Three drafts were at the first reading. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk made a speech at the beginning of the sitting.

A Bill passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Accounting Act and Amendments to Other Acts arising therefrom (516 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose the EU sustainability report directive. It will also transpose a directive changing the size criteria for companies. In connection with that, national requirements in the preparation and auditing of annual reports of undertakings will also be adapted. As the emergence and scope of the sustainability reporting obligation depends on the size category of the company, the new thresholds for size categories will be set at the highest level allowed under the Directive. The purpose of the Bill is to keep the increase in the reporting burden due to the new requirements to a minimum in Estonia.

The updated requirements will set an obligation for all large undertakings and listed undertakings to publish a sustainability report as part of their management report for the financial year and to prepare it in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standard. In Estonia, the sustainability reporting obligation covers an estimated 300 companies and groups, i.e. approximately 1.4% of the private limited liability companies and public limited liability companies operating in Estonia.

During the debate, Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), Evelin Poolamets (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Toomas Uibo (Estonia 200) and Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi took the floor.

Isamaa Parliamentary Group and the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. The motion was not supported. 22 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of it and 44 were against. The first reading of the Bill was concluded.

The first reading of a Bill was adjourned

The Bill on Amendments to the Customs Act (515 SE), initiated by the Government, will increase the rates of fines for legal persons, which have been unchanged in the Customs Act since 2001. The fine rates will be brought into conformity with the rates provided for in the Penal Code.

The first reading of the Bill was adjourned due to the end of the working hours of the sitting. It will continue at tomorrow’s sitting.

A draft Resolution was rejected at the first reading

The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic on the establishment of a temporary solidarity tax for the banking sector” (487 OE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Parliamentary Group, was intended to make a proposal to the Government to develop a Bill to establish a temporary solidarity tax for the Estonian banking sector for 2025–2027.

During the debate, Rain Epler (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Lauri Laats (Centre Party) and Urmas Kruuse (Reform Party) took the floor.

On the motion of the Finance Committee, the draft Resolution was rejected because the support of at least 51 members of the Riigikogu was needed to pass it. Only 19 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the draft Resolution, no one voted against and there were no abstentions.  The draft Resolution was dropped from the legislative proceedings.

Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk made a speech at the beginning of today’s sitting of the Riigikogu.

The sitting ended at 2 p.m.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
[email protected]
Questions: [email protected]