Today at 3 p.m., Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk will make an address to the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia), which can be watched in a live broadcast.
President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas said that today Ukraine was important to everybody, because Ukraine was currently fighting for the peace and values of the whole Europe. “It is our duty to help and support them at all levels – politically, with weapons, by assisting war refugees and imposing additional sanctions on Russia,” Ratas underlined. He thanked all the people in Estonia who had already given their contribution and added that Ukraine would need the support and help of the Estonian people in the future as well.
Ratas recalled that, a week earlier, the Riigikogu had adopted the Communication in which it had expressed its support to the defenders and the people of the state of Ukraine in their fight against the Russian Federation that had launched a criminal war, and called on showing absolute support to Ukraine in its war for maintaining its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The address of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada begins at 3 p.m. It will be in Ukrainian and it will be live streamed with simultaneous interpretation on the web.
Video recordings of the sittings can be viewed onRiigikogu YouTube channel. (Please note that the recordings will be uploaded with a delay.)
Members of the Estonian delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) are attending the 144th IPU Assembly, with focus on the role of the parliaments in responding to climate change, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as an emergency item on the agenda.
The Head of the Riigikogu delegation Toomas Kivimägi described environmental protection and shift towards climate neutrality as one of the biggest global challenges.
“Sadly, this is one of the topics that has been sidelined by the war in Ukraine, at least for us. This is why we are putting in the effort to make sure that the IPU Assembly condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. To achieve this, the geographical Twelve Plus Group (which unites the European countries, incl. Ukraine, as well as Canada, New Zealand, and Australia) is working on submitting the condemnation of aggression and a call on Russia to immediately end the war as an emergency item on the Assembly agenda,” Kivimägi explained.
Kivimägi also emphasised that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not merely a war between Russia and Ukraine. “It is a war between the authoritarian and the free world. It is a war that concerns all of us. No country in the world can remain indifferent or fail to support Ukraine,” he stressed.
“The war has set new challenges to the environment as well. The deficit of energy carriers, mostly in Europe, has created the pressure to take fossil fuels into more extensive use. This can only be a short-term solution and we need the whole world’s contribution to make sure that it remains so. If not, we would fall behind the set ambitious goals in achieving climate neutrality, and would also slow down the pace of introducing renewable energy carriers,” Kivimägi added.
The Assembly brings together all the statutory bodies of the IPU, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, and Committee on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, and the Forum of Young Parliamentarians. The Standing Committees report to the Assembly on their work, and the Plenary Assembly adopts the resolutions of the Standing Committees, as well as the General Debate Outcome Document on the response to climate change.
Estonia is represented at the Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Indonesia on 20–24 March by the President of the Estonian IPU Group Toomas Kivimägi, and Vice-Presidents Helle-Moonika Helme, Helmen Kütt, and Marika Tuus-Laul.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is the oldest and largest organisation of parliaments in the world. It was established in 1889 and has 178 member states from the entire world. Estonia was a member of the Union between 1921–1940, and restored its membership after regaining independence in 1991.
At the election of the Board of the Riigikogu today, Jüri Ratas was re-elected the President of the Riigikogu. 53 members of the Riigikogu voted in his favour. Ratas’s opposing candidate Helir-Valdor Seeder gained the support of 36 members.
A total of 95 members of the Riigikogu participated in the election of the President. Six ballot papers were invalid.
Jüri Ratas had been nominated by Chairman of the Estonian Centre Party Faction Jaanus Karilaid.
Helir-Valdor Seeder had been nominated by Deputy Chairman of Faction Isamaa Priit Sibul.
Jüri Ratas thanked the members of the Riigikogu for their support.
In the election of Vice-Presidents, Chairman of the Estonian Reform Party Faction Mart Võrklaev nominated Hanno Pevkur as a candidate for a Vice-President of the Riigikogu, and Chairman of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction Henn Põlluaas nominated Martin Helme as a candidate for a Vice-President.
88 members of the Riigikogu took part in the secret ballot for the election of the Vice-Presidents. 52 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Hanno Pevkur, and 32 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of Martin Helme. Four ballot papers were invalid. According to the number of votes received, Hanno Pevkur was re-elected the First Vice-President of the Riigikogu and Martin Helme was re-elected the Second Vice-President.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson participates in the joint visit of the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Washington, USA, and speaks at the hearing of the Helsinki Commission of the United States Congress.
Mihkelson said that the hearing of the Helsinki Commission would focus on the security of the Baltic States. “It is important to give our US colleagues a detailed overview of the current situation in our region and find additional ways for enhancing the security of the Baltic States through potential deterrence and defence measures,” Mihkelson explained. “The NATO allies have done very much to strengthen the security of the Baltic region and we are very grateful to them for that, but today’s security situation requires additional measures.”
“We have to give Russia a clear signal that the Western countries will not leave democratic Ukraine alone and we will do all we can to ensure that the defenders of Ukraine and of the free world receive the weapons that will help them to victory,” Mihkelson said. In his opinion, it is necessary to act swiftly and jointly to save the civilian population from the war that is acquiring the dimensions of a genocide.
During two days, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments have meetings in the US Congress as well as in the Pentagon and the Department of State and leading think tanks.
