The Riigikogu passed an Act specifying the procedure for electing the President of the Republic
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu passed the Act that brings forward the deadline for nominating presidential candidates and gives candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves before the voting rounds.
The aim of the Act on Amendments to the President of the Republic Election Act (684 SE), initiated by 37 Members of the Riigikogu, is to make the presidential election process smoother, more transparent, and more inclusive of the public.
While under the current Act, candidates can be nominated both in the Riigikogu and later in the electoral body from the fourth to the second day before the first round of voting, according to the amendments, the nomination of candidates will begin on the 12th day and end on the ninth day before the first round. According to the initiators, the amendment will give the public an opportunity to familiarize themselves more thoroughly with the candidates and their positions before elections and help prevent a situation where candidates are nominated immediately before a vote.
In addition, the Act establishes the procedure for introducing candidates before the first and second rounds of voting in the Riigikogu and before the first round of voting in the electoral body. According to the Act, all candidates will give a presentation of up to 10 minutes before the voting rounds. According to the initiators, the aim of the amendment is to ensure equal opportunities for candidates to introduce themselves and to increase the transparency and credibility of the election process, which in turn will support the authority and legitimacy of the presidential institution.
Ando Kiviberg from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Madis Kallas from the Social Democratic Party Group, Lauri Laats from the Centre Party Group, Martin Helme from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Õnne Pillak from the Reform Party Group and Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
64 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act, six were against, and there was one abstention.
Four other Acts were passed
The Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act and Other Acts (transposition of the amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive) (697 SE), initiated by the Government. It transposes the provisions of a European Union directive on renewable energy into Estonian law. The aim of the initiative is to increase the share of renewable energy, improve energy efficiency, and ensure energy security.
The amendments concern the construction of renewable energy plants and infrastructure, the simplification of permit procedures, the installation of solar energy devices and heat pumps, the use of biomethane, and requirements for biomass sustainability. The Act will help achieve the energy and climate goals of Estonia and the EU.
During the proceedings, the Act had been amended by including the term “geothermal energy” which must also be taken into account in meeting renewable energy targets. In addition, references to liquefied biomethane were omitted as the related regulation is being addressed comprehensively in the transposition of the transport sector provisions of the Renewable Energy Directive.
Rain Epler from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Lauri Laats from the Centre Party Group, Aivar Kokk from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Mario Kadastik from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate. Jaak Aab took the floor on behalf of the Social Democratic Party.
50 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act and 25 voted against.
The Riigikogu passed the Human Genes Research Act (749 SE), initiated by the Government. Its aim is to make the organization of the biobank and genetic research clearer, more up-to-date, and more transparent. An Act that has been in force for 25 years is updated so that the genetic data contained in the Estonian Biobank can be widely put into use in research and healthcare. There are 212,000 gene donors in Estonia, which is the largest proportion of the population per capita in the world.
At present, it is not sufficiently clear to gene donors and data requesters what data is processed in the Estonian Biobank, how it is processed, and how it can be used. In the future, gene donors will be able to make declarations of intent in the health information system regarding whether and how they allow their data to be used in both personalized medicine and scientific research.
Researchers and doctors will be able to supplement health data from state information systems with the permission of the gene donor which will allow for the abandonment of duplicate storage of health data. This will create the preconditions for providing better personalized medical services and contribute to earlier detection and prevention of diseases, increased health awareness, and a reduction in risk behaviour. It may also support precision treatment and reduce the side effects of medicines.
The Act places the ethical procedures for data releases from all health databases under the jurisdiction of a single research ethics committee.
63 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Act, eight were against and there was one abstention.
The Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act and Other Acts (reduction of bureaucracy) (761 SE), initiated by the Government. It simplifies the issuance and supervision of activity permits and eliminates meaningless and duplicative obligations. The current requirements for applying for permits and conducting supervision are in some cases disproportionate and duplicative and do not correspond to the actual health risks.
In the case of schools and social services, such as childcare, alternative care and shelters, the obligation to request a separate assessment from the Health Board when applying for an activity permit are abolished. The Health Board will assess health safety when premises are put into use and later during supervision. This will speed up the launch of institutions and the provision of services.
The amendments also abolish overly detailed requirements for youth camps. Currently, the camp organizer must follow requirements, for example regarding the duration of meal times, and the Health Board must monitor their compliance. The Act eliminates special requirements for catering at youth and project camps in order to make service provision more flexible and reduce the need for supervision by the Health Board.
Local governments are exempted from double checks by the Health Board. According to the Act, the requirement that noise maps and noise reduction action plans be submitted to the Health Board for information is waived, as the board can examine documents during supervision.
Evelin Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Signe Riisalo from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
49 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Act, eight were against and there was one abstention.
