Competition Act
Session: The 15th Riigikogu, fifth sitting, information briefing.
Date: 2025-03-12 15:31
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 13
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 12m
AI Summaries: 13/13 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
This agenda item concerned the supervision of competition law and its transposition into the European Union’s competition directive. The aim is to enhance competition supervision, make it more transparent, provide the Competition Authority with better tools, and ensure effective penalties for violations, which is essential for the functioning of a free market economy. The discussion centered on the transition to administrative or misdemeanor proceedings, and which judicial remedy (administrative versus civil court) should determine fines. In addition, experiences from different countries were highlighted, along with the increasing burden on businesses due to the 400,000-euro fine and the associated financial risk. Diverging viewpoints among the different coalition parties and the European Commission's initial responses to the transposition of the directive created a persistent mismatch of opinions, and a plan to present a new draft bill or to obtain a new solution from the Minister of Justice for consideration by the Riigikogu.
Decisions Made 1
No final formal decision has been made. Spokespersons emphasized the need to quickly resolve the uncertainty and submit amendments to the Competition Act to the Riigikogu; as a possibility, a new draft was mentioned from the Ministry of Justice or a variant prepared by the government, which the government would direct to the economic affairs committee for processing.
Most Active Speaker
With the greatest number of speeches and substantive participation, Jaak Aab (SDE) dominated, whose position is left-wing (left).
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Riigikogu member Jaak Aab will submit today a question to Prime Minister Kristen Michal on the topic of competition law.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab emphasized that, by supplementing the European Union competition directive, competition-law supervision must be strengthened, made more transparent, and given better tools to the Competition Authority, and that penalties for violations should be imposed using administrative proceedings and an administrative court, but the Reform Party's position is currently unclear, and the bill's further progress in the Riigikogu is uncertain.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that there have been different understandings of the amendments to the competition law and that indecisiveness has been costly, citing a 400,000-euro fine and 3,000 euros added each day, and the coalition found it necessary to resolve things quickly, to present a new draft bill or to wait for a new solution from the Minister of Justice in order to finally adopt the decisions.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, thanks Jaak Aabi and asks him to pose a clarifying question.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab notes that the bill to strengthen competition supervision is substantively and legally complex, and expert opinions are divided, but the solution would comply with the Competition Directive and would benefit both consumers and businesses. However, the delay in submitting it to the Riigikogu and the payment of a fine indicate a restraint on vested interests.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that bills on competition and regulation have long been awaited, and a new bill will be sent to the Parliament's Economic Committee for consideration, so that Parliament can review it, and from now on the government will listen more to the views of entrepreneurs and strengthen competition oversight, which will improve the situation for consumers — for example, that the waste market would not be monopolized.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks, and colleague Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart presents a supplementary question.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart emphasized that the Competition Authority must not create a separate administrative procedure or an enforcement body that imposes large fines, but rather the directive should be transposed via an administrative offense procedure, which is confirmed by the Supreme Court's decision in the Olerex case and by the Chancellor of Justice and many legal experts, and she asked whether the Ministry of Justice is moving in the same direction.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The speech emphasizes that now is your time to act.
Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Profiling Eesti Keskerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
They ask whether the listeners have understood why the Social Democrats want to create such a punitive state for us.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar thanks the Prime Minister and makes an appeal.
Peaminister Kristen Michal
AI Summary
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that although the day is noteworthy, what is more important is unity and the need to make the justice system as simple as possible, the central solution of which is the misdemeanor procedure, and a draft bill will be brought to Parliament for debate, and he called for Jaak Aab's help and clarification.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
He thanks and announces that today’s discussion of the eighth question will be concluded.