Third reading of the Draft Act supplementing the Police and Border Guard Act (670 SE)
Session: The 15th Riigikogu, 6th Session, Plenary Sitting
Date: 2025-10-08 20:29
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 30
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 43m
AI Summaries: 30/30 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The discussion of the agenda item focused on the third reading of Bill 670, an amendment to the Police and Border Guard Act, initiated by Riigikogu members Peeter Tali, Ando Kiviberg, Anti Haugas, and Mati Raidma, which concerned the legalization of the license plate recognition camera system. The debate was extremely heated and centered primarily on the infringement of personal liberties and fundamental rights. The opposition (Centre Party, Isamaa, EKRE) sharply criticized the Ministry of the Interior’s "cowardly" approach and systematic efforts to expand surveillance, arguing that the system was being legalized retrospectively without anyone being held accountable for its illegal use. The criticism also addressed the bill's broad wording, which would allow for the unlimited installation of cameras and grant data access to a large number of officials, including the Tax and Customs Board. The bill's supporters (Social Democrats, Estonia 200) emphasized that it was an essential tool for the police to solve serious crimes and that the draft legislation had received approval from the Data Protection Inspectorate and the Office of the Chancellor of Justice. Despite strong opposition and criticism regarding the procedural methods, the bill was adopted in the final vote with 49 votes in favor and 16 votes against.
Decisions Made 1
Bill 670 on the amendment of the Police and Border Guard Act, initiated by Riigikogu members Peeter Tali, Ando Kiviberg, Anti Haugas, and Mati Raidma, was adopted as law (49 votes in favor, 16 against).
Most Active Speaker
Andre Hanimägi (Social Democratic Party) was one of the most active speakers, receiving extra time and defending the necessity of the bill as a tool for the police, while rejecting the opposition's accusations of fear-mongering. His position was supportive (left/center-left).
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Arvo Aller announced the commencement of the third agenda item—the third reading of Draft Act 670 on amending the Police and Border Guard Act, initiated by members of the Riigikogu—and opened the debates for the factions, giving the floor first to Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart on behalf of the Estonian Centre Party faction.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart asked for an extension.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller made a brief procedural remark, requesting three minutes of additional time for his speech.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart expressed deep concern over the continuous stream of draft legislation originating from the Ministry of the Interior’s jurisdiction, which restricts people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and increases societal surveillance, citing, for example, the bill on the retroactive legalization of number plate recognition cameras. She sharply criticized the bill’s inadequate analysis, the possibility of unlimited installation, and the fact that it misleads the public, as the cameras record people in addition to vehicles. Furthermore, it grants access to the data to an excessively large number of officials. Consequently, the Centre Party will vote against the draft bill as a duty to protect freedoms, demanding a broad-based democratic debate.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller gave the floor to Urmas Reinsalu, the representative of the Isamaa faction, who requested three additional minutes for his speaking time, which were also allocated to him.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu criticizes the government for its cowardly and systemic approach to processing draft legislation concerning fundamental rights. He stresses that the current bill is unacceptable, both because of its careless procedural methods and its substance, given that it allows for the unlimited use of mobile cameras and the profiling of individuals (including by the Tax and Customs Board). Consequently, the Isamaa party will not support it, even though the party supports the legitimate use of technology in combating crime, provided such use is constitutional and trustworthy.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller thanked the previous speaker and then gave the floor to Andre Hanimäe, the authorized representative of the Social Democratic Party faction.
Andre Hanimägi
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Andre Hanimägi expressed great surprise at the intensity of the criticism directed against the license plate recognition cameras, refuting claims of Orwellian mass surveillance. He explained instead that the system is regulated and comprises just over a hundred cameras. He stressed that the Police and Border Guard Board considers this tool indispensable for solving serious crimes, such as kidnappings and rapes, and that the current draft bill provides very clear guidelines for the use and storage of data to prevent misuse, rendering the political opposition and fearmongering baseless.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller briefly and specifically requested three minutes of additional time to continue his speech or extend the discussion.
