Draft law amending the 2024 State Budget Act (517 SE) – third reading
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 4th session, plenary sitting
Date: 2024-12-04 16:58
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 62
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 51m
AI Summaries: 62/62 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The focus of the presentation was Agenda Item Seven: the third reading of the draft law amending the 2024 state budget law, initiated by the Republic's Government. The presentation was given by Annely Akkermann, Chair of the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu. The negotiations and preparations included several coordinated sessions: November 21st and December 2nd, the Finance Committee read the draft bill for the third reading, and December 3rd, a virtual meeting with Kristina Kallas. The Isamaa faction submitted amended proposals to reduce central government expenditure and cut transferrable costs, but these did not fit within the budget picture. The Finance Committee prepared a proposal consisting mainly of individual amendments clarifying expenses, and two technical amendment proposals.
In the second reading, a substantive overview was given of the distribution of a transfer of €14 million to €73 million, and the roles of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior were discussed, particularly in the field of information technology and e-exams. In the final phase, it was decided to put the bill on the agenda of the plenary session and to hold a final vote after completing the third reading. Important topics also concerned the excessive or insufficient use of the 2023 carryover, discussions about the mobility of the €14 million budget line and its impact on the 2024 budget position, and the redistribution of funding in the education sector to create opportunities to supplement the computer park for e-exams. In summary, the amendments resulting from the cooperation and discussions of the presented package were adopted, and finally, the bill itself was adopted as a law.
Decisions Made 4
The decision to put item 517 on the plenary agenda, and the decision to hold a final vote upon concluding the third reading, were made.
Amendment proposal no. 1 (submitted by the finance committee) shall be fully approved and put to a final vote.
The Steering Committee's position was to fully consider amendment proposals number 2 and number 3, and to arrange for their final vote to be reviewed.
Bill 517 was put to a final vote and passed as law: 45 in favor, 25 against, 0 abstentions.
Most Active Speaker
Urmas Reinsalu (Chairman of the Isamaa faction). He was one of the most impassive and principal debaters, representing strong opposition criticism regarding the government's budget issues, and raised questions and criticism concerning the use of transferable funds and allocations for the education sector. He appeared as a representative of the right-wing political spectrum and his participation exceeded the boundaries of a normal discussion, presenting clear questions and recommendations to the finance committee and the government.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The seventh item on the agenda concerns the third reading of the draft amendment to the 2024 State Budget Act, bill no. 517, and the presenter is Annely Akkermann, chair of the Riigikogu's Finance Committee.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann said that the second reading of the draft took place on 13 November, the Finance Committee, together with the ministry, drafted one amendment proposal consisting of several amendments, predominantly clarifying costs, and two technical amendment proposals. The 200 million euro cuts proposed by Isamaa did not fit into the budget and were left unexamined, and before the third reading discussions were held on funding for the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education and Science, and finally it was decided to bring the draft to the plenary, finish the third reading, and hold a final vote.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanks and invites Urmas Reinsalu to pose a question.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu said that Akkermann's explanation wasn't convincing, called for changing the budget framework to reduce policy, and raised the confusion surrounding the 10 million euros; as a result it turned out that the money is actually available and the burden of tax increases remains in place.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech was an expression of gratitude that conveyed thanks.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Reinsalu said that he has been talking about this all along; the proposal comes from Isamaa, and there is money in the state budget, and he asks for clarification.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
In a speech, gratitude is expressed.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
He asks where this 10 million came from all at once, and on which line item in the state budget the intended use of that money is known.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann apologized, saying that she probably spoke too quickly and the listeners did not hear, and added that amendments to the draft laws must include a reference to the section to be changed and precise wording, and that the total amount of the state budget can be changed only through a supplementary budget, the right to initiate which lies only with the government.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu took the floor and thanked.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann said that the proposal to reduce central government expenditures by 200 million euros is unrealistic, because the budget lacks a separate line item 'central government expenditures' and it is a general term that cannot be included in the budget.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Rain Epler to speak.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler asked Annely two questions about the budget: whether they knew in advance that the Isamaa proposal would not fit within the budget framework, and why Kristina Kallas's 5+3+2 cut ended up at 10.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann said that €200 million cannot be accommodated in the budget because the central government’s expenditure line is missing, and she pointed to a 10% cut in extracurricular education in the 2025 budget and confirmed that the minister replied that she had carried out this cut in one year, otherwise local government funds would have had to be cut in 2025 by 5%, the following year by 3%, and the year after that by 2%.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech emphasizes that both Kristinas prefer the stress on the first syllable of the name Kristina (Kristina Šmigun-Vähi and Kristina Kallas), and although different variants are used, they are not offended by a different pronunciation.
