Other Questions
Session: The 15th Riigikogu, 6th Session, Information Hour
Date: 2025-10-22 16:23
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 26
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 30m
AI Summaries: 26/26 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu information session continued in a format where members of the Riigikogu could register questions for members of the Government of the Republic. First, Aleksandr Tšaplõgin posed a question to the Minister of Justice regarding the European Union regulation on the transparency of political advertising, expressing concern about its impact on the constitutional freedom of assembly, particularly in the context of trade union demonstrations. The Minister of Justice confirmed that Estonia had not supported the regulation due to its ambiguity, emphasizing that it does not restrict the right to demonstrate. He noted that because of the lack of clarity, Estonia would initially limit itself to oral counseling rather than imposing penalties. A sharp political dispute followed between Jaanus Karilaid and Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi. Karilaid criticized the Reform Party's poor results in the local elections and demanded self-criticism from Ligi regarding tax policy and the lack of economic vision. Ligi responded aggressively, accusing Karilaid of slander and personal failure, and defended his competence as an analyst and economist, denying that the Estonian economy belonged in the "bottom tier." The Minister of Education answered two questions from Peeter Ernits. The first concerned the Palamuse primer exhibition, where Ernits wondered why Ukraine was represented, but Finnish, Swedish, and Russian primers were absent. The Minister explained that the exhibition is the result of international cooperation with specific school museums, and Estonia does not cooperate with Russian school museums due to differences in values. Ernits’s second question addressed youth unemployment and the claim that it primarily affected Ukrainian youth. The Minister explained the differences in unemployment statistics and emphasized the importance of a new law requiring young people to acquire at least vocational or secondary education to improve their competitiveness in the labor market. Riina Solman asked the Minister of Finance about making population policy cross-sectoral, so that every minister, including the Minister of Finance, would consider the impact on the birth rate in their decisions. Ligi reiterated his position that family policy must focus on services (education, healthcare), not indiscriminate cash handouts, and that the sustainability of the state is more important for children than a socialist system of benefits.
Decisions Made 1
No decisions were made
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar announced that, since all registered questions had been addressed, the information session would continue in an open format, allowing Riigikogu members to register to ask questions. He specified the rules (two minutes for the question, three minutes for the response) and requested that members indicate at the start of their question which minister it is directed to. He then yielded the floor to the first questioner, Aleksandr Tšaplõgin.
Aleksandr Tšaplõgin
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Aleksandr Tšaplõgin has approached the Minister of Justice with a concern that the European Union regulation on the transparency of political advertising, which enters into force on October 10, might, due to its specific wording, begin classifying demonstrations held by trade unions (teachers, rescuers, police officers) as political advertising. He asks how the ministry has assessed this risk, what the precise assessment criteria are, and how the new regulation relates to the constitutional freedom of assembly.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, explained that although Estonia did not support the corresponding European Union regulation—due to the unclear definition of political advertising—which requires the establishment of a supervisory body (TTJA and AKI), she emphasized that the regulation does not affect the right of assembly. Furthermore, since the boundaries of political advertising remain vague even after the European Commission's guidance, Estonia will initially limit itself to oral consultation and guidance instead of imposing penalties.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar, presiding over the sitting, granted the floor for the next question to his colleague Jaanus Karilaid, emphasizing the need to specify the question's addressee and reminding the assembly that one member of the government had not yet replied, while simultaneously requesting that Karilaid's speaking time be reset.
Jaanus Karilaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Jaanus Karilaid criticizes the outgoing Minister of Finance, Jürgen Ligi, for his constant self-admiration and lack of self-criticism, emphasizing that the Reform Party’s devastating loss in the local elections (securing only a narrow victory in Viimsi) is a clear message from voters regarding the confusing tax and fiscal policy and the absence of an economic vision. He demands that the government rapidly correct its policies to lift the Estonian economy out of its status as the European Union’s worst performer.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi launched a sharp attack on the questioner, challenging his political mandate and achievements in Haapsalu. Ligi accused him of defamation and a lack of self-criticism, while simultaneously highlighting his own expertise as an analyst and economist. Furthermore, he reproached his opponent for disparaging the values of Isamaa and the Estonian state, suggesting that he should change the style in which he poses his questions.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar, presiding over the session, gave the floor to Jaanus Karilaid, who wished to raise a procedural question concerning the conduct of the session.
Jaanus Karilaid
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Jaanus Karilaid delivers a sharp critique of the political force's total lack of self-criticism, citing the massive election loss (a mandate in only one of 78 locations) and the fact that calls to adjust policies are met solely with insults. He concludes by expressing hope that Jürgen Ligi will depart from the government in the coming months, arguing that nothing in the current situation has actually changed, in his estimation.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman, Lauri Hussar, who was presiding over the sitting, drew attention to the fact that the previous speaker had used the time allocated for a procedural question for a rebuttal, and consequently, he did not recognize it as a procedural question. He then gave the floor to the next questioner, colleague Peeter Ernits.
