Draft resolution "Establishment of a working group to address the population crisis" (324 OE) – first reading
Session: Fifteenth Riigikogu, Fourth Session, Plenary Session.
Date: 2024-10-09 17:40
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 46
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 50m
AI Summaries: 46/46 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu debated the first reading of Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu No. 324, "Formation of a Special Committee for Solving the Demographic Crisis," submitted by the faction of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE). The presenter, Evelin Poolamets (EKRE), emphasized the depth of the demographic crisis, citing a historically low birth rate and the projected decline in population, and criticized the government's inaction and the use of immigration as a short-term solution. She highlighted that although women desire more children, economic and other factors prevent their wishes from being fulfilled. The debates addressed the effectiveness of family policy measures (such as the third child benefit) and the need for cross-party consensus on demographic issues. Representatives of the governing coalition (e.g., Signe Kivi) questioned the necessity of the special committee, preferring instead to deepen economic security and family-friendly services. The rapporteur for the Constitutional Committee, Pipi-Liis Siemann, announced that the committee proposed rejecting the draft resolution, citing the poor performance of a previous committee and the ongoing preparation of a development plan for a cohesive society by the Ministry of the Interior. In the final vote, the Riigikogu supported the leading committee's proposal to reject the draft resolution.
Decisions Made 1
The Riigikogu decided to reject Draft Law 324 during the first reading (47 votes in favor, 12 against). The bill was consequently dropped from the legislative procedure.
Most Active Speaker
Evelin Poolamets (EKRE), who submitted the draft bill and answered numerous questions, was the most active speaker. (Right)
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi informed the assembly that we would now proceed to the third item on the agenda: the first reading of Draft Riigikogu Resolution 324, submitted by the EKRE faction, concerning the "Formation of a Special Committee on Solving the Demographic Crisis." He then requested Evelin Poolamets to serve as the presenter.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
A proposal to establish a special committee on resolving the population crisis, consisting of one member from each parliamentary group. Its task is to shape Estonian population policy and a plan for the preservation of culture and language, analyze demographic development, and submit a final report and, where necessary, proposals to the Riigikogu.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanks the audience, notes that there are questions, and invites Riina Solman to speak.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman noted that Kaja Kallas’s government abolished the institution of the Minister of Population Affairs and consolidated the topics of birth rate and family policy within the Ministry of Social Affairs, and she asked whether the government commission has prepared or discussed a demographic vision and initiated draft legislation to address it.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets claims that the current government shows no interest in children's welfare and is not addressing the demographic crisis, and there is not a single word about this in the coalition agreement.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi invites Signe Kivi to come forward and speak.
Signe Kivi
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Signe Kivi quotes Ene-Margit Tiit and points out that the most promising way for Estonia to solve the demographic crisis is through regional policy that promotes rural life, combined with family policy. This is because the birth rate is higher in the countryside than in the cities, and national culture and language are a shared responsibility for everyone. Finally, she asks why the Problem Commission, specifically, should be the one to solve this crisis.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanks.
Signe Kivi
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Signe Kivi asks whether it is possible for them, as a commission, to turn the tide in this crisis.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets notes that the birth rate is higher in rural areas and that the availability of essential services and schools is important, but she questions whether the problem commission can solve this, why subsidies do not incentivize everyone to have children, and why the number of children born does not meet women's desires due to economic or other reasons.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi invited Anti Poolamets to speak.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets stated that when reviewing the work of the previous Population Crisis Committee, the question arises whether society can shape attitudes toward large families and value them. He then referenced Siim Kallas’s offensive comment and questioned whether it is truly possible to change such an attitude.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets criticizes the Reform Party's stance that having children is frowned upon, pointing out that negative messaging from ministers and the media fosters the perception among young women that childbirth is neither state-approved nor viewed positively.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi calls upon Mart Helme.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme mentioned Kalev Katus and stated that the issue of the birth rate cannot be solved merely through the efforts of individual families or women; rather, it requires a nationwide, consensus-based effort, and the establishment of a special committee to address the problem should express precisely that intent.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He/She emphasizes that it takes a whole village to raise one child, and the entire community should support families and view children as a crucial asset—this is a collective national effort.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Riina Solman is requested to speak during the address.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman emphasizes that the decline in the birth rate must not be excused by inaction, and that families must be supported. She recalls the family benefit for the third child introduced in 2017, which resulted in a rise in the birth rate, and asks exactly how significant that increase was.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
I can tell you from personal experience that this support was crucial in rural areas—my neighbor had her third child because of it—and the statistics confirm that the impact of the measure is genuinely visible.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi invited Rene Kokk to speak.
