At its public sitting today, the State Budget Control Select Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) will discuss Estonia’s roadmap for quitting Russian gas permanently with the Minister for Economy and Infrastructure and gas suppliers.
In the opinion of the Chairman of the State Budget Control Select Committee Urmas Reinsalu, buying gas from Russia must be stopped as quickly as possible in order not to help finance the military activities in Ukraine. “We have to quit using Russian gas so as to contribute to ending the war in Ukraine and achieve more effective energy security,” Reinsalu said.
The Chairman added that the Committee wanted to get know when the planned floating liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal would be ready, how the cooperation with the neighbouring countries was developing and how quickly it would be possible to completely stop gas supply from Russia.
Minister for Economy and Infrastructure Taavi Aas, Member of the Board of Eesti Gaas Margus Kaasik, Chairman of the Board of Elering Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Alexela Marti Hääl as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Competition Authority and the National Audit Office have been invited to the sitting.
The public sitting starts at 1:15 p.m. and it will be live streamed online.
Video recordings of the sittings can be viewed onRiigikogu YouTubechannel. (Please note that the recordings will be uploaded with a delay.)
The Chairman of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Marko Šorin took part in the sitting of the NATO PA Standing Committee in Athens, Greece. The focus was on Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the adaptation of the organisation to the changed security environment.
“The sitting of the Standing Committee strongly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the mass-scale execution of civilians during the war, which constitutes a brutal violation of human rights,” Šorin said.
“The attendees of the sitting emphasised that Russia’s war of choice in Ukraine has drastically changed the security environment in Europe and the whole world. We concluded that we need to enhance our cooperation to cement the key role of NATO in defending the rules-based order,” Šorin reported. He added that the need to transform the systematic cooperation between NATO member states had also been discussed to improve the response to the new security reality. Member states are already increasing their defence expenditures and investments dramatically this year. We must absolutely not forget the core values of NATO and must continue strengthening both the eastern and the southern flanks.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and the Head of the Ukrainian delegation Yegor Chernev outlined the state of the country in war and thanked the member states for the military and humanitarian aid that has already been provided. They concluded that the economic sanctions on Russia are having an impact but should be much stricter still. They also expressed their hope to receive increasing military aid from the allies in the near future because the situation with weapons and defence equipment in the Ukrainian army is turning critical.
The Athens Sitting of the NATO PA also reviewed the reports and political recommendations of the Committee. Because of the war, the NATO PA Spring Session will take place in Vilnius in May. The initial plan had been to hold the 2022 Spring Session in Kyiv. The NATO PA Annual Session will take place in Madrid in November.
At Question Time of the Riigikogu, Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet, Minister of Public Administration Jaak Aab and Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani replied to the questions of members of the Riigikogu.
Rene Kokk asked Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani about the plans for protection of the civilian population in Estonia in the event of war.
Jaani admitted that up to now, all threat scenarios had been based on hybrid threats. For example, plans had been made for the situations when it was necessary to evacuate people from one region of Estonia to another. However, in the light of the events in Ukraine it is clear that it is necessary to take into account also war crimes against civilians. The Minister of the Interior said that, for this reason, the Government had decided to contribute 140 million euro to comprehensive national defence. “It will go to building our external border, and to two security packages that involve comprehensive national defence, defence spending as well as non-military needs for development. 140 million in total. So that it can be said that we have really done a lot already,” Jaani emphasised, and pointed out that this allocation of funding would be used, among other things, to increase the mine-clearing and urban search and rescue capabilities, to map shelters and to develop risk communication systems.
“The Rescue Board has started updating the existing national evacuation plan on the basis of new threat scenarios and soon, right now, the internal training plan of the Rescue Board itself on how to train their specialists even better will be ready,” the Minister added. Jaani said that a national crisis training exercise was also planned.
Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani also replied to Riho Breivel’s question about the activities and subordination relations of the border guards during war and Riina Sikkut’s question about 9 May.
Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet replied to Lauri Läänemets’s question about the salaries of the defenders of the state, Heiki Hepner’s question about defending Estonia, Andres Metsoja’s question about comprehensive national defence, Alar Laneman’s question about developing of new military capabilities and Leo Kunnas’s question about amending the National Defence Development Plan 2022–2031.
Minister of Public Administration Jaak Aab replied to Helir-Valdor Seeder’s question about security, Helle-Moonika Helme’s question about compensating of energy and district heating prices and Paul Puustusmaa’s question about the war in Ukraine, refugees and local government.
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.)
Two Bills passed the second reading in the plenary assembly today.
The Business Register Bill (493 SE), initiated by the Government, will provide for the data composition of the Business Register, the procedure for making entries and maintaining the Register, and the supervision and liability.
The Business Register is a database in the state information system whose purpose is to collect, preserve, and divulge information on legal persons in private law that have been founded under Estonian law, sole proprietors active in Estonia, or local branches of foreign companies. The e-Business Register is a web platform that can be used for submitting applications to the Business Register or accessing information on legal persons and sole proprietors. The e-Business Register may publish not only the data in the Business Register but also public data accessible through other databases and services.
The purpose of the Bill is to harmonise the registration proceedings for legal persons. The register of non-profit associations and foundations will be brought under the Business Register, which will make the registration proceedings simpler and clearer for both the undertakings and the registrar.
Other major amendments concern private limited companies because the Bill intends to eliminate the minimum capital requirement for private limited companies and bring the list of shareholders under the Business Register. The Bill also improves the supervisory options for the registrar by steering legal persons towards meeting their reporting obligation in a better way. For this purpose, the procedure of striking off from Register for the failure to submit the annual report is simplified and accelerated. The supervisory options of the registrar are extended to ensure the reliability of the Register and the meeting of the reporting obligations by the undertakings. The minimum capital requirement for private limited companies will be eliminated, which will force their founders to give more thought to the capital that is required to provide for the activities of the company. When a private limited company is founded today, the founders generally opt for the minimum capital provided in the law, which does not even need to be paid and which for this reason does not say much about the reliability or viability of the company; in the future, when this option is no longer available, the chosen and paid share capital will provide the necessary information about the reliability of the company to third persons as well. In addition, the current minimum capital requirement of EUR 2,500 has come down in value compared to 1995 when it was introduced.
The Bill creates the option in the e-Business Register to reserve a business name for six months to better prepare for the founding of the company and ensure that the suitable business name already exists when the application is submitted to the Business Register.
The enforcement of the Act will take place in three stages because the volume of IT systems development is massive and a single-stage enforcement would therefore be impossible. The general deadline for entry into force of the Act is 1 February 2023; changes in the list of shareholders will enter into force on 1 September 2023; and reserving the business name and applying for the entry into the Register on a specific date will enter into force on 1 March 2024.
The Bill on Amendments to the Public Procurement Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (491 SE), initiated by the Government, will solve the practical problems that have emerged in the implementation of the Act and will bring the Act into conformity with the European Union public procurement directives. This includes mostly amendments of a technical nature to improve legal clarity and to make the organisation of procurement more flexible.
The amendments concerning the award criteria, the handling of abnormally low tenders and breach of public contracts will make the public procurement procedure as well as the performance of public contracts more flexible for the contracting authorities and entities and will enable the contracting authorities and entities to take better account of the specificities of a particular public procurement and the relevant market situation when setting the public procurement conditions. The amendments concerning self-cleaning and the Single Procurement Document will reduce the workload for contracting authorities and entities as well as the administrative burden for economic operators.
Two of the amendments made in response of criticism from the European Commission are of a technical nature and concern the calculation of the percentage of activities performed on the open market – which is one of the preconditions for cooperation between the contracting authorities and entities – and the level of precision of the description in the procurement documents in the event of innovation partnership.