The Helsinki Commission is an independent US government agency whose task is to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advance comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental, and military cooperation in 57 OSCE countries.
The hearing at the Helsinki Commission will take place on Thursday at 4 p.m. Estonian time and will be streamed online.
Public discussion at the think tank Atlantic Council will be held on Friday at 2.30 p.m. and can be followed live.
The Social Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) decided to send the Bill on Amendments to the Health Services Organisation Act and Other Acts to the first reading. The purpose of the Bill is to make the health care system more flexible and ensure better availability of general medical care. The Bill provides that from 1 July, general medical care will be organised by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund instead of the Health Board.
Chair of the Social Affairs Committee Siret Kotka said that the Bill would provide the possibility to ensure medical care in the situations where public competitions for finding family physician for a practice list have failed or a practice list unexpectedly remains without a family physician. “In the current situation, it is optimal that the local hospital will take the people who have lost their family physician under its care until a new family physician is found. The hospitals can keep a constant eye on the people, and this will reduce the burden of emergency medicine departments,” she explained.
Deputy Chair of the Social Affairs Committee Helmen Kütt stated that she supported the Bill. “It is a very good bill. Extending of the rights of nurses is especially welcome,” she said, pointing out that when the Bill would enter into force, specialised nurses would get the right to issue prescriptions on certain medicines like family nurses. The nurses will also be given the right to issue certificates of incapacity for work. “However, there is a concern about the arrangements for informing patients if the search for a family physician has been unsuccessful and the family physician service is to be organised by the hospital. And also how long is the notion “temporary solution”,” Kütt admitted.
The Health Services Organisation Act will also include the right of persons residing in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit and persons with health insurance legally staying in Estonia to register in the practice list of a family physician and to change a family physician on the basis of a written application. Besides that, the family physicians will be obliged to inform the persons in the practice list at least six months in advance if the place of business of the family physician changes.
It was pointed out at the sitting that half of the young doctors who had acquired the specialty of a family physician did not start working as family physicians with a practice list within five years after completing their training but worked in some other post as a contracted doctor. In order to encourage young doctors to start working as family physicians, they will be allowed to start with a shorter practice list so that a beginner family physician would have time for getting to know the patients and settle in.
From the Ministry of Social Affairs, Minister of Health and Labour Tanel Kiik also participated in the sitting of the Committee.
The Social Affairs Committee decided to send the Bill on Amendments to the Health Services Organisation Act and Other Acts (533 SE), initiated by the Government, to the first reading at the plenary sitting on 6 April, with the motion to conclude the first reading of the Bill.
At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, the Bill under which the working day following a national day or public holiday falling on a day of rest will be an additional day of rest passed the first reading.
Under the Bill on Amendments to the Public Holidays and Days of National Importance Act (514 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, no additional day of rest will be given for public holidays that always fall on a Sunday. This means that, according to the Bill, Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday will not be compensated with a day off.
The explanatory memorandum notes that Estonia has ten public holidays accompanied by a day off, and the European Union countries’ average is 12. As for the neighbouring countries, Finland has 13 and Latvia has 12 moveable holidays.
A Bill was dropped from the proceedings
The Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (503 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction and Member of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid, provided that the rate of the income exempt from tax would be increased to the minimum wage level.
According to the Bill, from 1 July, the rate of the income exempt from tax would have been 654 euro per month and from then onwards 7848 euro per year. The increase of the rate of the income exempt from tax was intended to improve the livelihood of the low wage earners, increase their motivation to work and reduce the burden on the social system.
During the debate, Lauri Läänemets took the floor on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Faction and Aivar Sõerd on behalf of the Reform Party Faction.
The lead committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 48 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 28 voted against. Thus, the motion was supported and the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
At their meeting today, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlić-Radman spoke about the security situation and defence cooperation in NATO and the European Union in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Ratas underlined the excellent relations between Estonia and Croatia in the European Union and their strong allied relations in NATO. “In the current security situation, it is very important to keep our unity,” Ratas said. He acknowledged Croatia’s membership in and contribution to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.
According to Ratas, Estonia will continue to provide military, political, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. He and the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs gave an overview of receiving of war refugees and the activities to support them in their countries.
Developments in West Balkan were also discussed. Ratas stated that Estonia supported the enlargement of the European Union, because keeping both West Balkan and the Eastern Partnership countries on the course towards the European Union and supporting their reforms was important for securing the stability and security of Europe.
Speaking of bilateral relations, Ratas highlighted the e-services, where a good foundation for further cooperation had been laid, because already now the digital prescriptions service was functioning across the borders. Cooperation in defence industry also holds a great potential.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia expressed regret that, due to Russia’s aggression, the security and stability in Europe, as well as values and international law were under attack. He said that Croatia understood the people of Ukraine very well, because in the 1990s Croatia also experienced war. At the meeting, he described an incident where last week a drone from Ukraine that had flown over several NATO countries unnoticed fell down in a suburb of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and emphasised that in order to prevent such incidents in the future, the member states had to cooperate better in air policing.
