ESTONIA

The proceedings on the Bill on family benefits continued in the Riigikogu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

At its today’s sitting the Riigikogu continued to review the motions to amend the Family Benefits Act that had been submitted for the second reading. The opportunity to ask for a ten-minute recess before each voting was used. 103 of 1191 motions to amend had been voted on by the end of today’s sitting. The review will continue at tomorrow’s sitting.

The Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (619 SE), initiated by 54 members of the Riigikogu, will raise the child allowance for the first and second child from 60 euro to 100 euro, that is, to the same level as the child allowance for the third and subsequent children. According to the Bill, the allowance for families with many children will rise from 300 euro to 700 euro per month for families with three to six children, and from 400 euro to 900 euro for families with seven or more children. In order that the allowance for families with many children would continue to be proportional to the rise in the standard of living, and that the amount of the allowance would not need to be changed every year, the allowance will be indexed by 1 April of each year. The value of the index will depend to the extent of 20 per cent on the annual increase in the consumer price index and to the extent of 80 per cent on the annual increase in the receipt of the pension insurance part of social tax. At present, the payment of the allowance for families with many children stops when the first child attains the age of majority. In the future, however, it will be paid in the full amount for as long as the family is raising at least three children who are minors. In the case of families with many children, the allowance will be paid to the extent of two thirds of the allowance if two of the children are minors, and to the extent one third if one child is a minor.

The Reform Party Faction had submitted about 1660 motions to amend the Bill by the deadline, and the Social Democratic Party Faction had submitted four. The lead committee had not incorporated the motions. The motions of the Reform Party Faction that were connected with amendment of State Budget for 2022 Act had not been entered in the table of motions to amend. There were about 470 such motions.

During the second reading, the Social Affairs Committee decided to amend the Bill by adding a provision under which the single parent’s child allowance would be doubled by raising it to 40 euro. The committee had also incorporated into the Bill the amendment under which, in the case of a multiple birth, the allowance for families with many children would be paid until the children attain the age of 21 years.

The sitting ended at 11.54 p.m.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees call on granting Ukraine the status of EU candidate country

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Today, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of ten countries and the European Parliament made a Joint Statement in which they call on granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for the European Union membership in the forthcoming European Council.

The Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees welcome the European Council conclusions on Ukraine adopted on 30 May 2022 and note that the sixth package of sanctions against Russia that cover crude oil and petroleum products delivered from Russia into the Member States is a strong signal of European commitment to ending Europe’s energy dependence on Russia and limiting Europe’s susceptibility to energy weaponization attempts against the bloc.

“Today is a turning point for European history, providing momentum for the EU to exercise a proactive role at regional and global levels and build the Union’s geopolitical power whilst reducing Russia’s influence in EU neighbourhood countries,” they say.

In their Joint Statement, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees highlight that the majority of Europeans support Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and an absolute majority of Ukrainians desire Ukraine to join the European Union. “Ukraine is an integral part of Europe, and we must be strong and convincing in our response to Ukraine’s desire to join the Union. We also acknowledge that there are other potential candidates who aspire to join the European Union,” they point out.

The Joint Statement underlines that Ukrainian people are fighting for their country, their own lives, freedom, and democracy, or for the same values we need to be fundamentally European. “Therefore, granting EU candidate status to Ukraine would be an important political signal of support and hope for Ukraine and would reaffirm our commitment to our political ideals and foundational beliefs. We call on the Member States of the European Union to open up to Ukraine a realistic prospect of membership in the European Union by granting it the status of a candidate country in the forthcoming European Council on 23-24 June 2022,” the Statement says.

The Joint Statement is signed by the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the European Parliament. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson signed the Statement on behalf of Estonia.

Full text of the Statement in English and in Estonian

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Baltic Foreign Affairs Committees discuss strengthening security of the region in Lithuania

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Today and tomorrow, the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) participates in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Baltic States in Nida, Lithuania, where supporting Ukraine and strengthening the security of the region will be discussed.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson said that the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committees of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would focus on the security situation that had changed due to the war launched by Russia and on the decisions necessary for strengthening of security expected from the NATO Summit, which would be held at the end of this month. “We will go to the summit in Madrid with a common position that the presence of NATO on our region must increase considerably,” he added.

