New members were appointed to the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Development Fund
The Riigikogu passed with 48 votes in favour the Resolution on Appointment of Members of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Development Fund (53 OE), submitted by the Economic Affairs Committee. According to the Resolution, Members of the Riigikogu Kaja Kallas and Urmas Reinsalu, and representatives of business and public Mart Einasto and Jaan Sven Männik were appointed as members of the Supervisory Board of the Development Fund. 43 members of the Riigikogu voted against the Resolution.
On the motion of the National Defence Committee, the first reading of the Draft Resolution “Use of the Defence Forces in Performance of the International Duties of the Estonian State in the Air Surveillance Mission in Iceland” (59 OE), submitted by the Government, was concluded. The Resolution would allow to use up to three members of the Estonian Defence Forces in the ISLAPS (Icelandic Air Policing and Surveillance) mission, led by NATO, until 31 December 2013. The air surveillance mission in Iceland is an operation conducted on the territory of a NATO member state to guarantee the protection of the air space of a NATO member state. Estonia can participate in the ISLAPS operation with forward air controllers, i.e. ground-based members of pilot crews who provide guidance for combat aircraft in the air. Estonia has taken part in air surveillance missions in Iceland with forward air controllers twice in the composition of the Danish Air Force in 2009 and 2010. The Bill was sent to the second reading.
On the motion of the Legal Affairs Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Community-scale Involvement of Employees Act (48 SE), initiated by the Government, was concluded. The amendments are based on the European Union directives and their purpose is to improve the right of the employees of Community-scale undertakings and the groups of Community-scale undertakings to be properly informed and to ensure that they are consulted. The second purpose of the Bill is to guarantee better legal clarity of the Act. The Community-scale Involvement of Employees Act was passed on 12 January 2005, and during the time the Act has been in force, shortcomings that need to be amended and updated have become evident in some of its provisions. The Bill was sent to the second reading.
On the motion of the Environmental Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Water Act (55 SE), initiated by the Government, was concluded. The purpose of the Bill is to bring the Water Act into conformity with the EU directives. Their aim is to ensure that the laboratories the competent authorities of the EU Member States have appointed to carry out monitoring of the chemical composition of water pursuant to the Water Policy Framework Directive would get high-quality and comparable analysis results. In ensuring the quality of the work of the laboratories, the Directive proceeds from the standard on general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, that deals with the general requirements for the work of laboratories and the analysis results obtained, and the principles of the functioning of quality control system. The Bill was sent to the second reading.
On the motion of the Environmental Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Ambient Air Protection Act (56 SE), initiated by the Government, was concluded. The purpose of the Bill is to transpose into the Estonian law the requirements of the EU directives that concern ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe. Also the national monitoring system of ambient air quality in Estonia is improved (in regard to the primary pollutants to be analysed) by dividing the territory of the state into zones according ambient air quality on the basis of the concentration of each primary pollutant in the air layer near the surface. If the results of national monitoring of ambient air quality in a zone indicate that the level of pollution in regard to the concentration of a pollutant exceeds the limit value, the Environmental Board shall prepare an action plan for improving the ambient air quality in the zone. The Bill was sent to the second reading.
On the motion of the Environmental Committee, the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Ambient Air Protection Act (57 SE), initiated by the Government, was concluded. With this Bill, the requirements of the EU directives aimed at improving and extending the greenhouse gases emission allowances trading system of the Community are transposed into the Estonian law. The Bill also provides the establishment of the system of accredited verifiers in Estonia corresponding to the requirements of the trading system. The Bill was sent to the second reading.
On the motion of the Cultural Affairs Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act (1 SE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, was concluded. The purpose of the Bill is to guarantee the pupils acquiring basic education and secondary education in full-time study free school lunch costing 1 euro from the first to the twelfth grade. At present, free lunch is guaranteed to the 1st to 9th grade pupils of basic schools, with the estimated cost of 0.78 euro. The Act is to enter into force on 1 January 2012. The Bill was sent to the second reading.
Due to the end of the working hours of the sitting of the plenary assembly, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Pre-school Child Care Institutions Act (2 SE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction, was adjourned. The deliberation of the Bill will be resumed tomorrow, at the sitting beginning at 2 p.m.
The Riigikogu Press Service
