The Bills that passed the second reading in the Riigikogu concern greenhouse gas emission allowance trading, financial supervision and participation of Members of the European Parliament in the work of municipal councils.

The Bill on Amendments to the Atmospheric Air Protection Act and the State Fees Act (345 SE), initiated by the Government, will update references to the European Commission Regulations that implement the European Union system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading.

The European Commission has established new Regulations implementing the European Union system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading (EU ETS). The Regulations provide for the details of the operation of the EU ETS for the fourth trading period in the years 2021–2030. The European Union has also issued an implementing Regulation on the Modernisation Fund, which aims to contribute to the enhancement of investments supporting cost-effective emission reductions in less wealthy EU countries.

According to the Bill, the aims and distribution of the use of the resources of the Modernisation Fund and the ministers responsible for the use of the resources will be set out in the state budget strategy, to direct the resources of the Modernisation Fund to sectors that are important to the state in order to achieve climate and energy policy objectives. The resources of the Modernisation Fund can be used to support the implementation of activities of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage and the modernisation of energy networks, as well as a just transition to a low-carbon economy in regions that rely on a high-carbon economy, for example in Ida-Viru County. It is also possible to support the development of energy efficiency in transport, buildings, agriculture and waste.

Under the Effort Sharing Regulation, Estonia has a binding greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2030 and trajectory for annual emissions reduction targets for the period 2021–2030 in the transport, agriculture, waste management, industrial processes and small-scale energy generation sectors. The targets are trans-sectoral. In order to ensure the achievement of targets, Member States are allowed to trade emission allowances created under the Regulation. As a precondition to enable this, the Bill sets out the principles of emissions trading in the sectors of the Effort Sharing Regulation and the conditions of and the procedure for the organisation of trading, sales and purchase contacts and the use of the funds received from trading, and the obligations of applicants.

During the debate, Henn Põlluaas, Jaak Valge, Peeter Ernits, Kalle Grünthal, Anti Poolamets, Helle-Moonika Helme, Riho Breivel, Merry Aart, Kert Kingo, Uno Kaskpeit, Paul Puustusmaa, Mart Helme, Alar Laneman, Leo Kunnas, Urmas Reitelmann, Rene Kokk, Martin Helme, Siim Pohlak (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Tarmo Kruusimäe (Isamaa), Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party) and Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) took the floor.

The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. 15 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion, 49 voted against and there was one abstention.

The Bill on Amendments to the Financial Supervision Authority of Act (380 SE), initiated by the Finance Committee, will extend the bases for publishing information relating to state financial supervision and will include in the Financial Supervision Authority Act a legal basis for publishing warning notices for financial services consumers. The Bill will enable the Financial Supervision Authority to publish warning notices and to warn the public against activities that are not in conformity with requirements and against relevant suspicions in the field of financial supervision.

The explanatory memorandum notes that the notices will enable to provide the Estonian public early information on risks relating to the financial sector and to inform consumers of reasoned threats in the field of financial supervision. Considering the ever-growing financial services market and the entry into market of new kinds of services, there is an ever-growing likelihood that financial services and products are “advertised” to the public the provision or offering of which may require authorisation from the Financial Supervision Authority while the person offering the relevant service or product does not have it. In such cases, it is very important that the Financial Supervision Authority also have the possibility to inform or warn the public of this immediately. As a general rule, the Financial Supervision Authority publishes the warning notices on its webpage.

With amendments included in the Bill, the provisions concerning the disclosure of the warning notices of the Financial Supervision Authority will be specified. According to the Bill, before disclosing a warning notice, the Authority may, among other things, make enquiries to persons who are or, on the basis of the known information, may be considered as offenders. The amendment will specify that the Authority may also make relevant enquiries to other persons about the circumstances relevant to the issue of a warning notice.

During the debate, Riho Breivel, Martin Helme, Peeter Ernits, Kalle Grünthal, Henn Põlluaas, Paul Puustusmaa, Kert Kingo, Jaak Valge, Anti Poolamets, Merry Aart, Helle-Moonika Helme, Mart Helme, Uno Kaskpeit, Rene Kokk, Siim Pohlak, Alar Laneman, Urmas Reitelmann and Leo Kunnas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

Rene Kokk, on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction, moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. 16 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 42 voted against.

