At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu heard the Prime Minister’s political statement, and concluded the first reading of a Bill regulating hate speech and two other Bills. It also decided not to pass again without amendments the Act which the President of the Republic had refused to promulgate which aimed to regulate the removal from the public space the civil engineering works that are not appropriate there, in particular Soviet monuments.

At the beginning of the sitting, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas made a political statement in connection with the submission of the State Budget for 2024 Bill. She said that next year’s state budget was a step towards getting expenditure under control. “We have been living beyond our means in the last seven or eight years and unfortunately this cannot go on forever. Since 2016, budget decisions that have increased fixed costs have been made hastily without analysing whether the expenses can be covered on a sustainable basis. As a result of this, public finances have been driven into a deep deficit and so the drafting of the budget has been a task with a particularly complex starting point this year,” she said.

According to Kallas, in the exceptionally complex security policy situation, the Government had based the drafting of the next year’s budget on five important areas: the funding of Estonia’s military national defence and comprehensive security, the supporting of economic growth through the green reforms, the sustainability of public finances, education, and the supporting of Ukraine. “The budget for 2024 is a step towards stopping living beyond our means and finding the right balance between saving on general government expenditure and funding of security. The objectives agreed upon for the drafting of the 2024 budget allow us to look in the eyes of our children with confidence because we do not wish to leave today’s duties our children,” the Prime Minister said in her political statement before the Riigikogu.

Kallas noted that, thanks to the budget decisions that had been made in the Riigikogu this spring and the saving decisions that had been made by ministers this summer, next year, the nominal deficit would be 2.86 per cent of GDP, that is, 0.44 percentage points lower than this year. The revenue volume of the state budget will be EUR 16.8 billion and the expenditure will be EUR 17.7 billion, and investments and investment support will amount to EUR 1.9 billion in the budget, according to the Bill.

During the debate, Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Tanel Kiik from the Centre Party Group, Toomas Uibo from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Martin Helme from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Jevgeni Ossinovski from the Social Democratic Party Group and Jürgen Ligi from the Reform Party Group took the floor.

The Riigikogu did not pass again an Act that had been returned

The Riigikogu did not pass again without amendments the Act on Amendments to the Building Code, an Act to Implement the Building Code and the Planning Act, and the State Assets Act (746 UA), which the President of the Republic had refused to promulgate. It was intended to establish a regulation to remove from the public space the civil engineering works that are not appropriate there, in particular Soviet monuments.

The Act passed in the previous Riigikogu on 15 February provided that the publicly visible parts of buildings, as well as publicly exhibited monuments, sculptures, memorials, and other civil engineering works must not incite hatred, or support or justify an occupation regime or the commission of an act of aggression, genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime. The Act had also been intended to provide for the powers of the state to remove non-compliant civil engineering works.

The President of the Republic did not promulgate the Act at the beginning of this March because in his opinion it lacked legal clarity. He made a proposal to the Riigikogu to renew the deliberation of the Act and to bring it into conformity with the Constitution.

During the debate, Riina Solman from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Liisa Pakosta from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Anti Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Priit Lomp from the Social Democratic Party Group took the floor.

9 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act again without amendments and 76 voted against. Thus, the further proceedings on the Act will continue pursuant to the general procedure. The deadline for submission of motions to amend was set as 5.15 p.m. on 11 October.

Three Bills passed the first reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Code of Misdemeanour Procedure (incitement of hatred, and crimes with hatred motivation) (232 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. According to it, the gravest forms of incitement of hatred will be made punishable as criminal offences.

According to the Bill, in the future, public incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination against a group of people or a member of a group on the basis of nationality, race, colour, sex, language, origin, religion, sexual orientation, political opinion, or financial or social status if there are grounds to fear that the incitement will be followed by violence or if it significantly endangers the security in society will be punishable as a criminal offence. In the case of other offences, hatred motivation will be a circumstance aggravating the punishment.

It is not planned to make the expression of critical or shocking positions punishable. Nor will the Bill prohibit the expression of positions that may offend a social group. In such cases, it will be possible to have recourse to the court under civil proceedings where necessary.

During the debate, Martin Helme from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Eduard Odinets from the Social Democratic Party Group, Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Centre Party Group, and Jürgen Ligi from the Reform Party Group took the floor.

