The situation in the country
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 4th sitting, press briefing.
Date: 2024-11-20 14:48
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 18
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 15m
AI Summaries: 18/18 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The discussion of the fifth question focused on the state of the country, the management of mineral resources, and the future of exploiting state assets. Helle-Moonika Helme posed a question to the prime minister regarding phosphorite reserves, drawing attention to potential external interests and the connection between Ukrainian business interests and these phosphorite reserves. The discussion included an overview being prepared by the geological service concerning the existence of reserves, their quality, and potential for exploitation, with the results to be made public by the end of 2025. In this context, the idea of establishing a national wealth fund was proposed, to ensure the value of the assets remains in the country and for future generations. Furthermore, observations related to corruption in major projects were raised, and the discussion covered the Rail Baltic project, nuances occurring in Latvia, and the area of risks that have emerged related to the contract’s content. The stricter mutual conclusions and subsequent steps remained open as primary outputs, not as concluded decisions.
Decisions Made 1
No specific decisions were made. The discussion focused on plans, the timing and responsibilities for the publication of overviews, and the continued monitoring of Rail Baltic progress; future steps and concrete decisions will be presented again for consideration by Parliament.
Most Active Speaker
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
A member of the Riigikogu, Helle-Moonika Helme, presents the fifth question to Prime Minister Kristen Michal, and the topic is the situation in the country.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helle-Moonika Helme claims that the Reform Party government has brought Estonia's economy into a recession and people's lives into poverty, accuses the coalition of stealing from the state's assets and phosphate reserves for Ukraine's interests, and asks whether we will also give Ukraine our phosphate and the revenue from it.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal apologized and said that Urmas Reinsalu has again mixed things up, and failing to notice the minus sign will increase ammunition costs, which is very bad news for the chairman of the special committee for state budget oversight.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
They ask the prime minister not to waste any time and to answer the question immediately.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed that Estonia's assets will not be distributed to anyone else, and the State Geological Service will prepare an overview of the reserves, the disclosure of which is planned by the end of 2025, on the basis of which a debate will take place in Parliament, and if necessary the service will be invited to the faction; and if anything is ever put to use in the future, it will be done in the interests of the state and the people through local value addition, with the aim of establishing a National Wealth Fund for future generations.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Speaker Lauri Hussar thanks the prime minister and invites Helle-Moonika Helme to pose a clarifying question.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helle-Moonika Helme accuses the Reform Party of corruption in large-scale projects, pointing to the Rail Baltica, Nordica, and Port of Tallinn scandals, and demands explanations and answers, pointing to the Latvian investigation and the contract terms that impose a penalty on all participating states.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal affirms that in Estonia the Rail Baltica project is led by capable and practical people, and although he has a different view on the need for a rapid connection, the project is on track to be completed by the end of 2030. Estonia has allocated over 200 million to the budget, and a third of the track is under construction, which is important for the economy and security.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks and asks Rain Epler to present an additional question.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler discussed Rail Baltica and noted that although 2030 is the baseline scenario, there are realistic risk scenarios that could see the project completed after 2030, and he posed two questions: whether the government is aware of these risks and what the financial and sanctions-related consequences would be for Estonia if the project is not completed by 2030.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
The Prime Minister emphasizes that by 2030 the greatest risk is the lack of a fast connection with Europe if the Rail Baltica main corridor is not completed, and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are working together for this purpose, because the main objective is the main corridor and the other projects are of added value.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks the assembly, ends today’s consideration of the fifth question, and informs that before moving on to the sixth question there are two questions related to the procedure for conducting the meeting, which are presented by Anti Poolamets.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets called for focusing on the ongoing question, criticized the prime minister Moonika Helme's backpedaling on the question, and said that if there is no answer or no information available, the information can be transmitted in writing or discussed further in the corridor.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Thank you, dear colleague; the chair of the meeting made a note to that effect, and Urmas Reinsalu also posed a question about the procedure for conducting the meeting.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
He said that he would rather elaborate on what had been said before than answer.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The speaker emphasizes that there is no opportunity for a rebuttal here.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu said that the board's post-session retrospectives use increases the quality of information exchange, and he submitted to the Prime Minister a question about the budget for defense-oriented special equipment (Table 93): why this year it is −446 million euros and next year −349 million euros, which means a decrease of 96 million euros, and what considerations lie behind it.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar said that he is partly in agreement, but if the answer strays too far from the frame of the question, the chair of the meeting must intervene; he has promised to give a few extra seconds so that the person asking the question can finish presenting their question, and stressed that the quality of the discussion must be continually improved throughout the entire debate in accordance with the established rules.