The Bill on Amendments to the European Parliament Election Act and the Local Government Organisation Act (participation of Members of the European Parliament in the work of municipal councils) (389 SE), initiated by the Constitutional Committee, will eliminate the restrictions according to which members of the European Parliament may not participate in the work of rural municipality and city councils. The Bill will give them the possibility to have a say in organising the life of the local government of their residence.

With the amendments, the requirements for being a member of council applicable to members of the European Parliament will be harmonised with the current rules applicable to members of the Riigikogu.

Giving members of the European Parliament the right to be members of municipal council will not make being a member of council obligatory for the members of parliament. Members of the European Parliament will be able to decide whether they wish to combine their mandates as members of parliament and members of council or not.

During the debate, Kalle Grünthal, Jaak Valge, Kert Kingo, Helle-Moonika Helme, Siim Pohlak, Mart Helme, Paul Puustusmaa, Rene Kokk, Merry Aart, Anti Poolamets, Henn Põlluaas, Riho Breivel, Martin Helme, Ruuben Kaalep, Leo Kunnas, Alar Laneman, Urmas Reitelmann, Uno Kaskpeit and Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

The Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. Four members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 40 voted against.

The Riigikogu passed two Resolutions

Under the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe”” (398 OE), submitted by the Foreign Affairs Committee, substitute member Johannes Kert is excluded from the delegation and head of the delegation Sven Sester is appointed as a substitute member of the delegation. Mati Raidma is appointed as the head of the delegation.

During the debate, Martin Helme (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party) took the floor.

83 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Resolution, and there were three abstentions.

Under the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Amendment of the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Formation of the Estonian Delegation to the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania Interparliamentary Assembly”” (399 OE), submitted by the Foreign Affairs Committee, deputy head of the delegation Johannes Kert and members Urmas Espenberg, Marek Jürgenson and Üllar Saaremäe are excluded from the delegation. Sven Sester is appointed as the deputy head of the delegation and Yoko Alender, Hele Everaus, Andres Metsoja and Anti Poolamets are appointed as members of the delegation.

During the debate, Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party), Aadu Must (Centre Party) and Jürgen Ligi (Reform Party) took the floor.

79 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Resolution, and there were three abstentions.

The second reading of a Bill was adjourned due to the end of the sitting

The Bill on Amendments to the Local Government Organisation Act (212 SE), initiated by the Constitutional Committee, provides that the mandate of the council member is suspended when he or she takes up employment on the basis of an employment contract in an administrative agency of the same rural municipality or city. The proposed amendment does not concern officials.

During the debate, Riho Breivel, Martin Helme, Paul Puustusmaa, Jaak Valge and Henn Põlluaas (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.

The second reading of the Bill will be continued at the Riigikogu sitting starting at 10 a.m.

Due to the end of the working hours of the sitting, the following were postponed to the sitting starting at 10 a.m.:

The first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Employment Contracts Act and the Taxation Act (403 SE), initiated by the Government, and the Bill on Amendments to the Local Government Organisation Act (397 SE), initiated by the Anti-Corruption Select Committee, and the third reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Information Society Services Act (359 SE), initiated by the Government.

The deliberation of the Education Sector Development Plan 2021–2035 was also postponed to the following sitting.

In addition, the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Identity Documents Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (366 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the Water Act (381 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the General Part of the Environmental Code Act and Other Acts (repeal of the Environmental Register Act) (292 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the Collective Agreements Act and Other Acts (383 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Act, the Identity Documents Act and the State Fees Act (376 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the Product Conformity Act and Amendments to Other Associated Act (372 SE), initiated by the Government, the Bill on Amendments to the Restrictions on Acquisition of Immovables Act (365 SE), initiated by the Government, and the Bill on the Prevention of Unfair Trading Practices in the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain (377 SE), initiated by the Government, and the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Planning Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (378 SE), initiated by the Government, and the Bill on Amendments to the Commercial Code and the Accounting Act (digital solutions in company law) (394 SE), initiated by the Government, were postponed to the following sitting.

The sitting, which started yesterday at 2 p.m., ended today at 9.32 a.m.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The video recording of the sitting will be available on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Riigikogu Press Service
Veiko Pesur
Phone: +372 631 6353, +372 5559 0595
E-mail: [email protected]
Questions: [email protected]