Supporting of Ukraine will also be spoken about at the meeting, including granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for the European Union membership as an important political signal. It will also be discussed how to support investigating Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine in international cooperation. “The war criminals must be held fully accountable for the crimes they have committed. If necessary, creating a special tribunal for that should be considered,” Mihkelson said.

The delegations of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the three Baltic States will also go to the external border of the European Union with Russia and visit Klaipėda naval base. Besides Mihkelson, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski and Indrek Saar participate in the visit.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The second reading of a Bill on family benefits continued in the Riigikogu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The second reading of a Bill increasing child benefits that had been adjourned at Wednesday’s sitting due to the end of working hours continued at today’s sitting of the Riigikogu. The reviewing of the motions to amend the Bill continued at today’s sitting. The Riigikogu had voted on 52 motions at yesterday’s sitting; 68 of 1191 motions to amend had been voted on by the end of today’s sitting.

Thus, the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (619 SE), initiated by 54 members of the Riigikogu, was adjourned due to the end of the working hours of the sitting.

The Bill will raise the child allowance for the first and second child from 60 euro to 100 euro, that is, to the same level as the child allowance for the third and subsequent children. According to the Bill, the allowance for families with many children will rise from 300 euro to 700 euro per month for families with three to six children, and from 400 euro to 900 euro for families with seven or more children. In order that the allowance for families with many children would continue to be proportional to the rise in the standard of living, and that the amount of the allowance would not need to be changed every year, the allowance will be indexed by 1 April of each year. The value of the index will depend to the extent of 20 per cent on the annual increase in the consumer price index and to the extent of 80 per cent on the annual increase in the receipt of the pension insurance part of social tax. According to the Bill, the allowance for families with many children will decrease gradually. In the case of families with many children, the allowance will be paid to the extent of two thirds of the allowance if two of the children are minors, and to the extent one third if one child is a minor.

The Reform Party Faction had submitted about 1660 motions to amend the Bill by the deadline, and the Social Democratic Party Faction had submitted four. The lead committee had not incorporated the motions. The motions of the Reform Party Faction that were connected with amendment of State Budget for 2022 Act had not been entered in the table of motions to amend. There were about 470 such motions.

During the second reading, the Social Affairs Committee decided to amend the Bill by adding a provision under which the single parent’s child allowance will be doubled by raising it to 40 euro. The committee also incorporated into the Bill the amendment under which, in the case of a multiple birth, the allowance for families with many children will be paid until the children attain the age of 21 years.

The reviewing of the motions to amend the Bill that had been submitted began at the Wednesday’s sitting of the Riigikogu. By the end of the sitting, the plenary had voted on 52 of the 1191 motions entered on the list of motions to amend. The Riigikogu was able to review 16 more motions at the plenary sitting that started today at 10 a.m. The reviewing of the motions to amend will continue at the next regular sitting beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday.

The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Local Government Organisation Act and Associated Acts (626 SE), initiated by the Government, and the Bill on Amendments to the Aliens Act (561 SE), initiated by Faction Isamaa, and the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the State Fees Act (598 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the Working Conditions of Employees Posted to Estonia Act, the Employment Contracts Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act (599 SE), initiated by the Government, and the Bill on Amendments to the Mental Health Act and the Health Services Organisation Act (600 SE), initiated by the Government, will be transferred to the agenda for the next working week due to the end of the working hours of the sitting.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video recording of the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Vice-President of the Riigikogu Hanno Pevkur visited Ukraine

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

From Sunday to Wednesday, First Vice-President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Hanno Pevkur was on a working visit to Ukraine, in the regions of Zhytomyr and Kyiv, where he visited cities destroyed by Russia’s attacks, including the site of Bucha massacre. In Kyiv, Pevkur met with the members of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) and the Government of Ukraine

“What I saw and heard during three days in Zhytomyr, Borodianka, Malyn, Bucha, Irpin and Kyiv is extremely harsh. There are simply no words and the mind refuses to take it all in. For example, 70% of the city of Irpin is damaged and 50% unusable,” Pevkur said. He added that it was especially shocking to see the ruins of a dwelling house around which no military objects could be seen up to the horizon. “In it, four people, two of whom were children, lost their lives in a moment as a result of a missile attack. And opposite that house, there is a rye field, where cornflowers are in bloom, and poppies, which in Estonia and Ukraine commemorate victims of war.”