Two amendments concern allowing negotiations to specify the tender with the successful tenderer in the event of competitive dialogue, which may be very important for the final layout of the terms of a public contract, considering the nature of the procedure. In the course of negotiations and the specification of the tender, the tender and the procurement documents may not be amended and it will have to be ensured that the tenderer is not placed in a more advantageous position compared to other tenderers. The amendment will allow for flexibility, which is crucial for the achievement of a high-quality result where competitive dialogue is used.
The remaining two amendments concern the establishment of award criteria. Their weightings may be expressed by providing a range with an appropriate maximum spread or, where this is not possible for objective reasons, in descending order of importance. Although contracting authorities and entities are used to fixing definite weightings to award criteria, which is also the most transparent and verifiable way and best ensures equal treatment of economic operators in the assessment of tenders, the flexibility to be added may in certain cases contribute to finding the most economically advantageous tender.
During the debate, Kalvi Kõva (Social Democratic Party), Jüri Jaanson (Reform Party), Heiki Hepner (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), and Andres Metsoja (Isamaa) took the floor.
Today, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson said at the meeting with the new Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Estonia Vladimir Lipaev that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and global peace as well as the war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine had an extremely negative impact, among other things, on Estonian-Russian relations.
“The relations between Estonia and Russia will remain at a low ebb until Russia has not ended the war against Ukraine, withdrawn its occupation forces from the territory of sovereign Ukraine and taken responsibility for gross violation of international law,” Mihkelson said. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee added that, according to the principles of the United Nations, even threatening with war and starting an aggression are crimes against peace.
In Mihkelson’s opinion, the horrible crimes committed by Russia’s armed forces in Bucha and elsewhere in Ukraine during recent weeks are nothing else but an attempt to indiscriminately destroy the population of Ukraine. “The international community will contribute to the recording of the war crimes, so that those who committed these crimes could be brought to justice. A brutal violation of international law must not remain unpunished,” he emphasised.
The Riigikogu has repeatedly expressed its support to the people of Ukraine and called for taking immediate steps that would limit the ability of the aggressor state to wage war, including a full trade embargo.
At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo made a report and gave an overview of the implementation of the long-term national development strategy “Estonia 2035” in her field.
The minister said that the Ministry of Social Affairs was working to ensure a socially secured and happy living environment. Riisalo added that, according to the strategy “Estonia 2035”, the main tasks for 2021 for the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Minister of Social Protection were to address three big issues in depth: to comprehensively develop a system supporting mental health and to reduce mental and physical violence, to develop integrated provision of human-centered health care and social services, and to design social protection, and to update cost models, taking into account societal changes and the negative turn of the demographic situation.
“The population of Estonia is decreasing and, according to projections, it will be about 1.2 million by 2035,” Riisalo said. She noted that a population policy committee had been formed to map the points of concern in population and migration issues and to find potential solutions regarding the viability of our people. “Migration has an important place in Estonia’s population processes, and in tense security situations often new migration routes also open up which means that it is important to know the needs of the state and to be aware of the risks involved,” Riisalo said.
The minister admitted that, while the strategy document “Estonia 2035” had been drafted, it had been impossible to foresee the current situation but we as a flexible country needed to adjust our decisions. “At present, refugees from Ukraine need our help and attention,” Riisalo underlined. She pointed out that it was also important to keep contact with the Estonian community abroad who numbered nearly 200,000. The minister noted that recently the government committee had obtained an overview of the measures intended to integrate new immigrants into our society as well as to help returners adapt.
Riisalo stated that we must not forget the most vulnerable groups, people with special needs. “I am glad that, in recent years, we have been extremely successful in engaging people with special needs in society for example by providing them various opportunities in the labour market,” the minister said. She also said that mental health was becoming increasingly important by the day. “Mental health help must be available and of high quality, and it must be based on the person’s needs and support both the person who needs help and his or her close ones,” Riisalo said.
“The central principle of Estonian social welfare is to support the independent and dignified life of people at home for as long as possible,” the minister said. She added that services should be available as close to home as possible and the provision of assistance should start from local government and be as free of bureaucracy as possible and the path of the provision of assistance should be easily understandable. “Unfortunately the estimated need for domestic services remains higher than the capacity of local governments and the state to provide them,” the minister said and emphasised that a long-term care reform was needed urgently.
