The Riigikogu passed the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens
The agenda of the Riigikogu included two Bills and five interpellations.
The Riigikogu passed the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens (831 SE), initiated by the Government. It transposes into Estonian law the European Union’s reform of international protection and migration management, specifically the updated legislation of the Common Asylum System. The aim of the reform is to strengthen the protection of the EU’s external borders, speed up international protection and return procedures, and ensure a functioning and balanced solidarity mechanism between Member States.
Due to the large volume of amendments, a new consolidated text of the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens has been drafted and the current Act is repealed. The Act will improve control over immigration, and illegal entry from the EU’s external border and unauthorized movement within the Schengen area will become more difficult. As a significant innovation, the Act provides for the implementation of a border procedure which will allow decisions to be made at the border. Applicants will not become entitled to stay in Estonia during the procedure, and it will be possible to return a person more quickly if protection is not granted.
The Act will also make procedures in the EU more uniform. Member States will start to mutually recognise each other’s acts in order to avoid situations where asylum applications are lodged successively in different countries. Additionally, an EU-wide migration information system will be created which will improve data collection and exchange and help streamline procedures.
The Act also specifies the obligations of asylum seekers and provides for clearer consequences for non-compliance therewith. For example, if necessary, it will be possible to restrict applicants’ freedom of movement, including by requiring them to live in an assigned place or to register regularly. At the same time, the legal protection of applicants will be strengthened by allowing for free legal assistance from the very beginning of the procedure.
In addition, a permanent solidarity mechanism will be launched in the EU, through which countries will be able to support one another in the event of migration pressure by providing financial assistance, deploying experts and equipment, and, if necessary, relocating people.
During the second reading, an amendment was incorporated into the Act that expanded the definition of a refugee’s family member. This spring, the Supreme Court ruled that the current Act was unconstitutional insofar as it did not recognize as a family member of a refugee a de facto partner who lived with the refugee in a de facto cohabitation prior to their arrival in Estonia, with whom marriage or registration of a partnership was legally impossible in the refugee’s country of origin regardless of the partners’ will.
During the debate, Mart Helme took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Helir-Valdor Seeder on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group.
53 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and 20 voted against.
A Bill passed the first reading
The Bill on the State’s Supplementary Budget for 2026 (910 SE), initiated by the Government, will reduce state revenues by EUR 24 million and increase expenditures by EUR 4.4 million. According to the bill, investments will decrease by EUR 1.5 million and the budget for financing transactions will increase by EUR 37.9 million.
The bill will direct EUR 10.98 million in expenses and investments to Eesti.ai projects, which, among other things, aim to improve people’s AI skills and make the public sector more efficient. Under the bill, EUR 17 million will be allocated for the construction of the eastern border to pay for contractual obligations already undertaken. The bill will also specify the investments of the State Real Estate Ltd and Hexest Materials Ltd and compensate the Cultural Endowment of Estonia for the support it did not receive from the gambling tax.
The cancellation of the fuel excise duty increase starting from 1 May will lead to the largest decrease in revenue, amounting to EUR 36 million. To increase revenues, an additional 20 million in dividends will be taken from the State Forest Management Centre from net profit.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the general government budget position will improve by EUR 15 million as a result of the amendments, but the budget deficit will remain at 4.3 percent of GDP, i.e. at the same level as in the Ministry of Finance’s spring forecast. Next year’s budget deficit will decrease by 0.1 percent of GDP as a result of the proposals.
In the 2026 state budget adopted by the Riigikogu last December, revenues totalled EUR 18.6 billion and expenditures EUR 19.5 billion, while investments totalled EUR 1.3 billion and financing transactions EUR 1.5 billion.
During the debate, Martin Helme took the floor on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Diana Ingerainen on behalf of Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Andrei Korobeinik on behalf of the Centre Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu on behalf of Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Riina Sikkut on behalf of the Social Democratic Party Group and Annely Akkermann on behalf of the Reform Party Parliamentary Group.
The Estonian Centre Party Group, Isamaa Parliamentary Group and the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. The motion was not supported because 31 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of it and 45 were against. The first reading of the Bill was concluded. The deadline for submission of motions to amend was set at 29 May.
Five interpellations were replied
Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi replied to the interpellations concerning the mitigation of price increases and people’s livelihoods (No. 969) and the expenditures by partially state-owned companies on motivational and appreciation events (No. 972).
Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras replied to the interpellation concerning the privatisation of the logistics and postal services group Omniva and the continuation of the universal postal service and home delivery of periodicals (No. 971).
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta replied to the interpellations concerning the state’s policy on registers (No. 970) and the penal policy regarding sexual offences against children (No. 973).
The sitting ended at 10.49 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
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
[email protected]
Questions: [email protected]