At the meetings with the heads of state, reconstruction of Ukraine was also discussed, besides the situation of war. Pevkur assured that Estonia would help Ukraine restore the destroyed infrastructure, and emphasised that the Ukrainians are more united than ever before and would fight for their homeland until final victory. “It is our duty to support them in this and to help them to rebuild their country,” the Vice-President of the Riigikogu said.

In Ukraine, Pevkur was received by First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Korniyenko and Chairman of Ukraine-Estonia parliamentary friendship group Arsenii Pushkarenko as well as other members of the Verkhovna Rada. Pevkur also met with Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov and Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, and also the Deputy Minister of the Interior and the leaders of Zhytomyr and Kyiv Oblasts.

Photo: First Vice-President of the Riigikogu Hanno Pevkur at the meeting with First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Korniyenko and members of the Verkhovna Rada.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu Economic Affairs Committee meets delegation of the Bundestag Committee on Economic Affairs

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Delegation of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) meets with the delegation of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the German Bundestag today to discuss the economic and trade policy of the European internal market as well as energy policy.

Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee Kristen Michal said that the impact of the war in Ukraine on energy supplies could not be overlooked when discussing economic relations. “The war in Ukraine showed that the green transition is also a security transition for Estonia. The aggressor must be isolated economically, and for us and for Europe, this means a lot of problems that need to be solved. At the meeting, we will focus on finding these solutions,” the Chairman pointed out.

Another important issue that will be discussed is the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. “Before the war broke out, it was predicted that the European economy would experience a long-term and strong growth. Therefore, we now have to recover from two crises at the same time, the impact of which on different industries and businesses is very complex and depends on many factors, including the ability to adapt to supply chain disruptions and the availability of supplies,” Michal admitted.

The meeting will take place at 10.30 a.m. at the Riigikogu, and it will be attended by head of the Bundestag delegation Klaus-Peter Willsch and members of the Bundestag Bernd Westphal, Lena Werner, Maik Außendorf, Carl-Julius Cronenberg and Malte Kaufmann. From the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, Chairman Kristen Michal, Deputy Chairman Sven Sester, and members Jüri Jaanson and Riho Breivel will participate in the meeting.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Riigikogu amended the National Library of Estonia Act

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The Riigikogu passed an Act and concluded the first reading of a Bill and heard replies to two interpellations.

The Riigikogu passed one Act

The Act on Amendments to the National Library of Estonia Act and the Copyright Act (559 SE), initiated by the Government, transfers the tasks of the Repository Library of Estonia to the National Library of Estonia. As the responsibilities of the Repository Library are similar and partially overlap those of the National Library, its activities as a separate state agency will be terminated. The merger of the services will create preconditions for a user-centred innovation and coherent development of the services and will reduce the fragmentation of the library service.

The amendment will help improve the access of people with a visual impairment or any other print disability to publications and digital information, which is currently hindered due to the separation of services.

The new renovated building of the National Library is also planned to have premises necessary for the library for the blind, and better accessibility. The physical merger of the libraries is not likely to take place before 2025, when the renovation of the building of the National Library is due to be completed.

In the future, the repository and exchange stock of the Repository Library will be transferred to the planned Repository Archive, and the services of the library for the blind will begin to be provided in the renovated premises of the National Library in Tõnismäe (a city region in Tallinn).

65 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act.

A Bill passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (560 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction and Raimond Kaljulaid, provides for raising the child allowance for the first and each subsequent child of the family to 100 euro per month to improve the livelihood of families with children. Under the current Act, the amount of the child allowance for the first and second child of the family is 60 euro. The amount of the child allowance for the third and subsequent child is 100 euro. According to an amendment proposed in the Bill, the allowance for the first and second child will also be raised to 100 euro per month.

At today’s sitting, Tõnis Mölder (Centre Party) took the floor during the debate.

