First reading of the draft resolution "Establishment of a Riigikogu investigative committee to assess the risks associated with modified mRNA COVID-19 vaccines" (557 OE)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th sitting, plenary session
Date: 2025-03-13 12:01
Total Speeches: 75
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 48m
AI Summaries: 75/75 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The agenda concerns the review of the first reading of draft resolution 557, submitted by the Conservative People's Party fraction of the Riigikogu, which aims to establish a Riigikogu investigative committee to assess the risks associated with modified mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. VARRO VOOGLAIDI will present the draft, and the meeting will take place on March 13, 2025. The Riigikogu’s positions and security issues will be discussed in the context of a critical review of coronavirus restrictions and protective measures, and concerns are expressed regarding potential conflicts of interest and the constitutionality of drug safety oversight systems. According to reports, NORTH Group has contacted the committee, highlighting three main problems: the impact of vaccines on preventing the spread of the virus, the observed substantial side effects and party-specific dangers; and plasmid DNA contamination in lipid nanoparticles. The draft’s primary objective is to establish the investigative committee and to submit a final report by August 2025, if possible, with proposals for amending legislation to prevent future risks. At the end, the governing committee decided to reject the draft in the first reading, and it is removed from the procedure.
Decisions Made 1
Bill 557 is rejected on its first reading; the bill falls off the agenda.
Most Active Speaker
The most active representative at the session was Martin Helme (EKRE faction), who holds a right-wing political position. His participation demonstrated a dense and multifaceted debate, he posed numerous questions, and voiced a critical assessment of the Estonian-language discussions compared to other participants. He acted as a leading representative of critical rhetoric and influenced the course of the debate through his comments and questions.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
According to Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller, the only item on the agenda is the bill submitted by the EKRE faction to form the Riigikogu investigative committee to assess the risks associated with COVID-19-modified mRNA vaccines, the first reading, and the presenter is Varro Vooglaid.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid called on the Riigikogu to form an investigative committee to assess the dangers of COVID-19-modified mRNA vaccines, arguing that the vaccines did not block the spread of the virus, that there have been significant side effects, and that they may contain plasmid DNA contamination and SV40 promoter‑enhancer fragments, and he requested the suspension of their use and an independent, transparent investigation to ensure that only safe vaccines are on the market.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller thanks for the very thorough overview, notes that members of the Riigikogu have questions, and asks Tanel Kiike to come and respond.
Tanel Kiik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tanel Kiik criticizes the spread of misinformation by scientists and healthcare workers, emphasizing that the vast majority of experts do not agree with the presented positions, and calls for addressing the arguments of both sides.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid emphasized that when dealing with problems seriously, one must look at a broader picture, but the proposal to establish an investigative committee is based precisely on that appeal, and he does not see a contradiction between their viewpoints.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that vaccines are neither effective nor safe, highlights studies that show an increase in complications and deaths, and asserts that there is no real scientific consensus on either climate or coronavirus, and asks what we can actually know and what to believe.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller invites Martin Helme to speak.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid criticizes both the scientific consensus about the number of social genders and the claims about the safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, arguing that these vaccines were brought to market extremely hastily without adequate safety studies, and that reliable conclusions can only be drawn from independent, transparent studies not conducted by agencies involved in bringing products to market.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller asks Rene Kokku to come and speak.
AI Summary
Rene Kokk proposed forming an investigative committee to study the potential dangers of COVID-19–modified mRNA vaccines, which would give all parties the opportunity to clarify the facts, and he asked at the same time whether the initial claim that the vaccine remains in the body only in the shoulder region and disperses quickly has been confirmed by new studies.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid noted that the synthetic mRNA vaccine does not stay only in the deltoid muscle, but travels through the entire body and may produce foreign protein for longer than initially allowed, and he presented to the investigative committee four questions: where does the mRNA travel, how long do different tissues produce the foreign protein, how much is produced, and how to halt production.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
To start the presentation, Irja Lutsar is invited onto the stage.
Irja Lutsar
Profiling Eesti 200 fraktsioonAI Summary
Irja Lutsar asked whether the draft bill related to the summary of the lessons from the pandemic requires a critical analysis, and whether a thorough analysis has been made by turning to the European Medicines Agency or the Estonian Medicines Agency, emphasizing that the claim of officials' bias requires arguments and that the Parliament is not the place for that.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller emphasized that it's your time.
