Amendments to Mining Act passed second reading
The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of six Bills:
The Bill on Amendments to the Mining Act (211 SE), initiated by the Government, updates the regulation relating to personnel questions. The Act will provide the possibility to certify the competence of a specialist in charge by a professional certificate issued on the basis of the Professions Act. Also, the Act is amended by adding provisions which allow recognition of foreign professional qualifications, and by prescribing a regulation on how an undertaking of another EU Member State can also temporarily operate in Estonia in an area of activity regulated by the Mining Act.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Pressure Equipment Safety Act, the Gaseous Fuel Safety Act, the Machinery Safety Act, the Lifts and Cableway Installations Safety Act and the Electrical Safety Act (220 SE), initiated by the Government, is to eliminate the problems which have appeared in the Acts during implementation. The major amendments fall into four areas: recognition of competence acquired in a foreign state in Estonia; the right of undertakings of other Member States of the European Union to provide services in an area of activity regulated in Estonia (so-called temporary provision of services); bringing the activities of authorities assessing and attesting the conformity of persons into conformity with the new standard for certification of persons which has entered in force in the meantime, and correction of the provisions concerning state supervision.
With the Bill on Amendments to the Traffic Act (217 SE), initiated by the Government, a register of Defence Forces vehicles is established. According to the new regulations, all state registers must be established by an Act or on the basis of an Act and they are included in the state information system. As the basis for establishing a register of Defence Forces was discarded with the repealing of Databases Act, it is provided in the Traffic Act now.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Transplantation of Organs and Tissues Act, the Artificial Insemination and Embryo Protection Act and Associated Acts (214 SE), initiated by the Government, is to ensure safe handling of cells, tissues and organs according to the requirements prescribed by European Union directives.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Plant Protection Act and Associated Acts (215 SE), initiated by the Government, is to solve the problems which have emerged in the implementation of the Plant Protection Act, to unify the text of the Act and to harmonise it with the legal acts of the European Union. The Bill amends the system of compensation for costs incurred upon application of control measures against harmful organisms. The cost of destroyed plants and plant products and the profit not received due to destruction of crop are going to be compensated. Compensation of the corresponding costs to producers will ease the economic difficulties caused to producers by spread of harmful organisms and will ensure that producers effectively apply all control measures arising from the Plant Protection Act. The Bill also regulates the problems which have emerged in paying of supervision fees. Persons required to pay supervision fee are given the opportunity to pay the supervision fee to the customs payments office before a consignment is allowed from a non-Community state to Estonia.
The Bill on Amendments to the Commercial Code, the Non-profit Associations Act and Associated Acts (205 SE), initiated by the Government, provides that, upon foundation of a company electronically or through a notary, capital contribution can be paid immediately to the bank account of the legal person which is being founded. Starting from 2010, annual reports are going to be submitted only in electronic form to the court maintaining the register. Until that time, reports can be submitted both on paper and in electronic form. Submitting of the reports in electronic form allows the annual reports to be published notably sooner than has been possible so far. Also, the annual reports of non-profit associations are going to be public and, as of 2010, the task of collecting the reports is going to be transferred from the Tax and Customs Board to the court maintaining the register. Sole proprietors will be registered only in the commercial register. The Bill repeals the citizenship requirement for notaries within the European Union and introduces a number of other amendments.
The Riigikogu suspended the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Broadcasting Act (241 SE), initiated by the Government. The purpose of the Bill is to specify the issuing of broadcasting licences and to create more favourable conditions for holders of broadcasting licences as they switch from analogue transmission to digital transmission of their programmes.
The Riigikogu concluded the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Aviation Act and the State Fees Act (245 SE), initiated by the Government. The main amendment is the updating of the regulation relating to air operator’s certificates and supplementing the Act with the regulation of issuing of certificates of air operators engaging in aerial works. In addition to the amendments concerning certification of air operators, the Civil Aviation Administration is designated as the competent authority within the meaning of two European Union regulations, the current requirements for registration of non-profit aviation operations as established by the Regulation of the Minister are specified, the requirement of safety management system is established for air traffic service units and operators engaging in maintenance of aircraft, besides airport and heliport, and the requirements arising from the International Civil Aviation Organization standards according to which additional navigation facilities must be installed in certain aircraft as of 1 July 2008 are added to the Act.
At Question Time, the Minister of Social Affairs Maret Maripuu answered the question about financing of health care, submitted by Jaak Aab, the question about equal opportunities for raising children, submitted by Mai Treial, the question about special diet of disabled children, submitted by Aleksei Lotman, and the question about the Employment Contracts Act, submitted by Marika Tuus. The Minister of Internal Affairs Jüri Pihl answered the question about development of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, submitted by Kalle Laanet, and the question about regulation of the use of all-terrain vehicles, submitted by Mart Jüssi. The Minister of Education and Research Tõnis Lukas answered the question about the nursery schools programme, submitted by Eldar Efendijev.
The Riigikogu Press Service