The Riigikogu passed two Acts
Today the Riigikogu passed the Acts to organise foreign relations and to enable hospitals to manufacture rare medicines and five Bills were deliberated.
Two Acts were passed
The Act on Amendments to the Foreign Relations Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (385 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed. It simplifies the procedure of the preparation and conclusion of treaties.
The largest amendment made in the Act concerns the submission of the materials of treaties to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the proceedings on amendments to treaties at various levels. Amendments are also made to the procedure for the enforcement of treaties, for making objections concerning reservations and declarations and for the suspension and the termination of the suspension of treaties.
The provisions delegating authority contained in the Foreign Relations Act, including the provisions delegating authority regarding the establishment of databases are also organised and data protection reform is completed. No new databases are established, nor is the functioning of any existing ones, or issues relating to the data processed in them, changed.
In the course of the proceedings, the Foreign Affairs Committee included an amendment to the Act that would allow for the establishment of missions of territorial governments and entities in Estonia and missions of Estonia at territorial governments and entities based on a petition in the future.
Henn Põlluaas (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
At the final vote, 70 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and one voted against.
The Act on Amendments to the Medicinal Products Act (hospital exemption) (532 SE), initiated by the Government, was also passed. Its purpose is to ensure better availability of medicinal products made by way of the hospital exemption. ‘Hospital exemption’ means the making and use of a custom-made advanced therapy medicinal product, e.g. a medicinal product intended for gene therapy, for the treatment of an individual patient where the usual authorised medicinal product is not available or there is no suitable clinical trial.
The hospital exemption regulation created in 2022 sets strict restrictions on the manufacture and use of advanced therapy medicinal products but, according to the explanatory memorandum, a need to relax them has become apparent. The Act eliminates the restriction under which only one holder of authorisation can manufacture an advanced therapy medicinal product under hospital exemption and only for up to 10 patients. The amendments will also reduce administrative burden and shorten the terms for issuing permits.
However, all current requirements for the quality, efficacy and safety of the medicinal products manufactured and used will remain in place, and patient protection and safety will remain the primary consideration when assessing applications for authorisation. The hospital exemption promotes treatment options for patients with rare diseases and supports innovation and the development of high-technology therapies.
Two motions to amend the Bill were submitted in the second reading. Under one of them, the ethics committee will assess the ensuring of the protection of patients’ rights and their safety and well-being, in addition to the State Agency of Medicines. Under the other amendment, before issuing a hospital exemption authorisation, the State Agency of Medicines may involve non-staff experts and the Health Board in assessing the hospital-exemption medicinal product.
Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party) and Irja Lutsar (Estonia 200) took the floor during the debate.
At the final vote, 80 members of the Riigikogu supported the Act and there was one abstention.
A Bill passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Tobacco Act (223 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading. According to it, under an EU directive, heated tobacco products with a characterising flavour must no longer be sold.
The Bill will include in the Act the term “heated tobacco product” and the requirements for the contents, labelling and packaging. Under the directive, the exemption for allowing characterising flavours and for the labelling of packages that is currently in place for heated tobacco products will be withdrawn across the EU.
In addition, the Bill will establish penalties for infringement of the requirements for informing of tobacco products and products which are related to tobacco products. Under the Bill, failure to inform of a product will be punishable by a fine in an amount of up to 300 fine units, and by a fine of up to 32,000 euro if the act is committed by a legal person.
The motions to amend submitted during the proceedings improved the legal clarity of the Bill so that it would cover all tobacco products and their parts, regardless of the technology used, and limited the volume of the refill capsule for tobacco products. In addition, in the future, six months before the planned placing on the market of a novel tobacco product, an economic operator importing tobacco products or devices for the use thereof into Estonia or manufacturing tobacco products in Estonia will have to submit to the Health Board a notification in electronic form containing a detailed description and the instructions for use of the devices for the use of the product.
Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party) and Aivar Kokk (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
One Bill passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Aliens Act, the Code of Administrative Court Procedure and the State Fees Act (challenging of decisions regarding visas) (603 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. It will establish the right of decisions to refuse to issue a visa to be challenged in court. At present, the applicant has no right to apply to the courts in the event of refusal to issue a visa. The European Court of Justice ruled in a 2017 case that Member States must provide for a procedure for challenging decisions to refuse to issue a visa before a court. Infringement proceedings have been initiated against Estonia and the Commission referred Estonia to the Court of Justice of the EU on 29 January. In addition, in its decision of 22 January 2025, the Supreme Court declared the Aliens Act unconstitutional in the part that it precludes the filing of an appeal with the administrative court for the issuance of a visa in a situation where the applicant was in Estonia during the visa procedure. The Bill will establish mandatory one-stage challenge proceedings instead of the current two-stage challenge proceedings and will allow for subsequent appeals against visa decisions and decisions on challenge to the administrative court. In addition, the state fee for reviewing an appeal will be increased from the current EUR 80 to EUR 160.
Henn Põlluaas (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 11 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 46 voted against. Thus the motion was not supported.
Three drafts were dropped from the proceedings
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a proposal to the Government of the Republic to submit to the Riigikogu an action plan for the development of power generation capacities and power grids to ensure energy security” (575 OE), submitted by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, made a proposal to the Government to submit an action plan by 1 May 2025 as to the generation capacities the state wished to promote and the sources thereof, and the role of storage, distributed generation, and consumption management, with the aim of ensuring Estonia’s energy security, security of electricity supply, a competitive price level for businesses and an affordable price for household consumers.
Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), Lauri Laats (Centre Party) and Arvo Aller (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor during the debate.
At the final vote, 18 members of the Riigikogu supported the draft Resolution and thus the draft Resolution was rejected. A majority vote of the members of the Riigikogu would have been needed for it to be passed.
The purpose of the Land Tax Bill (582 SE) , initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, was to reverse the regulation of land tax increases. The Bill was intended to introduce to a large part the version of the Land Tax Act that had been in force on 1 January 2024, with the tax rates and tax incentives that had been in force at that time, including the incentive for the taxation of the land under homes. In addition, it was intended to restore in the Act the limit of 10 percent per year for land tax increases.
Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
44 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion of the Finance Committee to reject the Bill and 12 were against, and thus the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The Bill on Amendments to the Energy Sector Organisation Act (574 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group, was intended to amend the Act according to which, by 2030, renewable energy produced in Estonia should account for at least 100 percent of the gross domestic final energy consumption. The renewable energy target was 40 percent before the Act was amended. According to the explanatory memorandum to the bill, the higher target has been set without an impact analysis, and it would be appropriate to roll back and revert to the previous version of the Act. The bill is intended to abandon the renewable energy deployment targets that are over-ambitious for Estonia and thereby the rise in electricity prices will be slowed down in order to promote the competitiveness of Estonian businesses and ensure affordable energy prices for Estonian residents.
Aivar Kokk (Isamaa) and Jaak Aab (Social Democratic Party) took the floor during the debate.
45 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion of the Economic Affairs Committee to reject the Bill and 10 were against, and thus the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The sitting ended at 6.57 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
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
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