The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Isamaa Parliamentary Group and the Centre Party Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading, but the plenary did not support the motion. 31 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection of the Bill and 53 voted against.

The Bill on Amendments to the Local Government Organisation Act (37 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. Its purpose is to give municipal council members the right to have recourse to the administrative court in the case of infringement of their rights provided by law. According to the initiators, a need to have recourse to the administrative court may arise for example in the case when a council member is not satisfied with how council committees are formed, or a member cannot access the information they wish to obtain.

Mart Maastik from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.

The Constitutional Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading, but the plenary did not support the motion. No member of the Riigikogu voted for the rejection, but seven were against and there was one abstention.

The Bill on Amendments to the State Pension Insurance Act (99 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group, also passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. It provides for an extraordinary pension increase of 70 euro for three consecutive years, that is, for 2024–2026, in order to improve the economic livelihood of elderly people.

Three drafts were dropped from the proceedings

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of a Riigikogu committee of investigation to investigate the facts of the business activities in Russia by the company partially owned by the husband of the Prime Minister” (262 OE), submitted by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to form a Riigikogu committee of investigation to investigate the facts of the business activities in Russia by a company partially owned by the husband of the Prime Minister.

According to the draft Resolution, the task of the committee of investigation consisting of representatives of all parliamentary groups would have been to ascertain the facts of the business activities in Russia by a company partially owned by the husband of the Prime Minister and to draw conclusions and make proposals for legislative amendments in order to avoid similar situations in the future. According to the draft Resolution, the committee of investigation should have submitted its final report to the Riigikogu as well as the public by 15 December at the latest.

During the debate, Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Jürgen Ligi from the Reform Party Group and Tanel Kiik from the Centre Party Group took the floor.

52 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee to reject the Bill and 16 were against it.

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Building Code and the Local Government Organisation Act (release of home owners from the obligation to clear pavements owned by local authorities) (41 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. It was intended to release home owners from the obligation to clear pavements owned by local authorities. According to the initiators, the amendment would have helped ensure that pavements owned by local authorities are cleaned on time and to a better quality.

During the debate, Tõnis Mölder took the floor as representative of Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Vadim Belobrovtsev as representative of the Centre Party Group.

55 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Economic Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 7 voted against it.

The Riigikogu also rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the State Pension Insurance Act (142 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Group. It was intended to provide for an extraordinary pension increase of 50 euro for four consecutive years, that is, for 2024–2027, in order to improve the economic livelihood of elderly people.

45 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Social Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against it.

The deliberation of 18 Bills was cancelled

At today’s sitting of the Riigikogu, the deliberation of 18 Bills that were on the agenda was cancelled because the members of the Riigikogu who were supposed to present the Bills as representatives of initiators were not present in the session hall. The Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act provides that, where the presenter is not present at the deliberation of an item, the chair of the sitting does not open the deliberation of the agenda item and the deliberation is deferred to the following working week.

The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act (27 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler and Martin Helme, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (71 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Arvo Aller, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (75 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Evelin Poolamets, Helle-Moonika Helme and Rain Epler, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (82 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal and Rain Epler, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (88 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo, Arvo Aller and Siim Pohlak, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (110 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Leo Kunnas, Ants Frosch, Henn Põlluaas, Kert Kingo and Rain Epler, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (112 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Kert Kingo, Jaak Valge and Varro Vooglaid, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (116 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Martin Helme, Evelin Poolamets and Helle-Moonika Helme, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (127 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Ants Frosch, Mart Helme and Leo Kunnas, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (130 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler and Martin Helme, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (133 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Arvo Aller, Rain Epler and Evelin Poolamets, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (150 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Helle-Moonika Helme, Arvo Aller and Martin Helme, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (151 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler and Helle-Moonika Helme, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (155 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Rain Epler, Helle-Moonika Helme and Kert Kingo, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (181 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Leo Kunnas, Mart Helme and Ants Frosch, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (194 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Jaak Valge, Arvo Aller and Varro Vooglaid, the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (199 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Jaak Valge, Anti Poolamets and Helle-Moonika Helme, and the Bill on Amendments to the Income Tax Act (253 SE), initiated by Members of the Riigikogu Helle-Moonika Helme, Evelin Poolamets, Martin Helme and Anti Poolamets, was deferred from today’s agenda.

The sitting ended at 10.15 p.m.

Photos (Author: Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
[email protected]
Questions: [email protected]