The suitability of the acting Minister of Defence for their position.
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 6th sitting, press briefing
Date: 2025-09-10 16:27
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 25
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 11m
AI Summaries: 25/25 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
Riigikogu member Rain Epler submitted a question to Prime Minister Kristen Michal regarding the suitability of Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur for office, accusing Pevkur of lying in connection with the National Audit Office report. Epler highlighted the National Audit Office’s criticism concerning the Ministry of Defense’s use of defense investment funds and deficiencies in internal control systems, noting that the National Audit Office could not verify the accuracy of the inventory balance, valued at 723.9 million euros. Epler directly accused Pevkur of manipulation and lying, reading out excerpts from both the National Audit Office report and Pevkur’s answers given in the Riigikogu the previous day.
Prime Minister Michal rejected Epler’s allegations that Pevkur had lied and advised Epler to clarify the facts directly with the Defense Minister. Michal stressed that the Ministry of Defense is making significant efforts to manage rapidly increasing funding, and both the minister and the chancellor have promised to take the National Audit Office’s criticisms seriously and rectify the control mechanisms. During the debate, the discussion also turned to the history of border construction, where Michal quoted Martin Helme, who allegedly wanted to reduce the costs of border construction in 2019. Martin Helme intervened, accusing the Reform Party of lying and stealing, and claiming that keeping Pevkur in office demonstrates that no one is taking the prevailing disorder in national defense seriously. Michal corrected Helme’s statements about when border construction began, confirming that construction started earlier and that the Ratas government (in which the Helmes participated) had reduced the costs.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made
Most Active Speaker
As the initiator of the topic and the presenter of detailed accusations (referencing the State Audit Office report and the transcript), Rain Epler was the most active speaker. He represents the right-wing opposition.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar introduced the seventh, pointed question of the sitting, addressed to Prime Minister Kristen Michal, which Riigikogu member Rain Epler had submitted under the blunt title, "The suitability of the lying Minister of Defense for his office."
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Member of the Riigikogu Rain Epler is asking Prime Minister Kristen Michal whether the lying Minister of Defence is still suitable for his position.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler recalled Hanno Pevkur’s earlier explanations regarding the invisible costs of the border fence to criticize the Minister of Defence’s actions following the State Audit Office’s harsh assessment of the use of defense investment funds. Epler accused Pevkur of lying in parliament and evading questions, and demanded an answer from the Prime Minister as to whether Pevkur is fit for his post and when he will be dismissed from office.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler criticizes Hanno Pevkur for both the 2014 border fence decision and the answers he gave in a 2019 interview, points to the National Audit Office's harsh assessment regarding the use of defense investments, and accuses him of lying, asking the Prime Minister if and when he will be dismissed from office.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal expressed skepticism regarding the questioner’s allegations about Hanno Pevkur’s lies, suggesting they address Pevkur directly for the details. She also defended her reference to Martin Helme’s earlier comments about scaling back border construction, calling it a historical fact preserved by ERR. Turning to the activities of the Ministry of Defence, she confirmed that due to the significant funding, work is being done around the clock to manage procurements and maintain control mechanisms, directing more detailed questions on this matter to the relevant officials.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal responded by stating that she did not believe the questioner's allegations regarding Hanno Pevkur lying. She referenced an ERR news report to provide context on the history of the border and stressed the significant tasks facing the Ministry of Defense, including ensuring the integrity of control mechanisms and accounting systems. Furthermore, she noted that detailed questions could be posed to officials, and that as a member of the Riigikogu, she possesses all the necessary means to ask those questions.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanks the floor and asks Rain Epler to pose a clarifying question.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked and then gave the floor to Rain Epler so that the latter could ask a clarifying question.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler accuses Pevkur of lying regarding the accounting of defense forces' reserves and the allocation of border funding, citing a National Audit Office report that highlights the uncertainty surrounding the reserves balance, deficiencies in internal control, and the failure to deliver on promises.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler accuses Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur of repeatedly lying regarding the Ministry of Defence's inventories and internal control systems, highlighting "black-and-white facts" from the State Audit Office report. These facts confirm that the accuracy of the inventory balance, totaling over 720 million euros, could not be verified due to inadequate accounting—a deficiency the Minister has promised to rectify for years but has failed to address.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal began by recalling an earlier quote, but then focused on confirming that the Ministry of Defence and the Centre for Defence Investments take the National Audit Office’s remarks extremely seriously. They have immediately started organizing inventory accounting, bookkeeping, and control mechanisms to ensure proper management and address the criticisms.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed that the findings of the National Audit Office will be taken seriously, and necessary improvements will be implemented to ensure proper inventory and accounting procedures are maintained, and the National Audit Office's recommendations will be taken into account.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks the audience and announces that Martin Helme will ask a follow-up question.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that he remembers the rules very well, while simultaneously asserting that there are no rules, and noted that last Thursday it became clear once again that everyone just does whatever they want.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar apologized and clarified that the question concerns the suitability of the Minister of Defense for the position, and the presiding officer of the session will be excluded from the discussion.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme asks for more time to make his point.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar warns that he will not grant additional time if this kind of rule violation continues, and asks Martin Helme to cease the violation.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme sharply attacks the Reform Party, accusing them of inflating the costs of previous border construction, and emphasizes that Defense Minister Pevkur is failing to take responsibility for the disarray prevailing in national defense. This proves that no one is taking the situation seriously; instead, they are engaged in stonewalling, arrogance, and lying, asserting that lying and stealing are simply to be expected from Reform Party members.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme opens by attacking his opponent, accusing him of lying and foolishness, while defending his own government's actions in launching the 2019 border construction, arguing that they brought the costs down to a reasonable level following the Reform Party's tenure. However, he directs his main criticism at Defense Minister Pevkur and the Reform Party, accusing them of the complete chaos prevailing in national defense, avoiding responsibility, and callous indifference. He concludes that since no one is being fired, no one is taking the situation seriously, and finishes with the generalization that lying and stealing are a known fact when it comes to the Reform Party.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that the Reform Party initiated and financed the 2019 border construction project, and he accuses Pevkur and the Ministry of Defense of failing to take national defense concerns seriously, as well as lying and stealing.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar thanks and asks the Prime Minister.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that the border construction had started earlier, and the coalition decided to reduce its costs and save money. He also confirmed that the ERR report was accurate.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal focused on correcting the record during the debate, asserting that the construction of the border began earlier than claimed. She also criticized the opposition and Jüri Ratas’s government for nearly halving the border funding (70 million euros) allocated in 2015, citing the former finance minister’s stated desire at the time to build the border more modestly and economically.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal set about correcting the factual errors made by the previous speaker, stressing that the border construction had begun earlier. He then sharply criticized Jüri Ratas’s government (linking him to the Isamaa party) for cutting the funds allocated for the construction of the eastern border in 2015 by almost half. Michal further asserted that the former finance minister had, at that time, favored a more modest border construction and the subsequent withdrawal of funds, citing an ERR news report to substantiate his claims.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanks you and announces that the consideration of the seventh item on the agenda for today is concluded, and we will now move on.