AI Summary
Rene Kokk emphasized the need for the creation of a population crisis commission, noting that the country lacks a comprehensive view of the problem. He referred to the immigration quota plan and the labor shortage, and asked whether anyone at the government level is actually reviewing the entire problem, or if everyone is just fiddling around in their own corner.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets is criticizing the government’s decision to increase immigration, arguing that while it temporarily boosts the proportion of the working-age population, it doesn't solve the long-term structure of the demographic pyramid. She points out that immigrants tend to have fewer children than native residents, and we need both working-age people and children to support our pensioners.
Signe Kivi
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Signe Kivi highlights the importance of family-friendly services and cites demographic examples. She then asks point-blank why the Reform Party is being criticized from the Riigikogu rostrum, and why the women, mothers, and grandmothers in their faction are being insulted.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi invites Signe Kivi to speak.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets is criticizing the Reform Party over its attitude towards women, specifically citing a public comment made by Siim Kallas. She also stresses the crucial importance of services for people to have children, and points out that the proportion of ethnic Estonians within the total population has recently dropped once more.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi turns to Mart Helme with a request.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme stresses that for the sake of a nationwide effort, we shouldn't descend into partisan score-settling. Furthermore, although all factions favor establishing a special committee, the coalition does not intend to support the draft legislation. The rhetoric coming from the Reform Party ministers suggests solving the demographic crisis via immigration, which makes finding any consensus impossible.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
I find no support in this hall, and I have the feeling that the government does not consider the sustainability of the Estonian people and culture important. At the same time, I criticize the Reform Party for supporting the tripling of the immigration quota, which promises a readily available workforce but increases unemployment and brings Bolt drivers here.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The waiter turns to Anti Poolamets and asks him.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets recalls that before the last Riigikogu elections, a cross-party consensus was reached on raising family benefits, but that plan was scrapped. He now asks whether they can return to that issue or if they must wait for the next elections, since there is currently no signal from the government.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Evelin Poolamets points out that the demographic crisis is not being taken seriously, citing an example based on outdated data—the 2022 fertility rate was 1.4, but by 2024 it has dropped to 1.31—and argues that cuts to family benefits and children's extracurricular education will deepen the crisis and demonstrate that Estonians are not important to the government.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Toomas Kivimägi called Urve Tiidus to the stage.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker highlighted the famous saying, 'it takes a whole village to raise a child,' linking it to Hillary Clinton's book and West Africa, and asked whether the proposed new commission could borrow ideas from the previous commission to better address the population crisis.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The previous problem commission lasted a very short time, but it managed to gain momentum, and following the change of power, the current commission will certainly be able to continue the work that was left unfinished.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanked [the participants], stated that there were no further questions, and requested Pipi-Liis Siemann, a member of the Constitutional Committee, to come to the Riigikogu rostrum to present the discussion and decisions that took place in the leading committee.
Pipi-Liis Siemann
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The draft bill concerning the demographic crisis, which was discussed in the Riigikogu Constitutional Committee, highlighted the necessity of systematically addressing demographic processes. It emphasized the importance of a cohesive society and integration, as well as improving the sense of economic security. Furthermore, the discussion included whether the committee should be permanent or temporary to prevent the duplication of efforts.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi offered his thanks, noted that there were no questions, opened the debate, and invited Riina Solman to address the assembly on behalf of the Isamaa faction.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman emphasized that population policy is a niche area, but one that is extremely crucial for the functioning of the entire state, because Estonia’s demographics significantly worsened in 2023 and the birth rate has dropped. Although the population has grown slightly due to immigration and the acceptance of war refugees, the government must provide security to families and keep its promises, because ultimately, without people, there is no country.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi requests three minutes be added.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman criticizes the government for cutting support for families with children and raising taxes, noting the absence of a clear vision to support the birth rate. She demands a concrete action plan and dedicated funding from the Minister of Social Protection, including increased benefits for the first and second child and the expansion of the family support center network, rather than relying on migration as a solution.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
He offers his heartfelt thanks and, on behalf of the EKRE faction, submits a request to Mart Helme.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme said that the population crisis is a universal national issue, and solving it requires thorough scientific analysis and statistics, the involvement of the Riigikogu, and state budget planning to find optimal solutions, together with stakeholders, regarding demography, immigration, and labor issues, and to ensure the preservation of the Estonian nation-state.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi asks for three additional minutes.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme states that mass migration will not solve the country’s problems, and instead, we must focus on preserving the nation-state, the Estonian community, and the Estonian language, forming a commission, and finding a broad-based consensus on this issue.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
He concludes the negotiations, submits the leading committee's proposal to reject Draft Law 324 at the first reading, and puts it to a vote.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Forty-seven members of the Riigikogu voted in favor, twelve were against, and zero abstained; the motion was supported, Bill 324 has been rejected and is dropped from the proceedings; the session is concluded.