The Riigikogu ratified the convention establishing a claims commission for Ukraine
Today the Riigikogu decided to ratify the convention establishing an international claims commission that will assess the damages caused to Ukraine by Russian aggression and award the amounts to be compensated.
The Riigikogu passed with 68 votes in favour the Act on the Ratification of the Convention Establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine (797 SE), initiated by the Government. The convention establishes an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, based on the principle that Russia must, under international law, compensate for the damages caused to Ukraine as a result of the aggression.
The establishment of the commission is part of a three-part international compensation mechanism. The first pillar is the register of damages which was established within the framework of the Council of Europe in May 2023, and which collects and records claims together with evidence. Over 100,000 claims have been entered in the register to date. The second pillar is the Claims Commission which will verify the legitimacy of recorded claims and award the amounts to be compensated. As the third step, a compensation fund will have to be established that will compensate the Ukrainian state, people, and businesses for claims approved by the commission.
The process is based on a 2022 resolution of the UN General Assembly which confirms Russia’s obligation to compensate for damage caused by violations of international law. Estonia has been one of the leaders of the mechanism and has actively participated in the development of the Convention. The Convention is open for accession by all member states of the Council of Europe and other states that supported the resolution of the UN General Assembly. Russia will be able to join the commission provided that it acknowledges its responsibility for the aggression and agrees to compensate for the damages.
Estonia signed the Convention in The Hague last December together with 33 other countries and the European Union. The Convention will enter into force when it has been ratified or approved by at least 25 signatories whose contributions to the budget are sufficient to ensure the sustainable financing of the work of the Commission.
Non-attached Member of the Riigikogu Henn Põlluaas, Kristo Enn Vaga from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group and Peeter Tali from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendments to the Waste Act (799 SE), initiated by the Environment Committee. Its aim is to give the private sector more investment certainty in waste handling and to improve competition and the quality of the service. The Act to amend the regulation on in-house transactions amends the provision relating to contracts for the recovery and disposal of waste. The amendments apply to the contracting of the recovery and disposal of the waste collected by order of local governments.
According to the amendments, 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 amendments are related to the Act 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 create the conditions for timely achievement of the recycling targets established in the European Union.
Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Arvo Aller from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group, Tiit Maran from the Social Democratic Party Group and Hanah Lahe from the Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
46 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Act and 27 were against.
The Riigikogu also passed the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of Members of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group Monitoring the Activities of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation” (809 OE), submitted by the Legal Affairs Committee. Members of the Riigikogu Anti Haugas and Andre Hanimägi are appointed as members of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group monitoring the activities of Europol.
The Scrutiny Group is established together by the EU national parliaments and the competent committee of the European Parliament. Its main task is to politically monitor Europol’s activities.
61 members of the Riigikogu supported the passing of the Resolution.
The Bill on prohibition on stay passed the second reading
The Bill on Amendments to the Law Enforcement Act (774 SE), initiated by the Government, passed the second reading in the Riigikogu. It will allow for imposing a prohibition on stay for up to 72 hours on a perpetrator of domestic violence in order to protect victims.
While currently a patrol officer can impose a prohibition on stay for up to 12 hours on a perpetrator of domestic violence, the bill will allow for a prohibition on stay for up to 72 hours to be applied. According to the explanatory memorandum, a prohibition on stay is often applied in cases of domestic violence as it is one of the quickest and most effective ways to protect the victim from immediate danger and break the cycle of violence.
According to the bill, the police will be able to apply a prohibition on stay to ascertain or counter a significant or serious threat in order to protect the rights of victims of domestic violence. In addition, the bill will make it mandatory to record prohibitions on stay in minutes in cases of domestic violence.
Signe Riisalo and Anti Haugas from the Reform Party Group and Lea Danilson-Järg Isamaa Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate. Members of the Riigikogu Peeter Ernits and Andre Hanimägi also took the floor.
Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill, but the plenary did not support the motion. Eight members of the Riigikogu supported suspension of the deliberation, 49 were against and there was one abstention.
The second reading of the Bill simplifying planning proceedings was suspended
The Riigikogu suspended the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Planning Act and an Act to Implement the Building Code and the Planning Act (683 SE), initiated by the Government. The aim of the Bill is to simplify and speed up planning proceedings.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the amendments will enable local governments to respond to developments more quickly and flexibly, to terminate outdated and stalled spatial plans, and to reduce formal and time-consuming obligations. For example, in future, the effect of a detailed spatial plan will automatically expire if no development activity is started on the basis of it within 10 years. If the period of effect still needs to be extended, this can be done without a new public procedure.
The bill will abolish municipal designated spatial plan which has so far been used, for example, in the planning of wind farms and in the future such construction works with a significant impact can be planned on the basis of detailed spatial plan. While the average processing time for a municipal designated spatial plan has been four years, the same result can be achieved with a detailed spatial plan in an average of 2.2 years. At the same time, the stage of approving county-wide spatial plans will be omitted according to the Bill.
During the second reading, several amendments were made to the bill which, among other things, would allow the authority that organises spatial planning work to set a reasonable deadline for carrying out an operation in spatial planning proceedings if no deadline for carrying out the operation has been provided for in law or other legislation. Provisions preparing for the introduction of a new information system of spatial plans on the basis of which the collection and storage of personal data would begin to take place were also included in the bill. The amendments will create the possibility to send mass notifications about the initiation of spatial plans and other procedural operations related to spatial plans to people within planning areas and the impact areas thereof through the information system being established in order to ensure better engagement.
The amendments will give the Land and Spatial Development Board the right to monitor the timeliness of the activities of both local governments and other authorities that organise spatial planning work and authorities, as well as the activities of local governments in conducting spatial planning proceedings by requesting information and, if necessary, issuing precepts to eliminate wrongfulness and unjustified delays.
In addition, the amendments will specify the obligation to take into account utility lines and civil engineering works in both comprehensive spatial plans and detailed spatial plans and provide for the setting of a deadline for making decisions to bring detailed spatial plans into effect or to refuse to do, as well as for including the possibility of amending detailed spatial plans. Among other things, the amendments that were planned to abolish the obligation to publish notices concerning spatial plans in newspapers of nation-wide circulation and county newspapers are omitted from the Bill.
Evelin Poolamets from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Parliamentary Group and non-attached Member of the Riigikogu Kalle Grünthal took the floor during the debate.
The Riigikogu suspended the second reading of the bill at the proposal of the Economic Affairs Committee so that members of the Riigikogu could submit proposals and interest groups could express their opinions on the amended text.
Two bills were dropped from legislative proceedings
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on the Repeal of the Motor Vehicle Tax Act and the Repeal of the Passenger Car Registration Fee in the Road Traffic Act (782 SE), initiated by Isamaa Parliamentary Group. The bill was intended to repeal both the motor vehicle tax and the passenger car registration fee which, in the opinion of the initiators, have worsened the economic security of people and the competitiveness of companies in Estonia.
Lauri Laats from the Centre Party Group, Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Rene Kokk from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Anti Allas from the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.
The Finance Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 42 members of the Riigikogu supported rejection and 22 were against. Thus, the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Status of Members of the Riigikogu Act (791 SE), initiated by the Centre Party Parliamentary Group. It was intended to make the remuneration and allowances of members of the Riigikogu partially dependent on their attendance at plenary sittings and committee meetings. In the opinion the initiators, the amendment would increase the sense of fairness and have a positive effect on political culture.
Vadim Belobrovtsev from the Centre Party Group took the floor during the debate.
The Constitutional Committee moved to reject the Bill at the first reading. 36 members of the Riigikogu supported the rejection, seven were against it and there was one abstention. Thus, the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.
The sitting ended at 7.31 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
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