Draft law amending the Citizenship Act (522 SE) – First Reading
Session: 15th Estonian Parliament, 4th session, plenary session.
Date: 2024-12-05 13:17
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 27
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 41m
AI Summaries: 27/27 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Today's sitting addressed the draft law amending the Citizenship Act 522 for its first reading, initiated by the Isamaa faction. The draft’s aim is to restore the previous, tighter procedure for granting citizenship and to limit the possibility of granting Estonian citizenship in exceptional cases to individuals who have been repeatedly convicted of crimes – this is connected to the context of the constitution and the state’s sovereign right to establish conditions for granting citizenship. The speaker was Helir-Valdor Seeder, the draft’s initiator, and the general discussion highlighted differences in practice between governments and the need for a clear, predictable procedure.
The content of the draft is summarized in two paragraphs: the first paragraph declares § 21 paragraph 11 invalid, which previously allowed for the exceptional granting of Estonian citizenship to an individual who had been repeatedly convicted and whose conviction had been erased; the second paragraph’s implementing clause stipulates that applications submitted before the entry into force will be processed to completion under the old procedure. The background emphasized that previous practice has sometimes been clumsy and uneven and requires clear principles consistent with the rule of law, so that citizenship is a privilege, not a compulsory human right.
Decisions Made 1
The draft 522 was rejected on the first reading. The board's proposal was adopted: draft 522 is rejected and falls out of the proceedings. Voting results: 45 in favor, 9 against, 0 abstentions.
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker was Iov5Jop5kE4, a member of the Isamaa faction (right-wing political position). He presented the draft and strongly defended its arguments, answering questions and directing the discussion on several occasions.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Today's second agenda item is the first reading of draft law No. 522 initiated by the Isamaa faction to amend the Citizenship Act, and Helir-Valdor Seeder, a member of the Riigikogu, is asked to act as the rapporteur.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
The Isamaa faction's draft bill seeks to restore the original, regarded-as-fair practice and thus refuse to grant Estonian citizenship to people who have been repeatedly punished for intentional crimes, to end the variability of administrative practice, and to emphasize that citizenship is a privilege, not a right, to which the state sets clear criteria.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The presenter received thanks, and a question-and-answer session opened for the audience, led by Jaanus Karilaid.
Jaanus Karilaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Jaanus Karilaid asks what options the state has to revoke citizenship granted in exceptional circumstances if a person systematically attacks the Estonian state with his statements.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder said that birthright citizenship cannot be changed, and for naturalized individuals there is a theoretical possibility to revoke citizenship, but the bill focuses on granting citizenship in exceptional cases for meritorious service, which recent governments have practically not granted, while citizenship has been granted in exceptional cases to those who have been criminally convicted, which reflects their choices.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar invites Riina Solman onto the stage.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman recalled that previously the applications of all people who had received multiple punishments were examined very thoroughly, and she asked what is the main reason for liberalization — whether the aim is to obtain more naturalized citizens who may be predominantly foreign-language speakers and not proficient in the Estonian language.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
To be precise, I will say that since 2006 Isamaa has been in various governments and in some cases granted Estonian citizenship in exceptional circumstances, but in the latest government we reverted to the original practice and did not support changing the law, because that would bring pressure and court disputes; now Parliament must find a solution, and for obtaining citizenship language and loyalty requirements apply, and a person who has been punished for a repeated deliberate crime cannot obtain citizenship; although not everyone has to have Estonian citizenship, it is the sovereign right of the state.
Margit Sutrop
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Margit Sutrop asks whether it is true that this bill amending the Citizenship Act has been submitted at least five times during this Parliament's term, and in what way the current bill differs from the previous bills.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
This is a brief appeal to Margit Sutrop and a plea.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Seeder states that the draft bill is almost identical to previous versions, and its principle is the same, although there may be small nuances in some wording.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
This is a short speech that makes a plea to Urmas Reinsalu.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu stressed that Estonia's hope lies in a change of the government's style and attitudes, and in ending the ideological course under which citizens of the aggressor state (Russia) who have committed crimes are granted citizenship as an exception.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder said that although previous bills have been rejected, the coalition is now ready to discuss both the right to elect local government councils and amendments to the Citizenship Act, and calls on coalition MPs to vote in favor of the draft bill so as to move the matter forward in the Riigikogu.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman Lauri Hussar invites Riina Solman to speak.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman asks why there has been talk of relaxing citizenship requirements, and whether behind it lies an ideological desire to win the votes of the Russian-speaking population, and whether it is connected with restricting the voting rights of citizens of third countries and of citizens of the aggressor state.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder said that the interior minister's written response reflects the government's position and political stance, and although it dates from 13 July 2023, it is the current government's position, and in the last year there have been no changes in this practice.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair invites Henn Põlluaas to take the floor.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas criticized the practice of distributing Estonian citizenship to criminal offenders as absurd and unprecedented and demanded rapid change, while reminding that the laws also allow the withdrawal of citizenship obtained through naturalization in certain crimes, but the practice is very limited, and he is asking for precise data on the number of people who have been deported and why this has not been done before, i.e., whether the Interior Minister's answer will bring clarity.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder said that it is important to obtain an overview of two parts: how many citizenships have been granted for special merits and how many have been withdrawn for various reasons, and the Isamaa faction will submit a parliamentary question to the Ministry of the Interior and will also request statistics for the second reading, because these cases are very rare and there is currently no clear data.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair asked Henn Põlluaas to speak.
Henn Põlluaas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Henn Põlluaas pointed out that in the past the PPA distributed hundreds of Estonian passports and citizenships through forged exams and other forgeries, and they were not withdrawn at the time, and he drew a parallel with the Latvian case, where in Latvia one crook with Estonian–Russian dual citizenship was brought to trial, claiming that it is the same anomaly as granting citizenship to criminals, because our laws do not allow dual citizenship, and he asked for a comment, because all these topics are interconnected.
Helir-Valdor Seeder
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Helir-Valdor Seeder pointed out that the issue of citizenship and double citizenship is long and complex for Estonia and potentially a security risk; a solution has not been reached, because there is a lack of data about people with Russian citizenship and stateless individuals, and the question concerns balancing the obligations and rights of the state and its citizens, especially in the context of the aggressor states Russia and Belarus, although in the cases of Estonia–USA or Estonia–Sweden this risk may not be the same.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chair Lauri Hussar thanked the presenter, said that there were no more questions, and asked Timo Suslov, a member of the Constitutional Committee, to come to this podium to be introduced.
Timo Suslov
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Timo Suslov provides a brief overview of the committee's discussion: at the November 19 meeting, Helir-Valdor Seeder delivered a substantively identical presentation, a representative of the Ministry of the Interior said that the government does not support the draft bill; the 2001 Supreme Court decision on the proportionality of restrictions was cited, and since 2006 the right to use archival data, which allows viewing a person's prior conduct, was mentioned; also cited were the bases for considering granting citizenship as an exception and the given statistics; and the committee decided to put the draft on the plenary agenda and to reject it; the vote was 6 in favour, 3 against, 0 abstentions, and Timo Suslov was appointed as the representative of the leading committee.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanked the rapporteur, stated that negotiations had ended, and submitted to the Riigikogu for a vote the leading committee's proposal, draft No. 522, to be rejected at the first reading.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Riigikogu voted in favour of the proposal: 45 Riigikogu members voted for it, 9 against, and there were no abstentions; Draft Bill 522 was rejected and withdrawn from the proceedings, and the sitting ended, wishing colleagues success and a meeting in the next sitting week.