The minister also underlined in her report that it was necessary to reduce gender inequality and poverty and to take action to increase gender equality and social inclusion. In addition, she pointed out that it was also important to raise people’s awareness of collecting finances and planning financial resources.
During the debate, Priit Sibul took the floor on behalf of Faction Isamaa, Õnne Pillak on behalf of the Reform Party Faction, Siret Kotka on behalf of the Centre Party Faction, Jaak Valge on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction and Helmen Kütt on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Faction.
The Riigikogu passed a Resolution
The Resolution of the Riigikogu “Removal of a Member and Appointment of a New Member of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation Environmental Investment Centre” (563 OE), submitted by the Environment Committee, provides for the removal of Martin Repinski from the Supervisory Board of the Foundation Environmental Investment Centre and the appointment of Tõnis Mölder as a member of the board.
72 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill on the liability insurance of health service provider and heard replies to five interpellations.
The second reading of the Bill on the Mandatory Liability Insurance of Health Service Provider (522 SE), initiated by the Government, which had been adjourned due to the end of the working hours of the plenary sitting on 24 March, continued at today’s sitting.
The purpose of the Bill is to create the systems for patient insurance and compensation for vaccine damages. Patient insurance is the mandatory liability insurance for providers of health care services. The Bill will provide for the principles and organisation of the mandatory liability insurance of providers of health care services, as well as the bases for and extent of the damage subject to compensation to the patient. The new system will be established with the aim of better protection of the patient and simpler application for compensation.
In the case of a damage event where it would have been possible to prevent health damage in the treatment of a patient, the insurance provider will evaluate the circumstances of the claim. The insurance amount will be up to 100,000 euro per injured patient, and three million euro per whole one-year period of insurance.
The Bill will also establish the minimum requirements for the organisation of patient safety. An information analysis system will be established with a view to preventing threat and damage events.
At the same time, the Bill will amend the Medicinal Products Act and provide for vaccine insurance, or mandatory insurance against vaccine damages, the purpose of which is to create a simplified procedure for compensating to people serious damage to their health due to vaccination.
Besides, an opportunity will be created under the Health Insurance Act to also include in a list of diseases, in addition to the diseases treated with medicines with a valid reference price or price agreement, the diseases in the case of which the prices of the medicinal products used to treat the diseases are formed in joint procurements of medicinal products of the European Commission.
19 motions to amend the Bill had been submitted for the second reading. The motions that were supported included the right of employees of the State Agency of Medicines to obtain access, with the consent of the person, to the personal data in the health information system in order that experts could assess the connection between the health damage and the vaccination, taking into account the health data predating the vaccination.
Faction Isamaa moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. The result of voting: 7 votes in favour and 51 against. The motion was not supported. The second reading was concluded.
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas replied to the interpellation concerning the updating of the National Security Concept
The interpellation had been submitted by members of the Riigikogu Leo Kunnas, Alar Laneman, Henn Põlluaas, Kalle Grünthal, Paul Puustusmaa, Siim Pohlak, Urmas Reitelmann, Merry Aart, Rene Kokk, Ruuben Kaalep, Anti Poolamets and Mart Helme.
The interpellators wished to know which military national defence capability developments the Government was prioritising and what was being planned to fill these capability gaps.
Kallas explained that Russia’s war in Ukraine had created a completely new security situation both in Europe and in the Baltic Sea region more specifically. “Russia’s aim and interest is to restore spheres of influence in Europe, and the events in Ukraine are showing that Russia is using military force indiscriminately for this end,” Kallas noted. She added that, since war was going on in Ukraine and nobody knew exactly how long it would last or how it would end, much had changed and therefore the updating of the national security concept had also been put on hold. “We will continue this work as soon as the situation is clearer. At present, we are trying to support Ukraine as much as possible, to increase the cost of the military aggression for Russia, and to eliminate capability gaps in the comprehensive national defence of Estonia quickly,” Kallas said.
