On Sunday, members of the Estonian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Heljo Pikhof and Anti Poolamets will observe the parliamentary elections in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
“The upcoming parliamentary elections offer the Hungarian people a valuable chance to express their opinion,” said member of the delegation Heljo Pikhof. “At the same time, it offers the state the chance to demonstrate its commitment to free and democratic elections,” Pikhof continued. She added that the task of the elections observers is to give an honest and accurate assessment to the elections.
More than 100 members of national parliaments will observe the parliamentary elections in Hungary within the framework of the mission organised by the OSCE PA. The purpose of the mission is to assess the elections against democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document.
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.
For more information, please contact: Heljo Pikhof +372 511 9637 Anti Poolamets +372 5691 4374
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas continues his visit in Prague, where he will meet with the leadership of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and with the Speakers of the Parliaments of other Baltic States and deliver the opening address at the Baltic conference held at Charles University.
In the speech at Charles University, Ratas will speak about the 100 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Estonia and the Czech Republic, the fruitful relations between the two countries and the possibilities for development. He will also discuss topical issues relating to the international situation.
At the meetings with the Speakers of the Parliaments of other Baltic States, Ratas will give an overview of his recent visit to war-torn Ukraine and discuss cooperation opportunities for resolving the complicated situation there.
Importance of the role of the European Union and NATO as well as their responsibility in ensuring the security of the eastern flank of the EU will also be spoken about. The issues relating to the energy security of the region and receiving of war refugees will be discussed as well.
The agenda of the visit also includes the joint press conference of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the Baltic States.
During the visit, Jüri Ratas will meet with President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Miloš Vystrčil and President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
In his speech at the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments in Ljubljana, Slovenia, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas underlined the importance of granting a European Union perspective to Ukraine and the significance of being persistent when imposing sanctions on Russia and helping Ukraine.
The President of the Riigikogu noted that the EU had been quick and efficient in its response to Russia’s aggression. “Ukraine has received defence, humanitarian and economic aid. The packages of sanctions that have been adopted are impressive as well as extensive. The political exclusion of Russia from international associations and organisations is progressing,” Ratas said. “The preparation of further economic sanctions is continuing because it is our task to make the cost of military activities as high as possible for the aggressor. War crimes must not go unpunished. The Kremlin will have to retreat,” the President of the Riigikogu emphasised. He also pointed out that it seemed to be the right moment to step up the defence expenditures of all EU countries.
“In doing all this, we should not get tired or leave things as they are, even though the sanctions against Russia have an effect on us as well,” Ratas said. He admitted that receiving war refugees was a serious challenge for countries. He noted that the impacts of managing the crisis would become evident over time. He pointed out that supporting the restoration of Ukraine after the war would also be an important task for the future. “Keeping all this in mind, we must be persistent and strategically patient,” Ratas added.
The President of the Riigikogu made a proposal to his EU counterparts to hold an online meeting in autumn in order to make a brief interim summary of the progress in supporting Ukraine and of what more could be done to perpetuate freedom, democracy and the rule of law in our direct neighbourhood.
In Ljubljana, Ratas had bilateral meetings with President of the Storting (Parliament) of Norway Masud Gharahkhani, Speaker of the Althingi (Parliament) of Iceland Birgir Ármannsson, President of the Bundestag of Germany Bärbel Bas, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Nikola Minchev, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković and Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania Vasile-Daniel Suciu. He also participated in the meeting of the Speakers of the parliaments of the Baltic States and Poland and the meeting of the Speakers of the parliaments of the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States.
The visit of the President of the Riigikogu will continue in Prague, Czech Republic, where he will meet with the Speakers of the parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.
The Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of European states made a Joint Statement in which they call on supporting Ukraine and helping the war refugees, and underline that all those responsible for the aggression must be brought to justice by international courts. The Statement also appeals to the European Union to provide financial resources to support the countries which are taking in refugees from Ukraine.
“We, the Chairpersons of our Parliaments’ Foreign Affairs Committees, condemn the Russian aggression against free and independent Ukraine. There is no justification for the criminal actions taken by Russia. Killing defenceless civilians and destroying residential, school, and medical facilities exclude Russia from the community of civilised countries. Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is a war crime.
