{"id":9051,"date":"2026-07-08T09:38:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T06:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/?page_id=9051"},"modified":"2026-08-22T17:32:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:32:02","slug":"what-are-delegations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/parliament-of-estonia\/what-are-delegations\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Delegations?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n

In order to conduct international relations, the Riigikogu forms delegations. The mandate of a delegation lasts for four years, i.e. as long as the mandate of the Riigikogu. Draft resolutions for forming delegations are presented by the Foreign Affairs Committee, to whom delegations present a report on their activities at least once a year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of delegations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Members of delegations and, if necessary, also alternate members are appointed by a Resolution of the Riigikogu. Proposals on whom to appoint to a delegation are made to the Foreign Affairs Committee<\/a> by the parliamentary groups<\/a> of the Riigikogu. These proposals are made on the basis of the parliamentary group members\u2019 professional training, language skills and willingness to fulfil the duties of a member of a delegation. In order to preserve the consistency of international relations, it is also important whether a member of a parliamentary group has belonged to a specific delegation before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
View all Delegations<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Balti
Opening of the 33rd session of the Baltic Assembly, Riigikogu Session Hall, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Work in delegations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Each delegation has a specific role that is determined by the international organisation it belongs to. For example, the parliaments of every Baltic state appoint 12\u201320 of their members to the Baltic Assembly<\/a>. Every member of the Baltic Assembly works in one of its six committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is a delegation always necessary?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Riigikogu takes part in the work certain parliamentary organisations without forming a delegation. For example, the Estonian group in the Inter-Parliamentary Union<\/a> (IPU) consists of all the members of the Riigikogu<\/a>. They elect the heads of the Estonian IPU group: the president and two vice-presidents. The members of the Riigikogu who are to take part in IPU events (assemblies, conferences, etc.) are appointed on a case-by-case basis. This is done with respect to the balance of political views, the representation of genders and the agenda of the event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In order to conduct international relations, the Riigikogu forms delegations. The mandate of a delegation lasts for four years, i.e. as long as the mandate of the Riigikogu. Draft resolutions for forming delegations are presented by the Foreign Affairs Committee, to whom delegations present a report on their activities at least once a year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":6073,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9051","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat are Delegations? – Riigikogu<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are Delegations? – Riigikogu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In order to conduct international relations, the Riigikogu forms delegations. The mandate of a delegation lasts for four years, i.e. as long as the mandate of the Riigikogu. Draft resolutions for forming delegations are presented by the Foreign Affairs Committee, to whom delegations present a report on their activities at least once a year.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Riigikogu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/riigikogu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-22T14:32:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wpcms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@riigikogu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/\",\"name\":\"What are Delegations? – Riigikogu\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/wpcms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/11\\\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T06:38:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-22T14:32:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/wpcms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/11\\\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/wpcms\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2014\\\/11\\\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/riigikogu\\\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Parliament of Estonia\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/en\\\/parliament-of-estonia\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What are Delegations?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/\",\"name\":\"Riigikogu\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Riigikogu\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/riigikogu__m2rk_RGB.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/riigikogu__m2rk_RGB.jpg\",\"width\":1360,\"height\":940,\"caption\":\"Riigikogu\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.riigikogu.ee\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/riigikogu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/riigikogu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/riigikogu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/meieriigikogu\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What are Delegations? – Riigikogu","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What are Delegations? – Riigikogu","og_description":"In order to conduct international relations, the Riigikogu forms delegations. The mandate of a delegation lasts for four years, i.e. as long as the mandate of the Riigikogu. Draft resolutions for forming delegations are presented by the Foreign Affairs Committee, to whom delegations present a report on their activities at least once a year.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/","og_site_name":"Riigikogu","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/riigikogu","article_modified_time":"2026-08-22T14:32:02+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wpcms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@riigikogu","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/","url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/","name":"What are Delegations? – Riigikogu","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wpcms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-08T06:38:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-22T14:32:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wpcms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wpcms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Balti-Assamblee-33.-istungj%C3%A4rgu-avamine-Riigikogu-istungisaal.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/riigikogu\/mis-on-valisdelegatsioonid\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Parliament of Estonia","item":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/parliament-of-estonia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What are Delegations?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/","name":"Riigikogu","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/#organization","name":"Riigikogu","url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/riigikogu__m2rk_RGB.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/riigikogu__m2rk_RGB.jpg","width":1360,"height":940,"caption":"Riigikogu"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/riigikogu","https:\/\/x.com\/riigikogu","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/riigikogu","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/meieriigikogu\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9051"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9061,"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9051\/revisions\/9061"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.riigikogu.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}