The Riigikogu passed two Acts
One of the Acts passed today allows for better restraint of people who become dangerous to themselves and the other establishes a preferential rate for renewable energy charge for large electricity consumers. The bill on the introduction of nuclear energy passed its first reading among others.
The Act on Amendments to the Health Services Organisation Act (use of means of restraint) (780 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed. It creates a clear legal basis for the use of means of restraint in situations where a patient’s condition resulting from a mental disorder or physical illness renders them incapable of making decisions and poses an immediate threat to their own life and health or that of others. Such situations may arise in the provision of emergency care, emergency medical care, in-patient specialized medical care, and inpatient nursing care if the patient’s behaviour does not allow the provision of healthcare service to continue without immediate intervention.
Currently, means of restraint may be used only in involuntary psychiatric treatment but in practice it is often necessary to also intervene in the case of patients undergoing voluntary treatment and patients who are outside the psychiatric ward, for example in emergency medicine, intensive care, and emergency medical care. Such a need may be caused by intoxication, delirium, or any other condition that makes the patient’s behaviour unpredictable and dangerous.
Establishing a legal framework will ensure the safety of patients and healthcare professionals, and consistent and high-quality treatment, allowing for the prevention of situations where the legality of intervention is debatable. Although the use of means of restraint will entail additional monitoring and documentation obligations for providers of health care services, the new procedure will reduce the administrative burden in resolving disputes.
The amendments made during the second reading omitted from the Act the requirement to use mechanical restraint only in an observation room and provide that, in inevitable cases, the commencement of the restraint of a patient may be decided by a midwife, in addition to a nurse.
63 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the bill into an Act in the final vote.
The Act on Amendments to the Electricity Market Act, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Fuel and Electricity Excise Duty Act and the Income Tax Act (787 SE), initiated by the Government, was passed. It establishes a preferential rate for renewable energy charge for large electricity consumers.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the price of electricity for Estonian industrial companies in Estonia is significantly higher than the average in neighbouring countries and Europe. This makes it expensive for industrial companies to operate in Estonia and reduces the attractiveness of Estonian investments. With a view to bringing down prices, supporting the competitiveness of the industry and bringing new investments to Estonia, a 75–85 percent preferential rate for renewable energy charge is established for consumers who consume more than 1 GWh of electrical energy per year.
The storing of electrical energy as one of the restrictions on qualifying as a gas intensive business and receiving the associated reduction on excise duty on gas is also omitted from the Act. Storing electrical energy allows businesses to reduce their energy costs by storing energy during low-price hours and consuming the stored electrical energy during high-price hours.
During the proceedings, amendments were made to the bill that, among other things, would expand the circle of recipients of the renewable energy charge reduction, making it possible to apply for a reduction in the renewable energy charge also on the basis of an additional area of activity, as well as as de minimis aid, in addition to state aid. Amendments to the Income Tax Act were also included in the bill to prevent unfair taxation when participating in balancing markets.
Aivar Kokk (Isamaa), Mario Kadastik (Reform Party) and Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party) took part in the debate.
52 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the bill into an Act, 10 were against, and there was one abstention in the final vote.
The third reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act (442 SE), initiated by the Government, which was on the agenda, did not take place because the Government withdrew the bill from the proceedings of the Riigikogu.
Two Bills passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Traffic Act (798 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading. It will amend the Act so that longer and heavier road trains can be used on Estonia’s primary roads.
Currently, mainly road trains up to 18.75 meters long and weighing up to 44 tons are operating on Estonian roads. According to the Bill, road trains up to 25.25 meters in length and up to 60 tons in weight could be used under special permits, so that more goods could be transported in a single trip. When the amendment comes into effect, two 25.25-meter-long road trains would transport the same amount of goods that currently requires three standard semi-trailer trucks to transport. This can reduce transportation costs for businesses, traffic congestion on roads, and the environmental impact of transportation.
According to the Bill, longer road trains would be allowed only with special permission and on specific routes where there is good visibility for overtaking. This will mainly concern the primary roads Tallinn–Tartu–Luhamaa, Tallinn–Narva, and Tallinn–Pärnu–Ikla. Special permits will provide for additional technical requirements regarding the marking, power, tires, and environmental standards of vehicles. The issuer of permits will also be able to impose time limits.
The Bill on Amendments to the Family Benefits Act (838 SE), initiated by the Social Affairs Committee, passed the second reading. According to it, parental benefits granted at the minimum remuneration rate will be recalculated not on 1 January, but when the minimum wage actually changes.
This year, the Estonian Trade Union Confederation and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation agreed on an increase in the minimum remuneration rate in mid-February, and the minimum remuneration rate was changed on 1 April. This means that, according to the current Act, parental benefits paid at the minimum remuneration rate could not be recalculated until 1 January 2027. The bill provides that parental benefit will be recalculated when the minimum remuneration rate changes, regardless of the date of the change. The goal is that parental benefits granted at the minimum rate can be recalculated from April 1 this year and families will receive payments of the new amount of parental benefit as early as this May.
The bill also provides that the minimum remuneration rate in effect on 1 July of the previous year will serve as the basis for calculating the parental benefit rate. Under the current Act, the parental benefit rate will not change until 1 January 2028 but, under the bill, the change will take effect on 1 January 2027.
