The Riigikogu concluded the first reading of this year’s supplementary budget
The supplementary budget bill and eight interpellations were deliberated.
The Bill on the State’s Supplementary Budget for 2025 (651 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. It will increase state budget revenue by EUR 26.6 million, expenditure by EUR 46.5 million and investments by EUR 32.5 million. The main objective of the supplementary budget is to support the reinforcement of comprehensive national defence.
Of the expenses and investments, EUR 44.2 million will go to comprehensive national defence projects aimed at increasing crisis resilience, which will be implemented later this year. The money will be used to increase internal security, improve the robustness of the medical system and the crisis response capacity of the Foreign Service, as well as to ensure the continuity of digital governance and the media sector.
According to the Bill, the supplementary budget will also provide for additional expenditure and investment, which will be covered mainly by external funds and additional revenues from the state’s economic activities. According to the explanatory memorandum, only completely new activities will be added with the supplementary budget, and revenue-dependent expenditure projects will not be reviewed in their entirety.
Although the total volume of the state’s financing transactions will not change, the draft supplementary budget includes EUR 25 million in financing operations for the placement of the investment fund and for contributions to the share capital of Eesti Energia and Tallinn General Hospital. Therefore, according to the Bill, the loan commitment will be increased by the same amount, which will also entail an interest cost of EUR 0.4 million.
In addition, the Bill includes motions to amend submitted by the areas of government, the need for which has become apparent after the preparation of this year’s state budget, and which will not change the overall size of the budget. According to the state budget adopted by the Riigikogu last December, this year, state revenues will amount to EUR 17.7 billion, expenditure to EUR 18.2 billion, investments to EUR 873 million and financing transactions to EUR 679 million.
Andrei Korobeinik from the Centre Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Riina Sikkut from the Social Democratic Party Group and Anti Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
The Estonian Centre Party Group and Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. The motion was not supported because 14 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour, 45 were against and there was one abstention. The first reading was concluded and the deadline for submission of motions to amend is 6 June.
Eight interpellations were replied
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta replied to the interpellation concerning the Pihlakodu care home case and the activities of the prosecutor’s office (No. 748), submitted by members of the Riigikogu.
Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt replied to the interpellation concerning the impacts and regulations of wind energy development in Estonia (No. 749).
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas replied to interpellations concerning the qualification requirements for youth workers(No. 745), the school network(No. 760) and the shrinking of the area ofuse of the Estonian language as an academic language and the quality of university education (No. 764) .
Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller replied to interpellations concerning the Pihlakodu care home case and the safety of care homes (No. 750) and the establishment of Tallinn Hospital (No. 762) .
Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras replied to the interpellations concerning the question whether only big beekeepers are engaged in food security (No. 767).
Four interpellators were excluded from the agenda for today on the motion of the interpellators. They were the following: the interpellation concerning Elering’s strategy (No. 741), submitted to Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt; the interpellation concerning the sustainability and accessibility of the healthcare system (No. 759), submitted to Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller; and the interpellations concerning the changes in the payment of beekeeping subsidy to small beekeepers in 2025 (No. 761) and critical banking services disappearing from county centres (No. 773), submitted to Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
The sitting ended at 10.57 p.m.
Video recordings of the sittings of the Riigikogu can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/riigikogu.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)
Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal,
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
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