The Riigikogu passed seven Acts and a Resolution:

The Riigikogu passed with 67 votes in favour the Public Procurements Act (816 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The Act ensures the transparent, expedient and economic use of the state funds, equal treatment of persons and the efficient use of the existing competitive conditions for the benefit of the public procurement. The Act stipulates the procedure for the execution of the public procurements, the rights and obligations of subjects connected to the public procurements, the procedure for exercising the state supervision and solving the disputes, and liability for the violation of the present Act.

The Riigikogu passed with 70 votes in favour the Act on Amendments to the Penal Code and Associated Acts (931 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The Act repeals the provision on the misuse of official position and professional negligence. Instead, the Act stipulates new specific compositions of criminal official misconducts, extends the existing definitions of criminal offences and increases the upper limit of several offences from three to five years. Thus an official convicted for misuse of confidence, embezzlement, fraudulent contact, illegal exercise of state supervision, among others, may be punished by 5 years imprisonment. As regards tax offences, tax evasion and tax extortion have been criminalised only in cases when serious damages have been caused to the state. Failure to submit data to a tax administrator or submission of false data may bring about an imprisonment of up to three years; in case of the damage amounting to EEK five million or more, the imprisonment can last up to five years. Direct tax fraud will be punished with up to seven years imprisonment. 

The Public Information Act and Associated Acts Amendment Act (1027 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic, was passed with 75 votes in favour. The Act determines legally the composition of the state information system, regulates the organisation of databases in the system and gives legal bases for rendering and using data transmission services. The Act changes the data bases of the state information system from agency-centred to service-centred, creates a data exchange environment which includes information about the existing information systems and data bases and wherein it is possible to follow data flows between the information systems. It enables the administrators of data bases to more efficiently plan the development activities and budgets, and allows the institutions coordinating the state information systems to analyse the efficiency of data bases, work out proposals for developing these and for opening new services.

The Riigikogu passed with 71 votes in favour the Aviation Act and State Fees Act Amendment Act (1036 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The Act names the Civil Aviation Administration a competent institution in the supervision related to rendering air-navigation services, proceeding from the EU legal acts.

The Riigikogu passed with 68 votes in favour the Railways Act and Roads Act Amendment Act (1039 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The Act increases safety on railways, because the railway operators and the railway infrastructure operators must have two safety certificates instead of the present one. The railway operators must apply for an additional safety certificate for their safety management system, which is only issued to enterprises which have an exact safety management system. The role of the Railways Inspectorate in dealing with railways safety problems and as a supervision body of railways safety is also enhanced.

The Riigikogu passed with 66 votes in favour (2 abstentions) the Electrical Safety Act (1045 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The Act presents requirements for electrical plants and installations, the placing of them on the market, their commissioning and use, electrical works, technical inspection and stipulates requirements for the procedure of state supervision for the fulfilment of these requirements.

The Riigikogu passed with 53 votes in favour the Act on the Approval of the Amendment to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1029 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The Act approves the amendment to the Convention which enables the state who has not been referred in the Convention, but who is the Member State of the United Nations Organization, to become a Contracting Party.

The Riigikogu passed with 47 votes in favour (2 against) the Resolution of the Riigikogu On the Approval of the Transport Development Plan for the Years 2006-2013 (1028 OE), submitted by the Government of the Republic. The Resolution improves the systematisation of planning, seeing of the bigger picture, the establishment of actual causes and thus ensures the sustainable development of the transport sector. The Public Transport Development Programme for 2006-2010 has been added to the Transport Development Plan.

The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of five Bills:

The Bill on Amendments to the Nature Conservation Act and Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management System Act (927 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on Amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act (1078 SE), initiated by the Estonian Reform Party Faction and the Estonian Centre Party Faction;

The State Secrets and Classified Foreign Information Bill (1054 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on Amendments to the Surplus Stocks Charges Act (1030 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on Amendments to the Human Genes Research Act and Estonian Academy of Sciences Act (1056 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.

On the motion of the Estonian Centre Party Faction, the second reading of the Disallowed Constructions Removal Bill (1000 SE), initiated by the Estonian Reform Party Faction, Social Democratic Party Faction, Res Publica Faction and Isamaaliit Faction, was suspended (32 in favour, 24 against).

The Riigikogu concluded the first reading of eight Bills:

The Bill on Amendments to the Penal Code (1050 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic, which makes the public use of the symbols of occupation regimes punishable. Pursuant to the Bill, restrictions concern the exposure or distribution of flags, badges, identification phrases or other official symbols, or their clearly identifiable parts, of the Soviet Union, a republic of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the German National Socialist Labour Party or the SS, which is knowingly and in a manner disturbing the public peace, aimed at creating hatred, violence or discrimination in connection with nationality, race, colour, sex, language, origin, religion, sexual orientation, political opinions or proprietary situation or social status. The Bill provides a fine of up to EEK 18,000 or detention or up to three years of imprisonment for the exhibition of prohibited insignia, if the incitement to hatred leads to serious consequences.

The Bill on Amendments to the Involvement of Employees in the Activity of Community-scale Undertakings, Community-scale Groups of Undertakings and European Company Act (1089 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Alimony Bill (1076 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on Amendments to the European Union Common Agricultural Policy Implementation Act (1091 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu On the Approval of the Estonian Environmental Strategy until the Year 2030 (1071 OE), submitted by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on the Approval of the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Amendments thereto (1083 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on Amendments to the Customs Act (1073 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic;

The Bill on Amendments to the Taxation Act (1094 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic.

At Question Time Minister of Agriculture Ester Tuiksoo answered the questions about coastal pastures and land use. Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Edgar Savisaar answered the questions about the problems related to the situation in the state and the coming of Euros. Minister of Internal Affairs Kalle Laanet answered the questions about the work of the Police and the salaries of the officials of the Rescue Service.

The sitting ended at 7.53 p.m.

The Riigikogu Press Service