The amendments will also help to avoid situations in the future where the central organizations of social partners reach an agreement on the minimum remuneration rate, and the Government regulation is subsequently amended after 1 January.
Four Bills passed the first reading
The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Credit Institutions Act and Other Acts (governance and operational requirements for credit institutions) (848 SE), initiated by the Government, was continued. It had been adjourned due to the end of the working hours at the previous sitting. The bill will update the governance and operational requirements for credit institutions and investment firms in accordance with the European Union banking package.
The bill will specify the rules for the governance and risk management of banks and establish clearer requirements for the selection of managers and key function holders as well as for compliance. The bill will also streamline the system of committees of banks to make their tasks and the formation of the committees clearer.
In addition, the bill will specify the rules for bank mergers, the transfer of assets, and the establishment of branches of third-country banks and grant the Financial Supervision Authority additional supervisory tools.
Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) took the floor during the debate.
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group moved to reject the Bill. 19 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion, 46 voted against and there was one abstention. Thus, the Bill passed the first reading.
The Bill on Amendments to the Accounting Act and Amendments to Other Acts arising therefrom (814 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading. It will bring the Estonian legal framework into line with the European Union’s Media Freedom Act.
The bill will give the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority additional powers to restrict the retransmission of audiovisual media services from outside the EU if such retransmission poses a threat to public security.
The bill will also amend the types of radio and television licenses, abandon the possibility of imposing additional conditions on licenses and update the requirements for programming. At the same time, the requirement to ensure that a certain proportion of music by Estonian artists is included in radio programmes which has previously been established as a side condition will be brought to the level of law in order to support Estonian culture. The deadlines for issuing licenses will also be shortened and the regulation for temporary television and radio licenses will be amended.
In addition, the necessary provisions for implementing the European Media Freedom Act will be established, the definition of a media service will be specified, and the protection of journalists’ sources will also be expanded to people close to them.
The Nuclear Energy and Safety Bill (856 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the first reading. It will establish a legal framework for the production and use of peaceful nuclear energy in Estonia. The bill will set out the rules for selecting the location of a nuclear power plant and its construction, testing, and operation, as well as its decommissioning, and the final disposal of nuclear waste.
The function of the national nuclear regulator, along with all the rights and obligations associated with that role, will be established under the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority. Among other things, the bill will establish a phased licensing system for the construction of a plant, consisting of a preliminary assessment, a construction license, a testing license, an operating license, and a decommissioning license. According to the bill, the nuclear regulator will begin operations on 1 January 2027.
The Bill will also establish the principle that the developer and operator of a nuclear power plant bears full responsibility for the safety of the facility and for the costs incurred at the end of its lifecycle. A national decommissioning fund will be established for the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant; during the plant’s operational life, the operator will contribute funds to it for dismantling the plant and the final disposal of waste. The bill will also provide for the principles for nuclear security, physical protection, emergency preparedness, and the implementation of international safeguards.
Mart Maastik (Isamaa), Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party), Aleksei Jevgrafov (Centre Party), Toomas Uibo (Estonia 200), Mario Kadastik (Reform Party) and Rene Kokk (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor on behalf of their parliamentary groups during the debate.
The Bill on Amendments to the Fishing Act (859 SE), initiated by the Rural Affairs Committee, passed the first reading. It will specify the fishing rules for Danish seine and purse seine on Lake Peipus, Warm Lake, and Lake Pskov and bring them into line with the system of individual quotas. The aim of the amendments is to ensure the sustainable use of the fish stocks of Lake Peipus, Warm Lake and Lake Pskov and to avoid situations where fishing is concentrated in unsuitable conditions solely due to a general restriction on vessel departures.
Currently, a total of up to 600 fishing vessel departures per year are allowed on Lake Peipus, including 300 using small-mesh fishing gear and 300 using large-mesh fishing gear, under an intergovernmental agreement. However, the individual quotas implemented from 2023 have shown that the general cap on departures is not compatible with the new system: it can create pressure to catch the allowed catch as quickly as possible, which in turn increases the risk of overfishing, discards, and concealment.
The bill will specify the data to be entered in the commercial fishing register, the conditions for issuing fishing authorisations and how departures to water areas with fishing gear will be counted. The amendments will allow fishermen to better choose when to fish based on weather and water conditions and reduce the need to fish as quickly as possible for fear of reaching the overall quota.
A bill was dropped from the proceedings
The Bill on Amendments to the Gender Equality Act (807 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group and Members of the Riigikogu Andre Hanimägi, Tanel Kiik and Züleyxa Izmailova, did not pass the first reading. It is intended to ensure that bodies of state and local government authorities included people of both sexes in the future.
According to the initiators, a requirement was established as early as 2004 that the membership of committees, councils and other collegial bodies formed by state and local government authorities shall, if possible, include both sexes but so far this has not resulted in all-male councils and other bodies becoming a thing of the past. The bill is intended to strengthen the commitment to promoting gender equality in order to ensure diversity, balance and better compliance with the needs of society as a whole in decision-making.
28 members of the Riigikogu supported the motion of the Constitutional Committee to reject the Bill and 11 were against and thus it was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
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
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