Jevgrafov, took part in the PACE Autumn session in Strasbourg from 30 September until today.
Mihkelson and the representatives of the Swedish Navy and the Navy of the United Kingdom will speak at the panel discussion held tomorrow on the main stage of the forum, where protecting security of the Baltic Sea will be discussed. Vice President the American think tank RAND Corporation Barry Pavel will also participate in the discussion, which will be moderated by former Commander of the US Army Europe, Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges. Today, Mihkelson will participate in a roundtable discussion on Transatlantic security.
Over two days, the Security Forum will discuss Transatlantic cooperation and security, redefining of Europe’s role, and developing a broader strategy towards Russia. Issues to be addressed at the Forum will include support for Ukraine, increasing the capabilities of the defence industry, strengthening energy security, protecting critical infrastructure, the use of new technologies and defence spending. The discussions of the Forum will also cover the enlargement of NATO and the European Union and Ukraine’s aspirations to become a member of both organisations.
The Warsaw Security Forum, which takes place for the 11th time, is organised by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, a Polish think tank focusing on Central and Eastern European issues, in cooperation with NATO and, this year, also with Sweden.
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.