Legal Chancellor Allar Jõks gave an overview of consistency of legislation of general application with the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia and acts and of ensuring the constitutional rights and freedoms.  In his speech he dealt more profoundly with subjects concerning legislative drafting of an executive power, financing of parties, fighting against corruption, availability of legal aid, protection of children?s rights and accession to the European Union. Members of the Riigikogu asked Legal Chancellor many questions.  

Prime Minister Juhan Parts made a report at the deliberation of the matter of significant national importance ?About the Positions of the Republic of Estonia in connection with the Deliberation of the European Constitutional Treaty at the Intergovernmental Conference, which Begins in Rome on October 4, 2003?. In his words the government had come to the conclusion that the draft Constitutional Treaty, born as a result of long-lasting deliberations of the European Future Convention, conformed to the objectives set earlier. The new Treaty makes the structure of the European Union simpler and more understandable, concentrating the Treaties of the European Union in a uniform source document. Mr. Parts stressed that the Treaty would not change the essence of the European Union ? the European Union would act as the union of states also in future and the new Constitutional Treaty would be a Treaty between the Member States of the European Union.

Mr. Parts also dwelled on the articles of the Draft, where the gained result did not fully meet the interests of Estonia and where it would be necessary to resume negotiations. It concerns, in particular, the chapter on institutions and the third part on politics. He laid great emphasis on the preservation of equality of Member States, especially in the European Commission. According to the words of Prime Minister it was agreed in Nice that all the Member States should have equal number of representatives, irrespective of size of a Member State. This principle is respected in the text of the Constitutional Treaty, but, however, the offices of ?voting ? and ?non-voting? representatives will be created, at the same time without directly indicating, that all the Member States would actually have their own representatives. ?In the interests of simplicity and transparency we still wish that the principle ?one representative from each Member State ? would clearly be pointed out in the text of the Treaty,? he stressed.

Members of the Riigikogu asked Prime Minister also many questions. During the negotiations representatives of factions took the floor.

The sitting ended at 13.13.

The Riigikogu Press Service