We call on the authorities of the EU Member States and NATO, and all friendly countries that respect democracy, freedom, and human rights, to introduce the strongest possible sanctions that will prevent the Russian Federation from continuing its war against Ukraine.
We recall the reprehensible and illegal aid given to Russia by Belarus. The activities of the Lukashenka regime should also meet with a response from the international community in the form of sanctions to stop further support for military actions.
The barbaric actions of the Russian army cause dramatic suffering of the civilian population and destroy Ukrainian towns and villages. There are reports of bombing hospitals, schools, places of worship, facilities, culture, residential buildings, and shelters. Systematic bombardments terrorise the civilian population. Ten million Ukrainian citizens were forced to leave their homes and flee, of which over three and a half million seek refuge outside Ukraine. This is the largest migration crisis in Europe since World War II. We appeal for increased humanitarian and military support for Ukraine. Each country separately, the European Union and NATO, have a moral duty to support the fighting Ukraine. Therefore, we recommend the earliest possible launch of procedures that will allow Ukraine to become a candidate country and then a full member of the European Union when it meets the membership criteria. And already today, we propose that Ukraine should be admitted to the Three Seas Initiative.
We support the same European perspective for the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, which in the past have also experienced Russian aggression.
Countries of Central and Eastern Europe bear the most significant burden in organising humanitarian aid. Therefore, we call on the European Union to provide financial resources to support the countries which are taking in refugees from Ukraine. Helping the victims of war is our duty, but it is also a huge challenge. We, therefore, appeal to the international community to show solidarity and provide all possible assistance to the refugees.
We strongly express our conviction that Russia bears full responsibility for this war, and for the destruction and suffering of millions of Ukrainian citizens. All those responsible for the aggression must be brought to justice by international courts.”
Today and tomorrow, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas participates in the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where the contribution of parliaments in addressing the Ukraine crisis and in building resilience for democratic governance will be discussed.
The President of the Riigikogu will deliver a speech at the session devoted to the European Union as the guarantor of stability, security and prosperity in the region. The role of parliaments in speeding up the enlargement process of the EU will be discussed as well at the debates. The good practices of parliaments in dealing with strategic EU documents, role of parliamentary diplomacy and interparliamentary cooperation will also be spoken about at the Conference.
The Speakers of EU Parliaments meeting in Ljubljana will also give their assessment to the work of the parliaments during the epidemic and discuss increasing resilience of parliaments in emergency situations.
Besides attending the Conference, the President of the Riigikogu will have bilateral meetings in Ljubljana with President of the Storting (Parliament) of Norway Masud Gharahkhani, Speaker of the Althingi (Parliament) of Iceland Birgir Ármannsson, President of the Bundestag of Germany Bärbel Bas, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Nikola Minchev, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković and Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania Vasile-Daniel Suciu.
The President of the Riigikogu will also attend the meetings of the Speakers of the parliaments of the Baltic States and Poland and the Speakers of the parliaments of the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States, where joint action plans for the future will be discussed.
At the additional sitting of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) today, Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet gave an overview of the Government’s decision to use additional funding to improve the defence capability of the state, and the Committee approved the allocation of additional funds.
Chairman of the National Defence Committee Enn Eesmaa underlined that in today’s security situation, each additional euro helped improve the defence capability of our country. “Developing of defence sector and maintenance of military capabilities are very expensive, but at the moment a greater contribution to national defence is inevitable,” Eesmaa said.
In the opinion of Deputy Chairman of the National Defence Committee Leo Kunnas, we are moving in the right direction, but creation of medium range air defence capability and financing it still require a firm resolution.
According to Minister Laanet, the Ministry of Defence was given the task to ascertain in four months whether Estonia was able to develop of medium range air defence capability in cooperation with the allies. He said that the NATO allies were able to provide this. The aim is to achieve medium range air defence capability by 2025.
Laanet gave the National Defence Committee an outline of what Estonia could acquire to enhance its defence capability during the next two years for the additional 562 million euro allocated by the Government. From this, 476 million euro are meant for strengthening national defence and 86 million will be invested in society’s capability to cope in crisis situations. The Minister explained that all today’s investments required funding for maintenance, which means that the national defence spending would increase also in the coming years.
