Extraordinary session at 11 a.m.:

The Riigikogu passed the following Acts and a Resolution:

The Resolution of the Riigikogu On the Appointment of Märt Rask to the Office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (425 OE), submitted by the President of the Republic, was passed with 75 votes in favour (6 votes against).On the basis of the Resolution Märt Rask is appointed to the office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court beginning from September 13, 2004.

The Riigikogu passed with 71 votes in favour the State Legal Assistance Act (249 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The purpose of the Act is to provide all the persons with timely and sufficient access to competent and reliable legal service.

The Riigikogu passed with 63 votes in favour (17 votes against) the Promotion of Local Governments Merger Act (359 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The purpose of the Act is to promote the merger of local governments and the regulation of the administrative division of the territory, leading to a rise in the administrative capacity of local governments and their ability to prepare successful project applications, to the improvement of accessibility and quality of public services offered by local governments on their territories and the development of cooperation capacity of local governments.

The Riigikogu passed with 75 votes in favour the Police Act, Rescue Act, State Public Servants Official Titles and Salary Scale Act, Police Service Act, Institutions of Professional Higher Education Act, Emergency Preparedness Act, Hunting Act and Code of Misdemeanour Procedure Amendment Act (250 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The Act provides for changes in the legal status of rescue institutions and the reorganisation of the latter from currently administered by 15 county governments to 15 local rescue institutions of the Rescue Board.The Act makes amendments to the legislation proceeding from the restructuring.

The Riigikogu passed with 77 votes in favour (3 votes against) the Health Insurance Act and Associated Acts Amendment Act (119 SE and 264 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic and Members of the Riigikogu Siiri Oviir and Toomas Varek. The Act makes amendments to the provisions related to health insurance and reference prices of medicinal products.

The Riigikogu passed with 64 votes in favour the State Liability Act and Constitutional Review Proceedings Act Amendment Act (357 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The Act eliminates contradictions encountered upon the implementation of the Act.In addition, to ensure the consistency of the Estonian Law with the Law of the European Union, amendments were made to the regulation of compensation for damage caused either by legislation of general application or failure to issue legislation of general application.The possibility to claim compensation for damage from the public authority was introduced in the Act, if the damage was caused by the violation of obligations of the public authority (e.g. a directive has not been transposed into national legislation), a standard, which is the basis of the violated obligation, is directly applicable, and the person belongs to the group of especially injured parties because of the legislation of general application or for failure to issue it.In planning the regulation for the compensation for such damage, the general principles of state liability of the Law of the European Union, developed in the case-law of the Court of Justice, have been taken into account.

The Riigikogu passed with 68 votes in favour the Information Society Services Act, Penal Code, Code of Criminal Proceedings, Code of Criminal Proceedings Implementation Act, State Secrets Act and Code of Misdemeanour Procedure Act Amendment Act (368 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The Council of the European Union passed the Framework Decision of 13 June 2002 on the European Arrest Warrant and the Surrender Procedures between the Member States, on the basis of which the extradition procedure of persons between the Member States of the European Union has been changed since January 1, 2004.The provisions of the framework decision must be introduced in the national legislation of the Member States.The framework decision is a part of mutual cooperation in criminal matters between the Member States of the European Union.

The Riigikogu passed with 57 votes in favour the Telecommunications Act Amendment Act (338 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The purpose of the Telecommunications Act Amendment Act is the application of the mobility of mobile phone numbers and thereby the development of competition on the telecommunications market.

The Riigikogu passed with 64 votes in favour the Competition Act and the Penal Code Amendment Act (355 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The purpose of the Act is to bring the valid Competition Act into conformity with the competition rules of the European Union upon Estonia?s accession to the European Union.In addition to the above, new provisions have been added to the Competition Act for the specification of the administrative procedure and new elements of misdemeanour have been added.

The Riigikogu passed with 75 votes in favour (1 vote against) the Churches and Congregations Act Amendment Act (335 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The purpose of the Act is to provide the followers of the Taara faith and the paganists with the possibility to use in the names of religious associations historically formed denominations.

The Riigikogu passed with 73 votes in favour the Weapons Act Amendment Act (398 SE), initiated by the Legal Affairs Committee.The amendments to the Weapons Act entered into force on May 1, 2004, establishing the general procedure for the delivery of firearms within the European Community.The Act introduces the amendments which are connected with the transport of weapons ? the import from the European Community to Estonia and the export from Estonia.The amendments made to the Act are necessary for the application of the idea of the European firearm passport in full extent.

The Public Procurement Act Amendment Act (345 SE), initiated by the Estonian Reform Party Faction, Estonian People?s Union Faction and Union for the Republic ? Res Publica Faction, was passed with 47 votes in favour (17 votes against). The Act stipulates a simplified procedure for contracting services of water and railway transport.Upon contracting the named services, a service must correspond to the technical specification of the contracted service and after the conclusion of the service contract, a procurement declaration must be submitted to the Public Procurement Register.

The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the following Bills:

The Bill on Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (384 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.

The Bill on Amendments to the Republic of Estonia Education Act and Associated Acts (382 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.

The Riigikogu suspended the second reading of the following Bill:

The Bill on Amendments to the Anti-corruption Act (402 SE), initiated by the Select Committee on the Application of the Anti-corruption Act.The term for submission of motions to amend to the Constitutional Committee is 12 July, 16.00.

The Riigikogu did not pass:

The Bill on Amendments to the European Parliament Election Act and Members of the Riigikogu Salary, Pension and Other Social Guarantees Act (403 SE), initiated by the European Union Affairs Committee.The results of voting:42 votes in favour, 3 votes against, 16 abstentions.The passage of the Act required a majority of the votes of the members of the Riigikogu.

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The President of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma convened the next extraordinary session at 2 p.m.

Extraordinary session at 2 p.m.:

The Riigikogu passed the following Acts:

The Riigikogu passed with 58 votes in favour (5 against, 1 abstention) the Occupational Health and Safety Act Amendment Act (384 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The Act prescribes the termination of the activities of the Occupational Health Centre and passage of its duties to the Health Care Board and Labour Inspectorate.

The Riigikogu passed with 68 votes in favour (1 abstention) the Republic of Estonia Education Act and Associated Acts Amendment Act (382 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.The main content of the Act is the creation of legal basis for a state register – the Estonian Education Information System, with the help of which the databases, used in the Ministry of Education and Research, are put together, improved and integrated, and a computerised legal and organisational environment necessary for the actualisation and use of these and new databases is created.