Overview of the Implementation of the "Fundamental Principles of Law-Making Policy Until 2030" in 2023.
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 4th session, plenary session
Date: 2024-12-16 19:27
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 38
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 5m
AI Summaries: 38/38 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Justice and Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta presented an overview of the implementation of "Principles of Legislation Policy Until 2030" in 2023. The Minister emphasized the massive volume of legislation, noting that 64% of existing laws (249 out of 392) were amended in 2023. She highlighted concerns about a decline in government credibility, which, according to the OECD, is closely linked to the perceived lack of opportunity for people to participate in policy formation. Pakosta named short coordination deadlines (an average of five working days for budget-related bills), the late involvement of stakeholder groups, and inadequate constitutional analysis in bill explanatory notes, as key problems, as also emphasized by constitutional law experts. Pakosta introduced nine steps to improve the quality of legislation, including the principle of reducing bureaucracy – "one in, one out" – clarifying the norms for development intentions, and tightening the requirements for constitutional review. The debate covered the volume of Estonian legislation in an international context, the use of law firms to draft bills, and the Minister's self-critical position within the coalition. Questions were also raised about the regulation of regional policy (the closure of the Jõhvi courthouse) and social media (toxic TikTok).
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made.
Most Active Speaker
Varro Vooglaid (EKRE) was active in the debate and negotiations, criticizing the government’s inability to adhere to the requirements of constitutional analysis and highlighting that, in approximately 70% of cases, the constitutionality of the changes had not been substantively assessed. His position is superior.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi introduces the fourth item, “Foundations of Legislation Policy Until 2030,” a 2023 implementation overview, and notes that although the title is precise, the discussion may also cover the activities of the last 11 months and asks that for the briefing the Honourable Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta deliver it at the Riigikogu’s speaking podium.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
In the presentation, it was emphasized that, to safeguard freedoms and trust, Estonia's legislation must be transparent, inclusive and constitutional, where thorough impact assessments are prepared, EU law is taken into account, adequate time for participation is ensured, and there is clear language usage, and the aim of which is to reduce bureaucracy and increase trust in the state.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The deputy chair Toomas Kivimägi thanked the listeners and urged them to submit questions, after which he gave the floor to Urve Tiidusele.
Urve Tiidus
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Urve Tiidus raised the question about the excessive number of laws and frequent amendments, and she wanted statistics comparable with the European Union and background information on whether they are the only ones who think so.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Our main message is that the new Commission should focus on better implementation of existing EU law and that the development of new legal acts should be discussed only very thoroughly, because excessive and confusing regulations and different interpretations burden people and businesses, and in the case of the AI regulation the same mistake could be repeated as happened during the GDPR era.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman, Toomas Kivimägi, invites Varro Vooglaid to speak.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid asks the Minister of Justice whether he has approved government-initiated bills that should include a constitutional analysis but do not, and why and how many of these bills he has approved in that manner.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta said that in such cases she has approved with a note, and on the issue of changing voting rights the Ministry of Justice found that the constitutional analysis was insufficient and one provision should be deleted from the draft, because it is not in accordance with the Constitution.
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 asks the minister whether his two messages—promoting cooperation and refraining from introducing the Attorney General—are at odds with each other, and how he explains his ongoing involvement and the vote on a bill that is contrary to the Constitution.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Pakosta said that politicians form a special class, and the parties represented in the Riigikogu can become acquainted with the candidate for the Chief Prosecutor and ask him questions, and he will continue to work on behalf of the state, emphasizing bringing to light the deficiencies of the opposition and the coalition’s increasingly longer working days, in order to resolve as many issues as possible.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The deputy chairman Toomas Kivimägi asks Madis Timpsoni to come forward.
Madis Timpson
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Madis Timpson asks whether it is reasonable that law firms draft bills for ministries, and whether taxpayers should tolerate such a practice, and whether it threatens the legal sustainability of state institutions, especially when the bills end up in court disputes at the taxpayers' expense.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
In a situation where the workload has grown significantly, the number of civil servants should not be increased; instead, we should cooperate with the private sector to gain an outside perspective, and although the draft remains a state initiative, assistance from the private sector is necessary, and trust between the public and private sectors is especially important in a lean state.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi asks Riina Solman to come on stage.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman emphasizes that good legislative practice means prevention, and she asks the Minister of Justice what is being done to prevent the online dissemination of child-related violent content from taking place in the first place, and not only to respond and punish.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi thanks the audience.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
According to Justice and Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta, toxic TikTok is a global problem that threatens both elections and the protection of children, and the European Union must take unified and sensible regulatory steps to address it, possibly encouraging users to leave TikTok.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Toomas Kivimägi invites Priit Lomp to speak.