According to the Minister, the aim is to acquire short-range air defence for protecting our troops, besides that, anti-tank weaponry and indirect fire capabilities will be developed and the necessary infrastructure to receive the allies will be built. Laanet said that Estonia would use Ukraine’s lessons for improving its defence capability.
Minister Laanet highlighted the role of the Defence League and noted that the aim was to strengthen the structure of territorial defence as well as to further train and equip the members of the Defence League.
In January, the Government allocated additional 340 million euro to national defence, which Estonia will use to buy ammunition and improve early warning.
Today, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas and his Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts addressed the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament ) of Ukraine in Kyiv. Ratas affirmed our strong support to Ukraine in its fight for its independence and against Russia’s aggression.
In Kyiv, the Speakers of the Parliaments of the Baltic States met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, with whom they spoke about the unwavering will of the people of Ukraine to defend their country.
The Speakers of the Parliaments of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania visited Kyiv a month after the beginning of the war and together with their Ukrainian counterpart Ruslan Stefanchuk adopted a joint declaration for restoration security in Europe. The declaration is signed by President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas, Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.
“International support to Ukraine is strong at present, but it needs to be upheld for a long period,” Ratas said. “First the war must be ended, Russian forces expelled, and integrity of Ukraine restored. And then we need to rebuild the cities and towns crushed by the Russian forces.”
Ratas expressed hope that by that time, Ukraine’s accession process to the EU would have started. He assured that Estonia would do its best to speed up this process.
“Ukraine is also fighting to defend Europe as a whole, and our values,” Ratas pointed out. “In the light of this, we should focus on supporting Ukraine in all areas possible, isolating Russia and raising the cost of the aggression.”
The President of the Riigikogu reiterated his promise that Ukraine would not be left alone to face violence and injustice, and added that millions of people all over the world were going to keep this promise. He gave to his Ukrainian counterpart a commemorative photo collage of a demonstration in Tallinn’s Freedom Square on 26 February, where more than 30,000 people gathered in support of Ukraine.
Ratas underlined that Estonia as well as many other democratic countries had helped Ukraine. “The assistance ranges on a wide scale from political and military to humanitarian,” Ratas said. “Not just the state, but thousands and thousands of Estonians have offered their help and donated money to help the women and children fleeing the war. We admire their bravery.”
Ratas recalled that the Estonians knew what it meant for people to flee war and occupation, as in 1944 tens of thousands of Estonians left our country, and many of them did not live long enough to see how Estonia restored its independence in 1991. “Today, it is the duty of us all to help Ukraine,” Ratas said.
The President of the Riigikogu is accompanied on the visit by Chair of Estonia-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Riigikogu Mati Raidma and Member of the Riigikogu Urmas Reinsalu.
Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) held a video conference with their colleagues from the Committee on Matters of Foreign Policy and Inter-parliamentary Cooperation of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine, who told them about the situation in Ukraine. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu assured their Ukrainian colleagues that Estonia would do all it can to persuade the allies to put further pressure on Russia and help Ukraine in every way possible.
In the opinion of Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson, it is currently very important to keep in touch with each other and get information directly from the ground. “It is crucial that the West would not get tired. Ukraine will win this war and Estonia will do everything in its power to contribute to it,” Mihkelson said.
“You can always count on us,” Mihkelson assured his Ukrainian colleagues. “We want not only to show solidarity with Ukraine, but also to provide real help.” Mihkelson pointed out that several countries of the West were providing military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to deter Russia’s aggression. He added that Estonia had given shelter to more than 20,000 war refugees and took care of them in the best possible way.
Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Indrek Saar underlined that Estonia can raise the issue of supporting Ukraine at all international meetings and thus help Ukraine fight and win. “It is in the power of a small country to convince other countries why it is necessary to put pressure on Russia with sanctions,” Saar explained. “We have to persuade our allies to impose an embargo on Russia’s gas and oil.”