Andre Hanimägi
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Andre Hanimägi sharply criticizes the Ministry of the Interior for its ineptitude in drafting legislation, which has generated baseless fears of widespread surveillance. However, he stresses that the current compromise bill—which was coordinated within the Legal Affairs Committee with stakeholders and the Data Protection Inspectorate—is a necessary solution to ensure that the Police and Border Guard Board can keep pace with technological advancements and avoid being "blind." Consequently, the Social Democrats support this draft legislation.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Arvo Aller thanked the previous speaker and subsequently gave the floor to Varro Vooglaid, who is speaking on behalf of the Estonian Conservative People's Party parliamentary group.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid, speaking on behalf of the faction, announces that they do not support the bill for several reasons. First, it violates the principles of the rule of law because it attempts to retrospectively legalize the massive license plate recognition camera system that the PPA has used illegally for years without parliamentary authorization, and without anyone being held accountable. Second, the bill is conceptually flawed, as it represents yet another step deeper into a surveillance society where the right to privacy is reduced to a mere relic of the past. This is part of a broader program that also includes the phasing out of cash and the constant monitoring of people's movements and activities.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller asked for three minutes of extra time for himself.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid warns that although extensive surveillance and tracking systems, such as facial recognition and human microchipping, would indeed create a safer society, we would gradually lose all our freedom and privacy, eventually ending up living in a massive prison camp. He therefore calls for a vote against the bill in question to prevent a situation where privacy ceases to exist.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Following a brief acknowledgement, Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller gave the floor to Peeter Tali to speak on behalf of the Eesti 200 faction.
Peeter Tali
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Tali, who was one of the initiators of the bill to amend the Police and Border Guard Act, defends it, emphasizing that the amendment is essential for closing a legal loophole so that the Estonian police can effectively and cost-efficiently utilize all technical means necessary to ensure security. He also criticizes opponents, whom he compares to Luddites, for fear-mongering about a surveillance society.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar, who was presiding over the session, announced that because the names of Kalle Grünthal and Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart had been mentioned earlier, they were now entitled to the right of reply, and he subsequently invited Kalle Grünthal to the speaker's stand.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Kalle Grünthal sharply criticizes Andre Hanimäe's emotional speech, which supports a bill that, in his estimation, disregards the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia. Citing leading legal experts, he warns that sacrificing freedom for the sake of security will lead to a digital concentration camp, and demands that legislation must be based solely on the constitution.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Following a brief expression of thanks, Chairman Lauri Hussar gave the floor to Urmas Reinsalu, requesting that he deliver a reply.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu questions the government's credibility, pointing out that despite its rhetoric, the political leadership has, in recent hours, demonstrated repeated attempts to restrict the fundamental rights of citizens—ranging from limiting public assemblies and planning the criminalization of thought crimes to the mass profiling of individuals via a super database—which indicates a strategic desire to curtail freedoms, meaning the government cannot be trusted.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar confined himself to merely giving a brief indication, announcing that the speaker's time had begun.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu criticizes the opposition, asserting that they lack the necessary conceptual framework or category to operate at the level of fundamental rights based on freedom.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar limited his address to just a short word of thanks, thereby concluding his presentation.
Urmas Reinsalu
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Urmas Reinsalu emphasized that constitutional freedom is the fundamental issue—the base problem, if you will—of the entire situation, and he believes his conversation partner Lauri should also grasp its seriousness.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked Urmas Reinsalu for his speech and subsequently gave the floor to Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart to deliver a reply.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart began her address with polite greetings, thanking the listeners, and respectfully addressing the Speaker of the Riigikogu and her colleagues.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar asked the audience to quiet down, as Anastasia could not be heard, and then invited Anastasia to speak.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart responds to the vote of no confidence from Eesti 200, emphasizing that the public trusts the Centre Party, not the low-support government and Eesti 200, which is busy with initiatives aimed at monitoring and punishing people. She sharply criticizes the government bill that retroactively legalizes arbitrarily installed cameras and ignores the recommendations of top legal experts. Furthermore, she demands the disclosure of statistics showing how often the police have used personal data and how many crimes they have solved using this information.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar closed the debate, as there were no further speakers, and, at the proposal of the lead committee, immediately put Draft Act 670, initiated by members of the Riigikogu, concerning the amendment of the Police and Border Guard Act, to the final vote, asking the members to take a position and cast their vote.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar announced the voting results of the Riigikogu, indicating that 49 members had voted in favor of the proposal and 16 against, and confirmed that Bill 670 SE has been adopted as law.