The Riigikogu approved with 53 votes in favour (42 against) in the second legislative proceeding the Act on Amendments to the Universities Act, the Institutions of Professional Higher Education Act and Other Acts which the President of the Republic had refused to proclaim (89 UA). Regarding the conditions of academic leave, amendments are introduced to the Act according to which the restriction on the completion of the study programme while on academic leave will apply as of the academic year 2016/2017 to students matriculated at educational institutions as of the academic year 2013/2014 and earlier. As regards reimbursement of study expenses, the Act clearly sets out the cases when an educational institution has the right to demand that study costs be reimbursed by a student. An educational institution may demand that study costs be reimbursed by a student who is studying full-time under a curriculum in which the language of instruction is Estonian only if the student has failed to cumulatively complete by the beginning semester the study load subject to completion according to the curriculum in previous semesters. The Act also amends the regulation of the financing of the carrying out of the instruction at higher education levels, omitting the disputed provision delegating authority which gave the Government the competence to establish more specific conditions and procedure for determining the amount of activity support. According to the amendment, the Government is given the authority to only specify the definitions of the indicators specified in the Act and organisational issues.

The Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of the Representative of Estonia to the Control Committee of the Nordic Investment Bank” (226 OE), submitted by the Finance Committee, which provides appointment of Sven Sester as the representative of Estonia to the Control Committee from 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2014, was passed with 78 votes in favour. The authority of the present representative Taavi Rõivas will terminate on 31 May 2012. 

The Riigikogu Press Service