Chaos in Governance
Session: The 15th Riigikogu, 6th Session, Information Hour
Date: 2025-10-22 16:08
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 12
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 14m
AI Summaries: 12/12 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Riigikogu member Jaanus Karilaid submitted an interpellation to the Minister of Education and Research, Kristina Kallas, who was fulfilling the duties of the Prime Minister, on the topic "Confusion in State Management." Karilaid began with sharp criticism regarding the government's low support (referencing 2%) and the position of the minister acting as Prime Minister, accusing the coalition of being unable to solve problems in healthcare, finance, energy, and economic recovery. He asked directly whether the government had discussed resignation or a serious cabinet reshuffle.
Minister Kallas rejected the criticism, emphasizing that the democratic mandate must be fulfilled until March 2027. Regarding energy, she stressed that the confusion was a legacy from previous governments, and the current coalition has taken decisive steps to break free from dependence on Russia. On economic matters, Kallas corrected Karilaid’s claims about investments, noting that Estonia is the largest investor in the European Union as a proportion of its budget. She cited the downturn in the manufacturing industry (especially the wood industry) as the reason for the economic recession, which is caused by problems in the Nordic real estate market and issues with the availability of raw materials. In a supplementary question, Riina Solman addressed the demographic challenges in the field of education. Kallas explained that although the decrease in the number of students and educational migration affect rural schools, the government has created a support measure for small six-grade schools to ensure their sustainability.
Decisions Made 1
No decisions were made
Most Active Speaker
Jaanus Karilaid was the most active speaker, posing sharp and critical questions regarding the government's actions and low support, and demanding explanations concerning the confusion surrounding the economy and state governance.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar introduced the agenda item for the Riigikogu sitting, under which MP Jaanus Karilaid is set to pose the seventh question to Education and Research Minister Kristina Kallas, who is currently fulfilling the duties of the Prime Minister, regarding the confusion prevailing in the governance of the state.
Jaanus Karilaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Jaanus Karilaid sharply criticized the government, especially the Reform Party, for its political disarray, its lack of vision in economic and financial management, and its extremely low level of support, citing the results of the local elections as a clear sign of public discontent, and demanded an answer to the question of why resignation or a serious cabinet reshuffle has not been considered.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas is defending the government’s right to see through the mandate received from voters until 2027, criticizing the sowing of instability based purely on approval ratings. She also notes that the current turmoil in the energy sector is a legacy inherited from previous governments that failed to resolve Estonia’s dependence on Russian gas and fossil fuels—an issue the current administration has been vigorously addressing since 2022.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar interrupted the information hour to issue a serious warning to the members of the Government of the Republic, stressing that watching videos was distracting the respondents and the listeners and that such conduct is not appropriate in the Riigikogu, and subsequently gave the minister permission to continue, adding back the time that had been lost.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas stresses that since 2022, governments have taken decisive steps in the energy sector to achieve full independence from Russia and fossil fuels by boosting renewable energy capacity. She dismisses claims of disarray, noting a clear trajectory toward supply security. Additionally, she confirms that while the long-term deficit of the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) grew drastically during the COVID period, measures have been introduced in funding to reduce this deficit, and progress is being made in the right direction, even though the accessibility of specialist medical care remains an area requiring ongoing focus.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar continued chairing the discussion, explaining that there was still an opportunity to ask both a clarifying and a supplementary question, and then gave the floor to Jaanus Karilaid to ask a clarifying question.
Jaanus Karilaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Jaanus Karilaid blames the government for failing to kickstart the economy and for the lack of investment during the crisis, citing the successful infrastructure investment model implemented by Finland and Lithuania. He then sharply questions whether the stagnation of the Estonian economy is due to a dogmatic finance minister, suggesting that a large-scale government overhaul might be the necessary solution.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas corrected the misconception that Finland and Lithuania were larger-scale investors than Estonia, confirming that, relative to its budget share, Estonia is absolutely at the top of the European Union. As the main reasons for the economy's stagnation, she highlighted the drop in output of the manufacturing industry, especially the timber industry, which is due to the slump in the Nordic real estate market and issues with raw material availability, adding that rising labor costs and previous unmade decisions in the energy sector also played a significant role.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar concluded his segment, expressed his thanks, and then yielded the floor to his colleague Riina Solman to pose a follow-up question.
Riina Solman
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Riina Solman raises the question of the funding surplus in the education sector, which is generated due to the continuously shrinking generations of children, and asks the minister whether the corresponding analysis has been carried out and whether that money will remain allocated to services for families with children, while simultaneously inquiring whether demographic changes necessitate regional policy decisions, such as the further scaling back or consolidation of the school network.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
The Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas emphasized that although the school network belongs to local municipalities, and education funding is based on per capita support—which is decreasing in rural areas due to demographic decline and significant student outflow, thereby causing a risk of small schools closing—the government has established a separate support measure for six-grade schools with at least 25 students. This measure aims to alleviate the pressure of school network contraction in rural areas and ensure their continued existence.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked the audience and thereby declared the consideration of today's seventh agenda item concluded.