The Riigikogu will update the Consumer Protection Act
Two Bills were at the first reading and eight interpellations were replied.
Two Bills passed the first reading
The Bill on Amendments to § 4 of the Consumer Protection Act (624 SE), initiated by the Government, will update the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act to reduce the number of printed purchase documents and paper invoices sent by mail. The current legal provisions are not flexible enough, although technological developments increasingly allow documents to be transmitted electronically and also stored electronically. As a result, large amounts of paper continue to be consumed which increases both the environmental footprint and administrative costs for traders.
The aim of the amendments is to encourage environmentally sustainable and modern solutions and to give traders the option to transmit documents digitally. In the future, the consumer will be able to receive the invoice notification as a text message or store the purchase document in the trader’s mobile application. The needs of consumers in need of greater protection, in particular the elderly, have also been taken into account in the drafting of the Bill. They will continue to have the option of receiving documents in paper format.
The main purposes of the Bill on the Ratification of the Instrument for the Amendment of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) (590 SE), initiated by the Government, are to change the membership of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office and the process of the appointment of the Director-General of the organisation and the amendment of the Constitution.
The Bill provides for a more representative membership of the ILO Governing Body, taking into account the various geographical, economic, and social interests of the representatives of governments, workers, and employers. The number of members in the Governing Body, the main decision-making executive body of the ILO, will increase. The Governing Body currently has 56 members, and after the changes there will be 112 members.
The Bill will make the process for appointing the Director-General of the ILO more inclusive, whereby the Director-General will be appointed by the Governing Body, which will forward the decision to the ILO General Conference for approval.
The Bill will also provide for amendments to the key principles of the ILO Constitution with greater support from ILO members than before. According to the Bill, fundamental amendments, such as amendments related to the organization’s founding principles or the appointment of the Director-General, will require greater support, which will be a 3/4 majority vote of the conference. For the amendments to enter into force, they will have to be ratified or approved by 3/4 of the ILO members.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the amendments to the ILO Constitution have not yet entered into force because not enough countries have ratified them. The amendments to the Constitution have been ratified by 127 out of 187 member states and will enter into force when two-thirds of the ILO member states, including five member states of chief industrial importance, ratify the amendments. Currently, two states of chief industrial importance have ratified the amendments: India and Italy. There is no obstacle for Estonia to ratify the amendments.
The ILO is an international organisation of which Estonia is a member and whose objectives are to promote standards and fundamental principles at work, to guarantee decent employment and to strengthen tripartism and social dialogue.
Ratification of the amendments to the ILO Constitution does not require changes to Estonian legislation.
Eight interpellations were replied
Prime Minister Kristen Michal replied to the interpellation concerning the security of the border region of South-East Estonia (No. 729), the future of agriculture in Estonia (No. 730) and the completion of the construction of Via Baltica (No. 734) submitted by members of the Riigikogu.
Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo replied to interpellations concerning the use of wagons of foreign countries in Ukraine (No. 740) and labour productivity, Estonia’s competitiveness, and cheap labour (No. 742).
Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt replied to interpellations concerning illegal amendment of the protection procedure for natural objects (No. 738), Estonia’s environment policy (No. 743) and electricity generation capacities (No. 746).
The interpellation concerning Elering’s strategy (No. 741), submitted to Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt, was removed from the agenda for the sitting at the request of the interpellators.
Madis Kallas and Lauri Läänemets took the floor during the open microphone.
The sitting ended at 10.41 p.m.
Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
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Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal,
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
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