Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) elected Andres Sutt as its Chairman. Enn Eesmaa will continue as the Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The extraordinary elections of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee were held due to the resignation of the previous Chairman Marko Mihkelson. According to the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act, the chair and deputy chair of a committee are elected simultaneously.
Besides Sutt, Eesmaa and Mihkelson, other members of the Foreign Affairs Committee are Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski, Eerik-Niiles Kross, Mihhail Lotman, Henn Põlluaas, Mailis Reps and Indrek Saar.
At Question Time of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia), Member of the Riigikogu Siret Kotka asked Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo about improving the livelihood of the elderly. She pointed out that the average old-age pension was lower than the relative poverty line and very many of the elderly lived in relative poverty.
The Minister of Social Protection replied that relative poverty spoke of income disparities in society and noted that it affected the elderly more. Riisalo underlined that several steps had been taken to address relative poverty: on 1 January, the extraordinary pension increase of 20 euros and the income tax exemption on average pensions will enter into force, which, together with the indexation of pensions on 1 April, are projected to raise the average pension by around 20%, to 704 euros. Riisalo added that the subsistence level had also been raised, the benefit for pensioners living alone had been increased, a one-off allowance of 50 euros had been paid to compensate for price rises and an energy subsidy would be paid until March.
In reply to the question on whether the extraordinary pension increase should not be 50 euros instead of 20 euros, Riisalo underlined that inequality among the pensioners themselves had also increased and an extraordinary pension increase would not reduce it. “We see a need to address in particular the needs of those elderly who receive smaller pensions. This is the only way to lift the poorest pensioners out of absolute poverty, and also to put pensioners in a better position in the context of relative poverty,” the Minister said. She pointed out that the 1st pillar pension of ten per cent of pensioners was higher than 900 euros and for another ten per cent, it was under 500 euros. “If we raise pensions for everyone, we will provide less help to those who have lower pensions than 500 euros,” Riisalo said and as a possible solution, proposed to change the methodologies of calculating the national pension and minimum subsistence, which in her opinion were outdated.
During Question Time, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas replied to Mart Helme’s question about political responsibility, Jaanus Karilaid’s question about fulfilling the agreements of the Madrid Summit, Alar Laneman’s question about the photo scandal of Marko Mihkelson and security, Martin Helme’s question about the moral face of the Reform Party, Kaido Höövelson’s question about environmental charges, Peeter Ernits’s question about pictures that nobody should ever take, Marek Jürgenson’s question about people living at Neeme 50, Kert Kingo’s question about separation of powers, Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski’s question about school lunch and Jaak Aab’s question about helping the entrepreneurs.
Video recordings of the sittings of the Riigikogu can be viewed athttps://www.youtube.com/riigikogu. (Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
The Riigikogu exempted from excise duty the natural gas used for the regasification of liquified natural gas (LNG). A Resolution was passed, two Bills passed the first reading, and one Bill passed the second reading.
The Act on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (675 SE), initiated by the Finance Committee, exempts from excise duty the natural gas used for the regasification of liquified natural gas (LNG), similarly to the exemption for the natural gas used to keep the natural gas network in operation. In order to keep the natural gas network in operation, part of natural gas is used to heat it to prevent the equipment of the regulator station from freezing upon reduction of pressure. This part of natural gas does not reach the consumer and it is not subject to tax. On the same principle and with a view to ensuring equal treatment, the Act extends the excise duty exemption for natural gas to LNG regasification, including in LNG FSRU-s.
72 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act.
The Riigikogu passed a Resolution
Under the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Removal of Members and Appointment of New Members of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation Environmental Investment Centre” (733 OE), submitted by the Environment Committee, Annely Akkermann, Igor Kravtšenko and Tõnis Mölder are removed from the Supervisory Board of the Environmental Investment Centre and members of the Riigikogu Kaido Höövelson, Erkki Keldo and Üllar Saaremäe are appointed as members of the Supervisory Board. The draft Resolution is deliberated in a single reading.
47 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution.
One Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Farm Animals Breeding Act (624 SE), initiated by the Government, will make the provisions relating to breeding programmes clearer in order to avoid the possibility of narrow interpretation of the Act. The amendments will help better understand that, when describing the content of a breeding programme, the relevant requirements must also be taken into account and, in the event of a violation of the requirements, it is possible to refuse to approve a breeding programme. The amendments are of a technical nature and no new requirements will be placed on breed societies.
Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor during the debate.
Two Bills passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Public Holidays and Days of National Importance Act and the Estonian Flag Act (635 SE), initiated by the Government, will make the Estonian Literature Day a day of national importance and a flag flying day. It will be celebrated on the anniversary of the birth of Estonian author Anton Hansen Tammsaare on 30 January. The aim of the new day of national importance will be to pay attention to the role of Estonian literature and writers in the Estonian culture and society and to encourage people to read more literature in Estonian.
As another amendment, according to the Bill, the days on which the Song Celebration, the Dance Celebration and the Youth Song and Dance Celebration take place will be declared flag flying days as well in order to show the national extent and meaning of the Song and Dance Celebration movement, to pay homage to all those who have been upholding the tradition of the Song and Dance Celebration over 150 years and to acknowledge those who are carrying on the tradition. On flag flying days, state and local government agencies and legal persons in public law hoist the Estonian flag.
During the debate, Jaak Juske (Social Democratic Party), Margit Sutrop (Reform Party), Riho Breivel (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Üllar Saaremäe (Isamaa) and Marko Šorin (Centre Party) took the floor on behalf of their factions.
The Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act (652 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Faction, is intended to lower the excise duty rates on unleaded petrol and diesel fuel, including diesel fuel for specific purposes, to the minimum level of the European Union from the beginning of the next year. According to the Bill, the excise duty rates on the components of such fuels would also be lowered to the same level. The excise duty rates on fuels comparable to diesel fuel are intended to be adjusted as well. The aim of the amendments is to curb inflation, to lower fuel prices and to improve people’s livelihoods.
During the debate, Siim Pohlak (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Taavi Aas (Centre Party) took the floor.
Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Raimond Kaljulaid and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Leo Kunnas attend the annual security and defence policy conference of Finland and Sweden today to discuss the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO and its impacts.
Kaljulaid believes that the meeting will provide an opportunity to speak about the preparations of Finland and Sweden for joining NATO with the leaders of the defence and security policy of the two countries. “It is clearly in our interest that the accession of both Finland and Sweden would take place as soon as possible. The threat from Russia will not go away; instead, we must be prepared for it to grow over time. The sooner we can move forward with the practical steps that are necessary for strengthening the military defence capabilities of the NATO countries around the Baltic Sea, the better,” he said, and recalled that the Riigikogu had been among the first to approve the protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty on the accession of Finland and Sweden at the beginning of July.
The conference will be held in Espoo and it will be attended by the Ministers of Defence of Finland and Sweden as well as the leaders of the Defence Committees of the Parliaments of both countries. Kaljulaid and Kunnas also plan to have a bilateral meeting with the new Chair of the Defence Committee of Eduskunta (Parliament) of Finland Antti Häkkänen.
Finland and Sweden have been organising joint security and defence policy conferences for 29 years, and for the first time, Estonia is the only neighbouring country whose representatives have been invited to the conference.
Chairman of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) Sven Sester will travel to Washington, D.C. to observe the midterm elections of the United States Congress that will be held on Tuesday, 8 November.
“The aim of the international observers is to contribute to helping to increase transparency of the elections and building trust in the US electoral system,” Sester said. “It is the wish of the observers, who represent the national parliaments, to see that the elections are conducted fairly and all candidates are treated equally. We observe that the elections comply with the democratic standards the United States and OSCE countries have agreed to. We will be paying particular attention to the campaign environment, election administration, new voting technologies, election day procedures, and media coverage.”
More than a hundred members of national parliaments from more than 30 countries will participate in the election observation mission organised by the OSCE PA to observe the midterm elections held in the United States. The purpose of the mission is to make sure that the elections conform to the democratic principles set out in the OSCE Copenhagen Document from 1990.
Election observation missions have been an important part of OSCE’s activities since 1993. The missions monitor whether the elections are conducted legitimately and respect the democratic standards.
The observers’ preliminary findings and conclusions will be delivered at a press conference on 9 November, which will also stream live on thewebsiteof the OSCE PA.
For more information, please contact: Sven Sester +372 504 9222
NordenBladet – The Supreme Court of Estonia discussed a case where an entrepreneur had founded a fund in Malta and he transferred there the shares that belonged to the spouses’ common property. The husband that had been managing the shares could not continue anymore due to the worsening of health and thus gave the shares to the fund for professional management.
