Inquiry regarding the closure of the Jõhvi Courthouse (no 666)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th session, plenary session
Date: 2025-01-13 19:28
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 25
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 42m
AI Summaries: 25/25 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu discussed a question (no. 666) submitted by the Centre Party faction regarding the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse. Lauri Laats, speaking on behalf of the questioners, expressed concern about the government's austerity policies and the lack of regional policy, considering the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse a bad example. Justice and Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta explained that the austerity proposals came from the courts themselves, ensuring independence. She emphasized that the upkeep costs of the Jõhvi building are strikingly high compared to other courthouses, as it is a building completed in cooperation with the private sector at a high rental price. According to the minister, the goal is to save per square meter (rental costs), not from those administering justice, and that judges can fit into the Rakvere and Narva courthouses. Pakosta stressed that the judicial reform focuses on digitization, specialization, and reducing the workload of the courts, citing divorce cases as an example, which do not require substantive judicial discussion. The opposition (Centre Party, EKRE) sharply criticized the decision, considering it unacceptable from the perspective of security and the sense of justice in Ida-Virumaa, and accused the government of managing based on "Excel." The minister confirmed that options are being sought in Jõhvi to maintain a judicial representation to ensure service accessibility.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Riigikogu moves to the fourth item on the agenda, where the parliamentary inquiry submitted on 11 November 2024 regarding the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse (Inquiry No. 666) by Lauri Laatsi, Vadim Belobrovtsev, Andrei Korobeinik, Anastasia Kovalenko-Kolvarti and Vladimir Arhipov is being considered, and Lauri Laats is invited to take the floor to present.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats expressed, on behalf of the Centre Party faction, concern about the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse, criticized the opacity of the state budget and government decisions, and submitted eight questions to the Minister of Justice and the Minister for Digital Affairs on November 11, hoping for a constructive discussion.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanks and asks the esteemed Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta to answer the inquirers' questions from the Riigikogu's speaking podium.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Justice and Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta stressed the preservation of the independence of the courts, explained the economic impact of the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse, and affirmed that access to justice in Ida-Viru County remains guaranteed through space optimization, video and remote court proceedings, and the involvement of local governments.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked and opened the round of questions, asking Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvarti to speak.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The rapporteur criticizes the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse as cuts laid out with a ruler and in Excel, whose impact on the administration of justice has not been taken into account, and asks whether the courts should be merged and what the Ministry of Justice's position on this is.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Gratitude is at the heart of the speech.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
According to Pakosta, a wide-ranging reform has been launched to increase the efficiency of the court system, not merely cuts, focusing on speeding up processes, substantive work, and greater specialization, and through the Estonian-based allocation of court cases to ensure faster and more expert decisions, while analyzing and improving the court's operations.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech contains only a plea to invite Lauri Laats to perform.
Lauri Laats
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Laats stated that the judiciary is facing problems of low motivation and increased workload, which hinder attracting young people and individuals with experience in private practice, and he emphasized that in the near future the burden must be alleviated and the system made more attractive.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
According to Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta, to reduce the courts' workload, matters that do not require court proceedings should be moved out of court (for example, divorces), accelerate digitization, and enable judges to have a more flexible distribution of work through professional specialization, so that the administration of justice is faster and more efficient.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Vladimir Arhipov to speak.
Vladimir Arhipov
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vladimir Arhipov, in the context of regional policy, provides an example of the closure of schools and the Maardu police station, and asks whether the 600,000-euro savings would not diminish residents' sense of justice and trust in state institutions.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
In the presentation it is emphasized that the construction and maintenance of the Jõhvi courthouse created budget problems, and due to the high rent the representation of the Ida-Viru region's court must be preserved in Narva; judges will stay and continue to serve the region, so the impact is generally small and only a few residents of Jõhvi may have longer travel times, but the Jõhvi representation at the court will remain.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Rain Epler onto the stage.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler criticizes the coalition's excessive taxation, emphasizes the need for efficiency and cost-cutting, warns against Tallinn-centric focus, and poses an open question: describe your ideal Estonia.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
In an ideal Estonia there would be world-class specialized judges whose decisions are prepared with the help of artificial intelligence, and they would move around Estonia as needed or for training abroad, but would resolve consumer and family-law disputes quickly, with the cooperation of the parents and under clear laws, so that the number of court disputes would decrease and a child would not have to suffer.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invites Arvo Alleri to speak.
Arvo Aller
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Arvo Aller emphasizes that the minister must take action so that the Jõhvi courthouse does not close, and criticizes the state's focus on only Excel and rent instead of regional security.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
There will still be a court in Ida-Virumaa, but there are two options for saving costs: either the premises will be retained and at least ten court jurists will be laid off, or the number of judges will be reduced, but cutting the number of people who actually dispense justice would bring bad results.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked the participants, announced that there were no more questions, opened the negotiations, and asked Rain Epler to take the floor.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler proposed that members of the Riigikogu each record one fairy tale and post them on the Internet, so that parents could tell stories about them on tiring days, and at the same time he warned about the harmful consequences of closing meeting houses, criticized the leadership of the Reform Party, and gave an example from Põlva that ahead of the elections it is important to evaluate the work of local representatives.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech contains an expression of gratitude and a prayer directed at Arvo Alleri.
Arvo Aller
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Arvo Aller emphasizes that the Jõhvi courthouse must remain open, because it is an important symbol for the security of Ida-Virumaa and the state's presence, and its closure would force people and businesses to travel far, which is pointless and irrational for the sake of the security of the entire region.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The deputy chairman Toomas Kivimägi announced that there are no more requests to speak, that the negotiations are closed due to the minister's absence, and the consideration of the fourth item on the agenda has been concluded; at the next item the same topic will be continued.