The Bill addressing the continuity of the gas system passed the first reading in the Riigikogu
At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, the Bill intended to ensure preparedness for prolonged gas supply disruptions passed the first reading. The purpose of the Bill is to ensure that the strategic gas reserves are stored and the related costs are covered on an ongoing basis.
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Natural Gas Act, the Emergency Act and the Competition Act (596 SE), initiated by the Government, is to ensure the resilience of Estonian gas system in the event of prolonged interruptions to gas supply.
The Bill will create a regulation to ensure the continuity of the gas system and to cover the costs relating to the storage of a strategic gas reserve. According to the Bill, from 1 May 2023, the costs of managing the gas reserve will be covered from the stockpiling fee collected from balance providers. The costs of storage for the first year will be covered from the state budget.
The Bill will also specify the obligation to coordinate the conditions for the use and the methodology for calculating the tariffs for the use of LNG terminals. The Competition Act will also be amended by adding a regulation concerning the obligation of LNG terminal operators to contribute to the budget of the Competition Authority as regulated persons.
During the debate, Aivar Kokk took the floor on behalf of Faction Isamaa, Peeter Ernits on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction and Jürgen Ligi on behalf of the Reform Party Faction.
Faction Isamaa moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 25 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 49 voted against. There was one abstention. Thus, the motion was not supported and the first reading of the Bill was concluded.
Two Bills passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Obligation to Leave and Prohibition on Entry Act, the Police and Border Guard Act and the State Borders Act (implementation of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in the field of return) (518 SE), initiated by the Government, will bring the national law into conformity with Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council in order to improve the effectiveness of the return policy. It enables Member States to monitor more comprehensively the compliance with return decisions and to step up the carrying out of return procedures.
The Regulations passed in 2018 discuss the use of the Schengen Information System for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals, and the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks. According to the Regulations, Member States must enter an alert into SIS each time a return decision is taken in respect of an illegally staying third-country national or a Schengen entry ban is issued in respect of them.
Through SIS, the competent border and immigration authorities of Member States can check whether the third-country nationals entering the Schengen area or staying here comply with the requirements for entry and stay set out in the Schengen Borders Code. When a Schengen entry ban has been issued in respect of a third-country national, it is the basis for not allowing them into the country or for withdrawing their stay or residence permit and removing them from the country.
According to the Bill, the Obligation to Leave and Prohibition on Entry Act, the Police and Border Guard Act and the State Borders Act will be brought into conformity with the requirements of the Regulations. In addition, the Bill will make amendments in view of the remarks made to Estonia in 2018 in Schengen evaluations in the field of return. They concern in particular the short-term detention of illegally staying foreigners and the determination of the state responsible for return or removal.
The Bill on Amendments to the Civil Service Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act (543 SE), initiated by the Government, will make the regulation for competitions less bureaucratic for public authorities and simpler for officials. The Bill will enable the substitute for a temporarily absent official to continue in the post without undergoing competition if the official being substituted is not returning. There will also be more flexibility and less bureaucracy in the recruitment for a post if a competition for a significantly similar post has been organised recently and strong candidates have participated in it. Within 150 calendar days as of the declaration of the competition, it will be possible to make a proposal to assume the post without competition to such candidates.
In addition to the regulation for competitions, the Bill will make the regulation for temporary transfer more flexible by providing for the possibility of a partial transfer of officials for a specified period. The Act that is currently in force does not allow this because, upon the transfer of an official for a specified period, the right of the official to exercise public authority in the post from which the official is transferred is suspended.
According to the amendment to the Unemployment Insurance Act, the rights of officials and employees will be equal in a situation where an official is released from service unlawfully and he or she wishes to receive unemployment insurance benefit. Under the current procedure, officials are not entitled to unemployment insurance benefit in the event of unlawful release from service.
The Bill also provides that, if an official is killed or dies during the performance of their duties in a foreign country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise the transport of the body to Estonia at the expense of the state if reimbursement of such expense is not provided for in the insurance contract.
Faction Isamaa moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. 20 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 42 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported and the second reading of the Bill was concluded.
Another Bill passed the first reading
The purpose of the Bill on Amendments to the Higher Education Act (502 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction, is to reduce the volume of instruction in foreign language in Estonian universities in public law and national institutions of professional higher education. With the amendment, the initiators wish to stop Anglicisation of higher education, thereby improving at least partially the quality of studies and the preparedness of university graduates to the requirements of the Estonian labour market.
According to the Bill, at the first level of higher education, the proportion of students studying on foreign-language curricula must not exceed 8 per cent of the number of students at the relevant level; at the second level, the proportion must not exceed 20 per cent of the number of students at the relevant level and, at the third level, 30 per cent of the number of students at the relevant level. According to the explanatory memorandum, this means that the proportion of foreign languages will remain the same in the case of students studying at the first level, but the proportion of students studying in a foreign language will have to be reduced gradually at the second and third levels. The Bill sets out transition periods for this.
During the debate, Priit Sibul took the floor on behalf of Faction Isamaa, Jaak Juske on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Faction and Margit Sutrop on behalf of the Reform Party Faction.
The deliberation of a draft Resolution was adjourned
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 Income Tax Act (562 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction and Member of the Riigikogu Raimond Kaljulaid, was adjourned and will continue at tomorrow’s sitting.
The purpose of the Bill is to increase the basic exemption from income tax from 500 euro to 654 as well as to increase the maximum income starting from which the rate of tax-exempt income will begin to decrease according to the calculation formula.
Under the current Income Tax Act, the amount exempt from income tax begins to decrease starting from an income of 14,400 euro per year, that is, from an income of 1,200 euro per month, but according to the Bill, the relevant limit would be 24,000 per year, that is, 2000 euro per month. According to the Bill, the pace of the decrease of tax-exempt income would be smoother than it has been thus far. In the opinion of the initiators, the amendments would help in particular middle-class households to cope with the prices that are rising at a very fast pace. The amendments would also help families to prevent a need to ask for support to ensure their livelihood.
The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act and the Value-Added Tax Act (565 SE), initiated by the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction, was also transferred to the agenda for tomorrow’s sitting due to the end of the working hours of the sitting.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
Video recording of the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone: +372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
E-mail: [email protected]
Questions: [email protected]