The wife did not agree to surrender the shares to the fund and came forth with a lawsuit, claiming to have the shares worth 63 million euros returned to the family’s common stock account. The husband, in return, claimed approval from court for the shares to be handed over to the fund. Courts concluded that the wife had the right to demand return of the shares to their common property and denied the husband from giving the shares to the fund.
Common property may not suit all spouses
The Supreme Court’s board of civil matters noted that the aim of common property is to equally value tha role of the spouse caring for the family and the children, and the role of the spouse that has the larger income from a job. On the other hand, spouses must work closely when managing the common property, this may inhibit the proper management in some cases.
Therefore having common property may not be reasonable when spouses are entrepreneurs or when the family’s financial status is significantly above average and both spouses wish to independently manage the property.
The board emphasized that the court cannot manage the common property on behalf of the spouses. When the spouses have a different understanding of managing the property or when the omissions of one spouse inhibit the proper management of the common property, then either upon mutual agreement or with the support of the court they can modify their property relations. Upon getting married, as well as during wedlock the common property may be specified with marital property agreement, also the property relations may be changed.
The Supreme Court also specified that although the founding of a fund for the succeeding generation is permissible, each spouse will be able to make demands only concerning their portion of the property. In case of common property the spouses must consider half of the property belonging to the other side. Even more advanced financial knowledge will not win access for one spouse to decide on behalf of the other, how the latter will use his/her property.
At their meeting today, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas and Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed strengthening of cooperation and further supporting of Ukraine. Ratas said that imposing sanctions on Russia had to continue until Ukraine has won the war.
Ratas underlined at the meeting that although Estonia and Greece were far apart, relations between the two countries were good. “We share similar values not only in the European Union, but also in NATO,” he said. At the meeting, Ratas and Mitsotakis confirmed their common desire to develop the cooperation between the two countries, especially in the digital and cyber spheres. They also considered it important to strengthen the relations between the Estonian and Greek parliaments.
Ratas and Mitsotakis discussed the changed security situation caused by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the need to urgently implement the decisions of the NATO Madrid Summit and strengthen NATO’s Eastern flank. Ratas also emphasised the importance of Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO in strengthening the defence capabilities of Europe.
Ratas pointed out it was crucial to continue supporting Ukraine in every way possible and at the same time to increase political and economic pressure on Russia to further raise the cost of aggression. “It is important to maintain the unity of the European Union and to go ahead with sanctions against Russia until Ukraine has won the war and Russia has lost it,” he said, expressing gratitude that Greece has supported all sanctions so far.
The relations between Greece and Turkey as well as issues relating to energy security were also spoken about at the meeting.
Today, the Estonian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly (BA) participates in the 41st Session of the Baltic Assembly and the 28th Baltic Council in Riga, where an overview of the achievements of Latvia’s presidency is presented and the Resolution of the Session will be adopted. At the end of the session, Latvia will hand over the presidency to Estonia, and the new President of the BA will be elected.
Deputy Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Sven Sester pointed out that since the beginning of Russia’s aggression, the Baltic States have distinguished themselves in the field of security. “This year will go down in history as the year when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania took the lead in international defence cooperation and not only gave military assistance to Ukraine but also successfully conducted a persuasion campaign that resulted in Europe and NATO reassessing their relations with the aggressor,” he said. According to the Deputy Head of the Estonian Delegation, Estonia takes over the presidency of the Baltic Assembly with a strong will to continue building up a resilient, secure, reliable and sustainable Baltic region, which is especially important during the times there is a war going on in Europe. Sester underlined that the Ukrainian people had made and would continue to make untold sacrifices in that war, and therefore the international support for Ukraine must remain firm. “Russia’s defeat, restoring of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and post-war reconstruction is the only acceptable solution,” Sester said.
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas will also deliver a speech at the BA Session. He is sure that the Baltic States will continue giving Ukraine military, humanitarian as well as economic aid as long as needed. “We will also lend a hand in rebuilding Ukraine and give Ukraine our extensive support on their road to becoming a full-fledged member state of the European Union and NATO,” he said. Ratas added that besides resolving the security crisis, it was also necessary to find a clear and efficient solution to the largest energy crisis of the last decades, because this had a direct impact on the daily lives of the people in our region. “People must not be left without heating and we cannot accept a situation where they are forced to choose between buying bread or paying their electricity bill. We need to be ready for a situation where Russia disconnects us from its power grid, so that we could respond quickly and synchronise ourselves with the continental European network,” he said.