Kallas noted that the Government had allocated additional funds to all priority areas, taking into account also Ukraine’s experience. “First, air defence. This means air defence systems, missiles, anti-tank weaponry, launchers, rockets and territorial defence. We will strengthen the territorial defence based on the Defence League by using the willingness of Estonian citizens to contribute to national defence. As regards indirect fire, we will increase the number of K9 self-propelled howitzers and we will acquire multiple-launch rocket systems. In situational awareness, we will increase the situational awareness capability of the Defence Forces. And then, the allied presence, additional infrastructure developments to host allied forces both in Tapa and in Ämari,” Prime Minister explained.
“In addition, the Government deems it necessary to develop medium-range air defence and for this, the Ministry of Defence is holding consultations with our allies and then we will proceed accordingly. Within four months, a plan for acquiring medium-range air defence will have to be submitted to the Government. However, final decisions will be made in the state budget strategy,” Kallas said.
Kallas emphasised the importance of civil protection, the rescue capability corresponding to military threats. “We also support the crisis preparedness of local governments, and these areas will also receive significant extraordinary funding in the coming years. We also attach importance to border security and the police response capability. Equally important are cyber defence, strategic communication and several other areas, which will also get attention in the supplementary budget,” Prime Minister said.
“In Estonia’s security policy, we are following the principle that whole Estonia must be equally protected in terms of both territory and the people who live here,” Kallas emphasised.
Prime Minister also replied to the interpellation concerning the protection of civilians, Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani replied to the interpellation concerning the activities of the police and the interpellation concerning the lawfulness of the activities of a police prefect, and Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo replied to the interpellation concerning the demographic crisis.
The Riigikogu heard two oaths of office
Substitute member of the Riigikogu Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart took the oath of office and Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise took the oath of office for a second term.
During the open microphone, Tarmo Kruusimäe took the floor.
The sitting ended at 9.27 p.m.
Photos(Author: Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Today and tomorrow, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson meets with the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States (NB8) in Riga, Latvia. The main topics to be discussed at the meeting are Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, NATO’s cooperation with neighbouring countries and the spread of false information. It is also planned to hold a video conference with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Ukraine.
Mihkelson said that the latest news about the crimes committed against the people of Ukraine, which had taken on the proportions of genocide, were horrifying. “The only acceptable solution will be the total victory of Ukraine. In order to achieve this, harsher sanctions, and all types of military aid to Ukraine are needed,” Mihkelson stated. He added that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine was accompanied by information war, and it was of crucial importance that false information was exposed and propaganda would not be given screen time. The Chairman welcomed the fact that, for the first time in several years, all Nordic and Baltic Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees could meet physically to discuss issues of importance to us.
Today, the Nordic and Baltic Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees will visit Ādaži Military Base and meet with State Secretary of Ministry of Defence of Latvia Jānis Garisons, with whom they will speak about the NATO Summit that will be held in Madrid in June, NATO’s cooperation with the countries that are not members of the organisation, like Finland and Sweden, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Tomorrow there will be a meeting with former President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers to discuss the geopolitics and challenges relating to democratic and authoritarian regimes. Jānis Sārts, the Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, will speak about false information and communication strategies.
There will also be a video conference with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) to discuss the situation and the diplomatic efforts relating to it, the International Military Tribunal, the humanitarian issues, assistance to Ukraine and the European Union membership perspective for Ukraine.
The Nordic-Baltic cooperation, or NB8, is a regional cooperation format of five Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) for informal discussion of current regional and international topics.
On April 1st, the ninth Blue Hepatica Campaign “Let Us Salute!” will begin, inviting people to wear the Blue Hepatica pin in recognition of veterans of the Defence Forces and the Defence League of Estonia and the veterans of Ukraine.
This year, donations will be collected to support veterans, their relatives and the healthcare industry more broadly. Proceeds from the sale of the Blue Hepatica pins will help to acquire the necessary hand robot for the ITK Rehabilitation Clinic and cover the costs of treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans, in addition to supporting veterans of the Defence Forces and the Defence League of Estonia.