The Riigikogu also passed the Act on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act, the Waste Act and the Criminal Records Database Act (778 SE), initiated by the Government. Its aim is to reduce the use of potent synthetic greenhouse gases and limit their emissions.
The amendments bring Estonian law into line with new European Union regulations on substances that deplete the ozone layer, and fluorinated greenhouse gases. Among other things, references are updated, the procedure for awarding professional qualifications and issuing permits is specified, and the scope of regulation is expanded to new groups of substances.
A significant part of the amendments is aimed at reducing the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases, or F-gases, and improving environmental protection. F-gases are synthetic gases that have a strong greenhouse effect; for example, SF6 is 23,000 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2. Since F-gases are found in common refrigeration and air conditioning equipment and in electrical switches in substations, the Act sets stricter requirements for the handling and control thereof, and the reporting thereon.
Owners of equipment containing new types of fluorinated greenhouse gases will have to start registering the equipment and carrying out leak checks. Professional certificates of operators of refrigeration units, air conditioning equipment and heat pumps will have a fixed term and the obligation to have a handling permit will also extend to natural refrigerants.
At the same time, the administrative burden will be reduced in several areas. For example, the obligation to register higher-capacity heat pumps installed in residential buildings is eliminated, reporting on F-gases is simplified, and threshold quantities that will reduce the obligation to submit data are established.
In the course of the proceedings, an amendment had been incorporated into the Act according to which the State Agency of Medicines and the Transport Administration would no longer have to submit reports on the fluorinated greenhouse gases contained in medicinal products marketed in Estonia and on the number of refrigerated vehicles registered in the motor register because such data would be available as open data.
50 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act, nine were against, and there was one abstention.
A Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Waste Act (799 SE), initiated by the Environment Committee, passed its second reading in the Riigikogu. Its aim is to give the private sector more investment certainty in waste handling and to improve competition and service quality.
The bill to amend the regulation on in-house transactions will amend the provision relating to contracts for the recovery and disposal of waste. The amendments will apply to the contracting of the recovery and disposal of the waste collected by order of local governments.
According to the bill, the obligation for municipalities to also organize waste handling through procurements will come into force on 1 January 2031 to allow sufficient time to take the new requirement into account. Most municipalities already organize procurements and about 10 municipalities use in-house transactions. If an open or restricted procurement procedure is concluded due to a lack of tenders, the provisions of the Public Procurement Act provide for the possibility of an in-house transaction, i.e. the use of a negotiated procurement procedure without prior publication.
The bill is related to the amendments passed at the end of last year the main aim of which was to increase the use of secondary raw materials contained in municipal waste. The amendments will create the conditions for timely achievement of the recycling targets established in the European Union.
Tiit Maran from the Social Democratic Party Group, Andres Metsoja, Aivar Kokk and Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Yoko Alender from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate. Non-attached Member of the Riigikogu Peeter Ernits also took the floor.
The Social Democratic Party Group and Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill, but the plenary did not support the motion. 18 members of the Riigikogu supported suspension of the deliberation but 43 were against.
A Bill passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Military Service Act (language requirement for conscript service) (825 SE), initiated by the National Defence Committee, passed the first reading in the Riigikogu. According to it, all call-up selectees entering conscript service will have to have at least B1 level of proficiency in Estonian from 2027. If a call-up selectee has not acquired education in Estonian or their language skills cannot be determined on the basis of databases, they will have to take a B1-level language examination.
If a call-up selectee does not pass the B1 level exam, they will have to complete a language course organized by the Integration Foundation within a year and then retake the exam. The state will pay for the completion of a first-time language course. Compensation will also be provided for attending the language course and taking the qualification examination. The total costs of taking the language examination and attending the language courses – estimated at EUR 400,000 per year – will be covered from the state budget.
If a call-up selectee repeatedly fails to attend language training or take a qualification examination without a valid reason, the Defence Resources Agency will be able to take administrative coercive measures against them, including suspend their hunting right and right to drive, as well as the validity of their fishing card and weapons-related permits. The same measures can currently be used if a person, repeatedly and without reason, fails to participate in an assessment of the state of health or to report for conscript service.
According to the explanatory memorandum to the Bill, completing conscript service requires sufficient knowledge of Estonian to understand orders, follow safety requirements, and participate in training. The change will allow the Defence Forces to focus on their primary task which is providing military training.
The National Defence Committee had wanted to set a language proficiency requirement for conscripts with an Act passed last November, but when the president had refused to promulgate it, it had been decided to resolve the issue with a separate bill. The bill had been developed by a working group formed by the National Defence Committee which had included representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Culture, the Defence Resources Agency, the Estonian Education and Youth Board, and the Integration Foundation, alongside members of the Riigikogu.
Helir-Valdor Seeder from Isamaa Parliamentary Group and Mati Raidma from the Reform Party Group took the floor during the debate.
The sitting ended at 5.22 p.m.
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]