Priit Lomp
AI Summary
Priit Lomp highlighted the topic of ordering draft bills through law firms, clarified that the latest news concerned the commissioning of the draft bill for the Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Act, reminded that the Riigikogu can amend draft bills during the procedure and that perhaps this should have been entrusted to the Riigikogu, and asked how to prevent similar situations in future reports, adding that he is demanding of ERJK and wants to know when the processing and enactment of the Political Parties Act will finally be completed.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta confirmed that in Estonia the constitutional protection against unequal treatment will be combined with an EU-law-compliant gender equality and equal treatment law, and a new draft proposal will emerge from the collaboration of the two perspectives. It must comply with the Constitution and not unduly burden entrepreneurship, while for amending the Law on Political Parties a narrower form will be brought to the Government and Parliament, where the parties themselves can find better solutions, because civil servants do not understand all the nuances in depth, and Parliament is the fastest and fairest solution.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
The speech was simply a request to grant Anti Poolamets the floor.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets expresses concern about freedom of speech on social media, referring to Zuckerberg's apology that he distorted reality and suppressed certain information during COVID, and asks how far along the draft bill on hate speech is and whether the debate on this topic is being followed.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
I emphasize that freedom of speech is a constitutional value and must not be unduly restricted, but there are disagreements within the coalition and we must draft intentions that define the problems and find solutions that are already in force in law, and the impact of digital giants on democracy and mental health must be addressed at the European Union level together through fairer taxation and a balanced approach to freedom of speech and health protection.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
This speech was Toomas Kivimägi's appeal to Ester Karuse and the plea "Ester Karuse, please!"
Ester Karuse
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Ester Karuse asks how the government can improve the quality of legislation and ensure adherence to the principles of good legislation and adequate involvement of stakeholders, even for urgent draft bills, in order to restore trust in the government, which is only 37%.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta's remarks stressed that participation in policy-making increases people's trust in the government, and in crisis situations it is necessary to act quickly, but in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, to amend laws and to use digital tools and a collaborative environment to do so, while also clarifying the legislative process, the requirements for explanatory notes, and the preliminary constitutional review in cooperation between the Riigikogu and its committees.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi thanks, announces that there are no more questions, and opens negotiations on behalf of the EKRE faction, Varro Vooglaid, who asks for more time — eight minutes.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid stressed that every draft bill's explanatory memorandum must include an analysis of constitutionality; otherwise the law may violate the Constitution and the government's credibility may fall.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
They give thanks and, on behalf of the Eesti 200 faction, request that Igor Taro take the floor.
Igor Taro
AI Summary
Igor Taro expresses that Estonia 200 wishes to reform the state's governance to be less bureaucratic and more people-centered, and to create a personal state where the rule of law is efficient and inclusive, resources are used sensibly, and the involvement of stakeholder groups and consideration of European Union initiatives are priorities.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
She thanks you very much, and Riina Solman represents on behalf of the Isamaa faction.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman emphasizes that the rule of law must be understandable and analyzed, and regional representation in Ida-Virumaa, including the risk of closing the Jõhvi courthouse, is important, because austerity policies may harm the weakest and increase security risks.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi asks for three more minutes.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman asserts that there is a lack of transparency in Estonia's lawmaking, and promising things together with cuts to family benefits demonstrates pedantic, word-twisting behavior that undermines people's trust in the state, and emphasizes the need for clear, inclusive and knowledge-based legislation, in which the impact on people, businesses and regional policy is taken into account, as well as a transparent and understandable handling of the transposition of European Union law.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Toomas Kivimägi announces that the open mic is coming, and as body language betrays, Justice Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta ends the negotiations.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Liisa-Ly Pakosta emphasized the importance of Ida-Viru County and the need to preserve the Narva Courthouse and the Jõhvi office, spoke about providing faster and more affordable legal aid with the help of technology, and about reducing family-law disputes, so that children would grow up in safer families and the burden on the court would decrease, enabling parents to cooperate.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Thank you very much; I am closing the negotiations, and with that we have exhausted both this agenda item and the agenda.