Andrei Korobeinik
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The Finance Committee is concerned about the Interior Minister's use of large sums and the lack of clarity surrounding the situation, and asks whether he will come to the committee this year to provide explanations.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann said that today a decision could be made without an explanation, because explanations exist, and as soon as the remnants arise and the 2024 remnants are clear, they will be familiarized with them in the first quarter of next year, and she hopes the Interior Minister's Committee session will be held upon returning from vacation.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu is invited to perform.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu asked in a single sentence where the 10 million euros for the Ministry of Education's remit come from, whether a separate program has been created from it, and where in the Budget Amendment Act there is the basis for its allocation, referring to an anonymous whistleblower and to Postimees' accusations about the education agreement and influencing municipalities, and recalling that at the beginning of the year there was a 10-million shortfall in teachers' salaries and children could not go to school.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The deputy chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, thanks Urmas.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu said that in December there are over ten million and that this is chaos, and he asked what lies behind it.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann explained that a 10-million-euro amendment was approved by a ministerial order, and part of it is based on the number of students per head, which meant the 2024 takeover of Narva, Kohtla-Järve, Viljandi, Kuressaare and Tartu adult schools, but Viljandi, Kuressaare and Tartu schools were not taken over, and by the end of the year the funds planned according to the number of students remained unused; at the same time there is concern about e-exams in spring, where 57% of schools are technically ready, the rest not, because there is not enough computer equipment.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, asks Tõnis Lukas to pose a question and guides him, although Urmas Reinsalu is speaking in the chamber in the meantime.
Tõnis Lukas
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
They ask whether the cost of around 10 million euros is a one-off or will have to be covered next year if the nationalization and the process continue, although the Minister of Education has stated that it is a one-off cost.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanked the audience.
Tõnis Lukas
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Tõnis Lukas said that it could have been used for fixed costs, for example for teachers' salaries.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann claims that Kristina Kallas’s words refer to a modification made within the program, for which there is no need to change the budget, and there was leftover money for student places on the line item for the general education program, because these schools were not taken over by the state, and there arose a need to support general education schools with computer parks or computing-technical equipment for e-exams, which she interprets as such, but I have not asked her.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks Madis Kallast.
Madis Kallas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Madis Kallas thanks the chair of the commission, Annely, for her humble and non-confrontational attitude, and asks whether all the ministries' responses are in and whether anything is still up in the air.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
It was stressed that the answers given about unused residues are vague, and one must continue to ask until a precise answer is obtained, while at the same time it was acknowledged that due to the Finance Committee's heavy workload and small membership, everything is sometimes left unnoticed, and at times the questions are also based on what is read in the newspaper.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks Helir-Valdor Seeder.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder criticizes the ministry's lack of early planning and targeted funding in the takeover of adult high schools, citing as an example a letter received from the city of Viljandi at the end of November, stating that the takeover will not take place within this year and that funds will not be allocated.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The deputy chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, thanks everyone.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann says that she cannot answer the reasons why the Viljandi, Kuressaare and Tartu adult schools were not taken over, and that this question should be asked of the minister.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Andres Metsoja to speak.