The Riigikogu heard replies to two interpellations

Minister of Finance Keit Pentus-Rosimannus replied to the interpellation concerning loan debtors, and Minister of Education and Research Liina Kersna replied to the interpellation concerning the funding of vocational education, submitted by members of the Riigikogu.

During the open microphone, Peeter Ernits took the floor.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Foreign Affairs Committee discussed continuing support to Ukraine with Ukrainian colleagues

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) held a video conference with the members of the Committee on Foreign Policy of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine, where they discussed the situation in Ukraine and the possibilities for continuing support to Ukraine.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson underlined that Ukraine needed uninterrupted military, economic and political support to win the war started by Russia. “The support and assistance of the Western countries should be continuous and tireless. We have to be ready to support Ukraine for a long time,” he said.

According to Mihkelson, Ukraine first of all needs weapons from Western allies, but also economic support, including the imposition of new sanctions on Russia. “At the same time, as an important political signal, Ukraine should be granted the status of a candidate country for the European Union membership as soon as possible. We must use every opportunity to restore Ukraine’s grain exports and do all we can to support investigation of Russia’s war crimes,” he said.

It was decided to continue the video conferences of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia and Ukraine throughout summer.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Eesmaa and Kunnas attend Nordic-Baltic security and national defence forum

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Today and tomorrow, Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Enn Eesmaa and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Leo Kunnas participate in the security and national defence forum of the Parliaments of the Baltic States and the Nordic Countries in Finland to discuss strengthening the security of the region.

Eesmaa said that the meeting of the Chairs of the National Defence Committees of nine countries would discuss the dramatic changes in the security situation in Europe brought about by the war launched by Russia in Ukraine. “Russia poses a direct threat, and all our future decisions must be based on this view. We are pleased that the countries of the Baltic Sea region have already increased their defence spending and are paying more and more attention to their defence capabilities,” he added.

Eesmaa also highlighted Denmark’s accession to the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union, and Finland’s and Sweden’s decision to apply for NATO membership. “We also expect a major contribution to the strengthening of the security of our region from the NATO Summit, which will be held at the end of this month in Madrid,” he said.

The Chairs of the national defence committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark as well as Germany and Poland participate in the forum held in Turku, Finland. The forum will be opened by Chairman of the Defence Committee of the Eduskunta (Parliament) of Finland Petteri Orpo. Chief of Defence of the Republic of Finland, General Timo Kivinen and the representatives of military intelligence, the Ministry of Defence and the National Emergency Supply Agency will speak at the forum. The Chairs of the defence committees will also visit Pansio naval base.

The National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu has held annual working meetings with the National Defence Committees of the Baltic Parliaments since 1998. From 2011, the representatives of the national defence committees of the Parliaments of the Nordic Countries and Poland have also been taking part in these meetings.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

The Foreign Affairs Committee visits NATO Headquarters and the European Commission in Brussels

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

The delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) is on a working to Brussels, Belgium. Today, they will visit NATO Headquarters and the European Commission.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson thinks that the most important task of the countries of the West is to help Ukraine and to bring Russia to a strategic defeat, and the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Committee will focus on this. “Ukraine continues to need economic, military and political support, and this includes using all measures to help Ukraine restore its grain export. It is also necessary to achieve unity in the European Union and to give Ukraine the status of a candidate country,” he said. “At the same time, new ways to put pressure on Russia must be sought. The decision made at the European Council to ditch Russian energy at the first opportunity is important, but it is only one step on this way.”

According to Mihkelson, drafting of NATO’s strategic concept as well as the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will be among the defence and security issues to be discussed at the meetings at NATO Headquarters. “We expect to move on with the accession process as soon as possible. “At the Riigikogu, we ready to ratify the accession protocols immediately after the North Atlantic Council has approved them,” he stated.

In Brussels, the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee will meet with Pedro Serrano, Head of Cabinet of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and visit NATO Headquarters, where they will have meetings with Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Geoană, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General David Cattler and Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges James Appathurai.

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson is accompanied on the visit by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mihhail Lotman, Mailis Reps and Indrek Saar.

Source: Parliament of Estonia

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