“During this complicated time, we thank our veterans, who have made their contribution to ensuring the security and defence of our country. It is good to live with the knowledge that the Estonian people can count on the brave men and women of our Defence Forces and Defence League no matter what,” said the Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet. “Right now our thoughts and actions are directed towards supporting Ukraine, which is also why part of this year’s Blue Hepatica Campaign funds will also go towards the rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans. This is another way in which Estonia is again showing that we support Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor,” added the Laanet.
After a two-year break, you can once again enjoy health sports at the Blue Hepatica Runs, which take place in April in Tartu, Pärnu, Narva, Tallinn, Saaremaa and Copenhagen. You can also participate virtually – at a time and place of your choice. The highlight of the campaign will be Veteran Rock in Tartu on April 23 in honour of Veterans Day, where Kosmikud with the Military Orchestra, Propeller, Horror Dance Squad and the Vahipataljon band will perform at the concert starting at 7 p.m. The Skywheel of Tallinn and the arch bridge of Tartu will be in the colours of the Hepatica in April. You can find information about the events of the veterans month on the website annameau.ee.
Enn Adoson, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Society of Wounded Soldiers (EVVÜ) explains “Over a couple of years we are once again pleased to be able to invite people to participate in public events and recognize our great veterans of the Defense Forces and the Defense League.” “Unfortunately, in the last two years, these events have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, and even this year we cannot organise in peace due to what is happening in Ukraine. We are definitely planning to donate some of the donations collected during this campaign for the benefit of Ukrainian veterans. I invite everyone to actively participate in the Blue Hepatica campaign and thus support our veterans. ” added Adoson.
The campaign runs from April 1 to April 30. During this period, the Blue Hepatica pin can be purchased as a donation at several stores: COOP, Selver, R-Kiosk, Apollo, Karupoeg Puhh and Myfitness sports clubs, in addition to Apotheka e-pharmacy. In cooperation with Itella Smartpost, campaign products can be ordered directly from the eshop of the www.annameau.ee website.
Throughout Estonia, the Volunteers of the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation help collect donations by selling products with Blue Hepatica symbols in accordance with the conditions of restrictions.
The Blue Hepatica campaign is carried out by the Estonian Society of Wounded Soldiers in cooperation with the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Forces, Estonian Defence Forces Veterans’ NPO, Coop, Selver, Apotheka, R-kiosk, Apollo, Myfitness, Karupoeg Puhh, Milworks, HUUM, Go Craft, Threod Systems, BAE Systems, Cybernetica, Nordic Armoury, MARU Ehitus, Tactical Foodpack, Half An Hour Gives Me Power, Estonian Volleyball Federation, Estonian Football Association, Estonian Basketball Federation, Fendernet, Digitrükk, Itella Estonia, Swedbank, Telia, Montonio, and Minilaod.
Additional information: Blue Hepatica Campaign Coordinator Laura Milk, +372 55 922 290; sinilill.ee@gmail.com
On Sunday, members of the Estonian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Marko Šorin and Sven Sester will observe the presidential and early parliamentary elections in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
“Elections always form an important milestone in the democratic life of a country,” said member of the delegation Marko Šorin. “I hope that the upcoming elections lead Serbia into an era where the key words are more unity and less polarisation,” Šorin said.
Member of the delegation Sven Sester said that the perspective of members of national parliaments along with that of the representatives of the OSCE democratic institutions and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and the European Parliament results in an honest and impartial assessment whether the elections are carried out in a correct and transparent manner. “As we saw, tensions between the governing coalition and the opposition reached a point where the opposition boycotted the 2020 parliamentary elections,” Sester said.
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. More than 80 members of national parliaments will observe the parliamentary elections in Serbia within the framework of the mission organised by the OSCE PA. In total, over 300 observers will participate in the mission.
For more information, please contact: Marko Šorin +372 5647 6950 Sven Sester +372 504 9222