Peeter Ernits
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Peeter Ernits is addressing the Minister of Education with a question regarding the content of the primer exhibition opened in Palamuse, wondering why the story of the Ukrainian primer is featured at the exhibition, while the history of primers belonging to neighbors crucial to Estonian culture and history—Finland, Sweden, and Russia—has been completely omitted.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas explained that the Palamuse Museum primer exhibition, which features primers from Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, and other countries, is the result of international cooperation with the school museums of those nations. She emphasized that Estonian museums do not cooperate with Russia due to the absence of a shared value space, and she invited all interested parties to visit the exhibition.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked [them] and subsequently handed the floor over to Riina Solman.
Riina Solman
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Riina Solman raises the question of the cross-sectoral implementation of population and fertility policy, referencing an analysis that recommends placing family policy under the responsibility of the prime minister. She also asks Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi to explain whether he sees a possibility of ensuring that all financial instruments consistently take into account their impact on demography.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi stresses, regarding family policy, that the primary purpose of state tax revenue should be providing shared services (such as education and healthcare), rather than offering indiscriminate financial handouts. He argues that boosting the birth rate requires establishing a system that allows for the reconciliation of work and family life, and that support payments should be prioritized only for the most vulnerable and weakest periods of life.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked the previous speaker or questioner and then gave the floor to the next questioner, Peeter Ernits.
Peeter Ernits
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Peeter Ernits criticizes the minister currently performing the duties of prime minister, alleging that Kristen Michal and Jürgen Ligi have steered Estonia, supposedly "in safe hands," into the mud league, thereby destroying public trust. He then issues a challenge, asking whether the minister would genuinely consider taking on the role of prime minister himself in order to offer a long-term plan and rescue the country from the current disastrous situation it has been led into.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas categorically rejects the assertion that Estonia belongs to the economic "mud league," emphasizing that this perception does not objectively reflect reality, despite the country having endured a long crisis period. She also confirms that she lacks the democratic mandate to aspire to the position of prime minister and highlights that the key to boosting the competitiveness of the Estonian economy lies in overcoming low productivity. To achieve this, she notes, it is crucial to continue investing in research and development (R&D), a commitment the state has upheld by adhering to the 1% agreement.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar concluded the preceding debate, thanked the participants, and subsequently gave the floor to Riina Solman to pose a question.
Riina Solman
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Riina Solman addresses the Minister of Finance, stressing that while services are important, the state needs to utilize financial levers to support families' desire to have more children. She further asks how the minister intends to implement the principles of population and family policy in his ministry's decisions, specifically to avoid the mistakes of previous governments, such as the cutting of the hobby group allowance for large families.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi defended his vision for family policy, rejecting accusations that he was trivializing the issue and sharply criticizing the distribution of equal cash benefits. He argued that the state should ensure sustainability and the well-being of families through shared services (such as education), rather than through a socialist scattering of cash that fails to guarantee a standard of living or equalize subsistence levels. He stressed that families support the state, not the other way around.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar addressed Peeter Ernits, who had requested to both ask a question and discuss procedures, and decided to grant him the floor specifically to address the topic concerning the procedure for conducting the sitting, while simultaneously warning that excessive focus on procedures might limit the time available for asking questions.
Peeter Ernits
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Peeter Ernits is demanding that the chairman call Finance Minister Jürgen to order because the minister used racist language while interrupting his colleagues, referencing the expression "with his own white hand."
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar, admitting he might not have fully caught the preceding debate, opened the Q&A session, giving the floor to Peeter Ernits. He emphasized, however, that this was the final question, subject to strict time constraints (two minutes for the question and three minutes for the answer).
Peeter Ernits
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Peeter Ernits is asking the Minister of Education to clarify whether his advisor's claim—that unemployment among young people up to the age of 25 is primarily a problem for young Ukrainian men, and not for young Estonians—is accurate.
Haridus- ja teadusminister Kristina Kallas
AI Summary
Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas refuted the widely circulated statistic claiming 25% youth unemployment, explaining that this figure stems from a survey study which also includes students and individuals seeking to change jobs, noting that the actual registered unemployment rate is lower. She emphasized that Estonia's primary concern is the large number of young people with low educational attainment. To address this, a law was enacted mandating basic school graduates to continue their studies to acquire at least a vocational or secondary education, while simultaneously creating separate language learning opportunities for Ukrainian youth.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked the Minister and all members of the Government of the Republic for their active participation, declared the information hour concluded due to the expiration of the question period, and announced that the plenary session of the Riigikogu would resume precisely at 14:00.