Chairman of the Estonia-Croatia Parliamentary Friendship Group Jüri Jaanson and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mihhail Lotman also participated in the meeting. Lotman gave an overview of his recent visit to Ukraine and said that Putin’s regime had launched a war not only against Ukraine, but against all Western values. Jaanson spoke of the humanitarian disaster caused by the war in Ukraine. Both Jaanson and Lotman underlined that we need to distinguish between Putin’s regime and the Russian people.
Today, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas held a video conference with President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain Meritxell Batet. They discussed the current security situation and cooperation in fighting against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Ratas believes that the allied relations between Estonia and Spain are closer than ever before. He thanked Spain for their contribution to the collective defence and air policing of the Baltic region and expressed hope that Spanish troops would return to Ämari Air Base next year. “In the present situation, it is important to continue strengthening NATO’s Eastern Flank, which is ensured by the permanent presence of the allies in the Baltic States,” Ratas noted.
“The attack of Putin’s regime against Ukraine is an extremely serious violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of another state as well as of the principles of international law,” Ratas said to his Spanish counterpart. “It threatens international peace and security. Ukraine is fighting not only for its state, but for the democracy and freedom of Europe and for the European values.”
Ratas assured that Estonia would continue to provide military, political, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. “Ukraine has shown extraordinary unity in fighting against Russia’s extensive military aggression,” Ratas said. “As allies, we have to continue supporting Ukraine. In the current situation, it is not possible to have any kind of dialogue with the aggressor.”
According to Ratas, it is important to tighten the sanctions and other measures against Russia to make the war in Ukraine as costly as possible. “Therefore, it is necessary to add more oligarchs and people responsible for the aggression in the list of sanctions, to cut Russia off from SWIFT network and to restrict their transactions in euros,” he pointed out. “The sanctions are necessary, even if they have a high price also for us.”
Ratas added that the allies must together do all they can in order to, on the one hand, to expel Russia from international organisations and assemblies and, on the other hand, to support Ukraine in its application for the EU and NATO membership. In his opinion, it is understandable that there can be no rapid accession process of Ukraine to the European Union. “The principles of the European Union enlargement policy remain valid, but at present our strong political message of support is crucial for the Ukrainians,” he said. “They need our support now more than ever before.”
At the video meeting, Ratas gave his Spanish counterpart an outline of Estonia’s activities in receiving war refugees. Both Speakers mutually reaffirmed the excellent relations between Estonia and Spain and discussed opportunities for cooperation in the development of cybersecurity and digital projects.
The President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain said that the Ukrainians were fighting for their freedom, but also for the European values, human rights and the international law. She acknowledged Ukraine’s neighbouring countries that bear a greater burden in assisting war refugees.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill that will increase consumers’ trust and confidence when concluding transactions online and update the rules on commercial practices.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Consumer Protection Act (424 SE), initiated by the Government, is to increase consumers’ trust and confidence when concluding transactions online, as well as to update the regulation of unfair commercial practices in view of new technologies and digital opportunities in offering both goods and services.
The Bill will also enhance the sanctions for violation of the legal provisions established to protect consumer rights in order to ensure equal competition opportunities in the market. The new penalty rates and the increasing of the current penalty rates will concern infringements relating to the provision of mandatory information to the consumer when offering goods or services and the use of unfair commercial practices, including the requirements set out for informing about discounts as well as other requirements laid down in the Law of Obligations Act to protect consumer rights.
For example, it will be prohibited to resell tickets to events that are acquired with the help of software solutions enabling automated purchases, ignoring the conditions for purchasing the tickets. Such activity restricts consumers’ access to cultural and sports events, because tickets are resold at a much higher price than the original price. It will also be prohibited to state or create an impression that the reviews published about products or services have been submitted by consumers who have purchased or used them where the trader has not taken reasonable steps to check that. The Bill will transpose into Estonian law the relevant EU directive as regards the better enforcement and modernisation of Union consumer protection rules.
Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
Today, the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) passed with 90 votes in favour the Communication of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia to the Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union and NATO, as well as to the Parliaments of other countries regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“The Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) expresses its support to the defenders and the people of the state of Ukraine in their fight against the Russian Federation that has launched a criminal war, and calls on showing absolute support to Ukraine in its war for maintaining its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Riigikogu underlines that the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression and military activities constitute a crime against peace with no statute of limitations, and that all war crimes that have been committed will have to be punished.
The Riigikogu asks the UN member states to take immediate steps to establish a no-fly zone in order to prevent massive civilian casualties in Ukraine.
The Riigikogu urges all national parliaments to adopt statements that call on their governments to support the imposition of additional sanctions against the Russian Federation as well as the Republic of Belarus that participates in the aggression.
The Riigikogu calls for the immediate imposition of a comprehensive trade embargo on the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, which would restrict the capability of the aggressor states to wage war.
The Riigikogu calls on states to close their airspace and ports to the aircraft and ships of the Russian Federation.
The Riigikogu calls on the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to vote for excluding the Russian Federation from the membership of the Council of Europe, and calls on the member states to adopt a relevant decision immediately.
The Riigikogu invites the membership states to support Ukraine’s official application for the status of a EU candidate state and calls on granting Ukraine a roadmap towards membership of NATO.”