Andres Metsoja
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
The speaker criticizes the transparency of the national budget, referring to the Pärnu example, where the promises to develop the city’s spaces arose in the absence of funding, and with the current 10-million surplus, he sees how unprofessional and opaque this process really is.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann claims that such methods are being abused, that the promises given to the Riigikogu are not being fulfilled, and that the money is being used for other purposes, and the 14 million carried over from 2023 will be returned to the budget next year, and with that money the reform of doctoral studies will be continued, the Minister of Education also said.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invited Rain Epler to speak.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler points out that every year there are carryover funds, and at the end of the year there is sometimes more than 10 million left over, which he regards as absurd, and asks Annely how much such a one-off elimination of carryover sums would reduce the size of the budget.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann emphasizes that 73 million is kept in reserve, and the Finance Committee must slow down transfers to avoid overspending and a deficit, and the government must carry out the Parliament's will and use the allocated funds correctly.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, asked Aivar Sõerd to speak.
Aivar Sõerd
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The Finance Committee identified a funding source of 10 million euros for the purchase of a computer park for an e‑learning environment or an e‑exam environment, information about which reached us through the press, and changing it does not require amendments to the Riigikogu Budget Act, and the committee chair asks how many similar fund reallocations are still in the budget.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, thanked the audience.
Aivar Sõerd
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
This speech raises the question of why nothing reaches the Finance Committee.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann says that the budget is a forecast that provides ministers with room to maneuver, and under the principle of subsidiarity it can sometimes solve problems with small steps, for example by using funds tied to the takeover of schools for computer labs, which cannot be called a bad use of funds, because the national exams failed due to the shortage of computer labs.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder said that he did not agree with the respondent's acknowledgment and repeated the question: why the ministry is not dealing with the takeover of schools (including Viljandi Gymnasium), why in spring money is not allocated for acute school needs, and which budget line allocates it for this purpose.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, asks Helir-Valdor Seeder.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann said that the funding for the computer fleet of gymnasiums and general education schools is part of a single general education program that is included in the state budget, and she cannot say whether Kristina Kallas knew about the takeover of adult education schools during the strike or when this knowledge arose.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman invites Andrei Korobeiniku to step forward.
Andrei Korobeinik
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Andrei Korobeinik criticizes the budget framework law, recently passed with the coalition's votes, which would give ministers the authority to change expenditures and programs, and emphasizes that ministers must not, on their own initiative, implement better ideas, but must follow the Riigikogu's instructions, which correspond to his constitutional understanding.
Annely Akkermann
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Annely Akkermann emphasizes that the 2024 budget is so large that Parliament has no point in examining every penny, and that the minister must have decision-making authority within the programs and the ability to lead his or her ministry.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
There are no more questions, and Rain Epler submitted a question to the chair of the meeting.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler noted that the chair of the meeting said the name incorrectly – Kristiina Kallas – and that the correct name is Kristina Kallas, asking him to say this correct name.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi said that although he noticed the same thing, there is no need to repeat it every time and it was only a reminder, and he opens negotiations and hopes that the same remark does not need to be made about the coalition MP, and he invited Rain Epler from the EKRE faction to speak. That concludes the questions.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler called for moving to a cost-based budget in order to clearly see where the money goes, to limit pay raises, and to end the Riigikogu's retroactive approval, because the current activity-based budget fosters officials' idleness.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu, on behalf of the Isamaa faction, requests extra time to speak, and the allotted duration is eight minutes.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu said that the 2024 supplementary budget does not offer substantive cuts to government operating costs, nor does it show political will to implement them, and Isamaa will vote against it.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi ended the negotiations and directed the review of three amendment proposals, of which the first was submitted by the Finance Committee, and the leading committee wants to take it fully into account; Helir-Valdor Seeder, please!
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
They ask to have a vote on this amendment proposal.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi said that they are ready and will begin preparing for the vote on Amendment No. 1 to Amendment Proposal 517, which was submitted by the Finance Committee, and about which the lead committee wishes to take full account, asking to take a position and vote.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Riigikogu voted 48 in favor, 21 against and 0 abstentions; Amendment No. 1 received support; Amendments Nos. 2 and 3 are to be taken into full account in accordance with the Finance Committee's positions; the leading committee intends to hold the final vote on Draft Law No. 517 and asks to take a position and vote on Draft Law No. 517 amending the 2024 State Budget Act.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The Estonian Parliament adopted Bill 517 as law: 45 in favor, 25 against, 0 abstentions.