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Merezhko and members of the Committee Lisa Yasko, Mariia Ionova and Solomiia Bobrovska gave an overview of the situation in their country. They thanked Estonia for support and help, and assured that Ukraine would not surrender, but needed the assistance of Western countries to win the war.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu discussed the establishment of more flexible conditions for labour migration and learning mobility for people from third countries, which among other things will simplify the inclusion of Ukrainian war refugees in the labour market.
The deliberation of the Bill on Amendments to the Aliens Act and the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens (241 SE), initiated by the Government was adjourned due to the end of the working hours of the sitting and will continue at tomorrow’s sitting at 2 p.m.
The Bill has been drafted to ensure opportunities to stay in Estonia and to take up study and employment in Estonia for aliens who are contributing to Estonia’s development and whose stay here is in accordance with the public interests and the needs of the Estonian labour market, as well as to enhance the opportunities to verify compliance with the conditions for employment for aliens.
The purpose of the Bill is to organise the regulation for working in Estonia for aliens and the conditions for staying, studying and settling in Estonia for aliens, taking into account the constantly changing environment and the new needs arising therefrom as well as keeping in mind the objectives set out in various national development plans.
The aim of Estonia’s immigration policy is, on the one hand, to facilitate settlement in Estonia for aliens who bring greater added value to the whole society, and on the other hand to avoid abuse of residence permits and visas and illegal immigration in order to ensure security, public order and national security.
In addition to the issues concerning war refugees, the motions to amend that have been submitted provide for the abandonment of the requirement to pay the average wage to third-country nationals, which has been in place until now, and for introducing a separate category of start-up into legislation, which would not be subject to the requirement to pay the average wage. In addition, several other amendments have been provided for that will facilitate migration from third countries.
At the beginning of today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine, made a video address before the members of the Riigikogu. Three drafts were deliberated at the sitting of the Riigikogu.
The Riigikogu passed a Resolution
The Riigikogu passed the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of a Member of the Estonian Public Broadcasting Council from among Members of the Riigikogu” (550 OE), submitted by the Cultural Affairs Committee. Indrek Saar was appointed as a member of the Council. The current member of the Council Jevgeni Ossinovski resigned on his own initiative. 71 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the Resolution.
A Statement of the Riigikogu and a draft Resolution were not supported
The Riigikogu did not support the Draft Statement of the Riigikogu “On Estonia’s National Interests in the Negotiations on the ‘Fit for 55’ Climate Package” (526 AE), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Priit Sibul, Urmas Reinsalu, Mihhail Lotman, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Heiki Hepner, Tarmo Kruusimäe, Üllar Saaremäe, Aivar Kokk, Sven Sester, Kalle Grünthal, Peeter Ernits, Henn Põlluaas, Uno Kaskpeit, Riho Breivel, Anti Poolamets, Jaak Valge, Ruuben Kaalep, Alar Laneman, Kert Kingo, Leo Kunnas, Paul Puustusmaa, Andres Metsoja and Merry Aart. 25 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the draft Statement and 42 were against.
The interpellators’ justification was that, considering the significant impact of the issue, it was important to formulate a political approach at the level of the statement of the Riigikogu regarding the principles the Republic of Estonia should follow in presenting its positions connected with the abovementioned proposal. In the opinion of the initiators, giving a mandate to the Government’s positions at the level of the EU Affairs Committee is not sufficient.
The Riigikogu has approved the Fundamentals of Climate Policy until 2050 with a plenary decision. The ‘Fit for 55’ climate package has a wide-ranging impact on the competitiveness of business, as well as on the consumers, home owners and employees in Estonia.
During the debate, Merry Aart (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Andres Metsoja (Isamaa), Raimond Kaljulaid, Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), Tõnis Mölder (Centre Party) and Yoko Alender (Reform Party) took the floor.
The Riigikogu did not support the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic “To eliminate the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease”” (527 OE), submitted by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction. It made a proposal to the Government to lift immediately the restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The result of voting: 20 votes in favour and 39 against.
During the debate, Priit Sibul (Isamaa) and Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) took the floor.
During the open microphone, Ruuben Kaalep, Peeter Ernits, Heiki Hepner and Tarmo Kruusimäe took the floor.