The 41st Session of the BA and the sitting of the 28th Baltic Council will hear the report of Latvia’s presidency, discuss how a strong and united Baltic society could be better prepared to face the challenges posed by external threats and look for short- and long-term solutions to ensure a common and resilient energy system in the Baltic States. Also, the Joint Statement of the Baltic Council will be signed, and the BA Resolution and the Final Document of the 41st Session will be adopted. Latvia will hand over the BA presidency to Estonia and Sven Sester will give an overview of the plans for Estonia’s presidency in 2023. In Friday evening, the Session will end with a ceremony where the BA Medals and the BA Prizes in Literature, the Arts, Science and Innovation will be awarded. The Baltic Assembly Prize in Literature was won by Estonian writer and poet Kai Aareleid for her novel “Vaikne ookean” (“Pacific Ocean”).
The 41st Session of the Baltic Assembly is attended by Deputy Head of the Estonian delegation Sven Sester and members of the delegation Mihhail Korb, Hele Everaus, Urve Tiidus, Kalvi Kõva, Helmen Kütt, Andres Metsoja and Anti Poolamets.
Today, the Estonian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly (BA) participated in the 41st Session of the Baltic Assembly and the 28th Baltic Council in Riga, Latvia, where Latvia handed the BA Presidency over to Estonia and Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Aadu Must was elected the new President of the BA.
According to the Deputy Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Sven Sester, Estonia takes over the presidency of the Baltic Assembly with a strong will to continue building up a resilient, secure, reliable and sustainable Baltic region, which is especially important during the times there is a war going on in Europe. “By joining forces, we will also have greater capability and opportunities to deal with the challenges posed by Russia’s invasion, such as the economic and humanitarian crisis, energy security, disinformation and common concerns about the security of the Baltic States,” he said.
“Another challenge we will have to deal with in 2023 is the global warming, which will lead to catastrophic consequences, such as extinction of species and increased inequality,” Sester added and pointed out that the green transition had to be both effective and fair towards all. In his opinion, it is also important to deal with the challenges in education and culture, with cultural relations and media cooperation, vocational and technical education as well as strengthening the coordination between cultural and educational institutions. The Baltic Assembly will also continue to act as a bridge between the Eastern Partnership countries and the Nordic Countries, Benelux, Visegrad countries and other European countries.
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas delivered a speech at the BA Session and emphasised that the Baltic cooperation in security and defence has for a long time been considered one of the brightest examples of Baltic unity. “Since Russia’s act of aggression, the Baltic States have distinguished themselves in the field of security, and have cooperated more closely than ever before. Our support to Ukraine has been tangible, visible, and audible, and remarkably substantial on the global scale,” Ratas said. He underlined that close cooperation in strengthening deterrence and defence in the region also played an important part in developing NATO collective defence. “Together we can reinforce our messages to NATO allies, draw attention to the security challenges in the region, and affirm the commitment of the Baltic States to ensure sustainable funding for national defence,” he added.
Ratas said that besides resolving the security crisis, it was also necessary to find a clear and efficient solution to the largest energy crisis of the last decades. “We urgently need new and alternative energy sources that are not dependent of the whims of aggressive or undemocratic countries and do not drive the Baltic States and the rest of Europe into a corner or force them to go back on their principles or support for Ukraine. I firmly believe that as a region we have the strength and the will to find a common approach,” the President of the Riigikogu stated.
The Session of the Baltic Assembly was attended by Deputy Head of the Estonian delegation Sven Sester and members of the delegation Mihhail Korb, Hele Everaus, Urve Tiidus, Kalvi Kõva, Helmen Kütt, Andres Metsoja and Anti Poolamets.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu passed the Resolution under which Enn Eesmaa was removed from the Supervisory Board of the National Opera and Toomas Jürgenstein was appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board.
39 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Removal of a Member and Appointment of a New Member of the Supervisory Board of the National Opera from among Members of the Riigikogu” (728 OE), submitted by the Cultural Affairs Committee. Five voted against.
The Supervisory Board of the National Opera also includes members of the Riigikogu Urve Tiidus and Helle-Moonika Helme. Other members of the Supervisory Board include: Ivari Ilja, Kerri Kotta, Tarvi Sits, Kristi Vinter-Nemvalts, Merilin-Siret Sahku, Riina Viiding, René Eespere and Mart Mikk.
The video recording of the sitting will be available to watch later onthe Riigikogu YouTubechannel. (Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