Irja Lutsar
Profiling Eesti 200 fraktsioonAI Summary
The question is whether you have contacted the European Medicines Agency or the Estonian Medicines Agency.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vooglaid said that at this stage he has not approached the European Medicines Agency or the Estonian Medicines Agency, and if an investigative committee is formed, this work must be carried out independently and rely on the input of supranational agencies and independent experts, and, in light of the pandemic experience, a critical and qualitative analysis is needed that explains what was done, why it went wrong, and how to prevent mistakes in the future, because the bodies that acted as reviewers—the Health Board and the Ministry of Social Affairs—are not independent.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Irja may be asked again later; she has registered herself and, if necessary, clarifies, and Helle-Moonika Helme has been invited.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
He asks whether the vaccine batches with varying effects arose from a lack of long-term studies, or whether it was a consciously staged program of human experiments, which, through intimidation, promised to inject new substances around the world and, in the name of large profits, to withhold funds from the studies — a crime against humanity.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid noted that although there is speculation and conspiracy theories and due to accelerated production there may have been changes in the production process, the mass administration of vaccines to tens and hundreds of millions of people is still a human experiment, and precise answers are lacking.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller invites Kalle Grünthal onto the stage.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Based on the presentation, official, dry and science-based information about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been presented, with additional monitoring, which invites people to report all side effects, but there is insufficient data for those aged 55 and older and for those under 18, and genotoxicity and carcinogenicity have not been evaluated in the studies, but it is assumed that the vaccine is safe.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
This is just a word of thanks.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid expressed the belief that if there are no thorough safety studies, the use of vaccines should be restricted or prohibited, and children should avoid their administration, and he criticizes the introduction of COVID passes for children as irresponsible and calls for an investigative committee and for accountability to be clarified.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
In the speech, Priit Sibul is asked to come onto the stage.
Priit Sibul
Profiling Isamaa fraktsioonAI Summary
Priit Sibul asked two questions: whether the World Health Organization deals with laboratory-origin-related news and provides explanations about it, and how significant is the impact of the activities and connections of virus- or vaccine-research organizations on parliaments or health organizations.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid notes that he cannot say how many parliamentary investigative committees have been formed and how aware the WHO is, emphasizes the need to study the origin of the virus, the lab leak, and accountability, and raises the question about the meaning of the German foreign intelligence report's title "Saaremaa".
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller invites Evelin Poolametsa to speak.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The presenter pointed out that in 2021 Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark stopped administering Moderna vaccines to young men due to an increased risk of myocarditis, and that, according to current knowledge, myocarditis and pericarditis are side effects of mRNA vaccines, and asked whether the Estonian Health Board has taken similar positions and acknowledged the danger of COVID vaccines.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid said that in Estonia he is not aware of this and has not heard recommendations or advice that would prohibit or restrict the injection of their substances into young people and representatives of other population groups, although he is aware of serious risks that have occurred in other countries and emphasized that such things should not happen in Estonia.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The deputy chairman Arvo Aller asks Mart Helme.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme notes that coverage of the state of emergency is the priority, and very little is said about vaccination coercion, and asks whether this has led to a skeptical and hostile attitude towards older vaccines, since some celebrity pediatricians promote mandatory vaccination of children, and this has triggered a backlash and a loss of trust in vaccination.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid said that the manipulation seen during the COVID period makes it logical to ask whether the remaining vaccines are trustworthy, criticized the media that emphasizes voluntary submission and herd immunity, and stressed that the right lesson is not to overreact and to respect constitutional rights and the freedom to vaccinate, while accusing Ekspress Group and Postimees of propaganda that now publishes analyses that ignore real problems.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller invited Martin Helmet to speak.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that the lesson learned during the coronavirus restrictions tends to feel like an Agatha Christie book, in which the great-aunt is buried under a rose bush and the whole family is guilty, and that the real coercion came only under the 2021 government, and asks whether the proposed commission could also deal with giving an assessment of state power in how people were harassed and coerced, or is it intended only to assess the effectiveness of vaccines.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vooglaid emphasizes that the commission should focus on assessing the risks of COVID-19-modified mRNA vaccines, but there is a need for broader, independent and transparent research that would also examine other critical issues and avoid conflicts of interest.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman invites Rene Kokki to perform.
AI Summary
Rene Kokk claims that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was pushed on the public with early promises that vaccination would not prevent the onset of diseases, but reality showed the occurrence of severe illnesses and criticism from scientists who were slow to react, emphasizing the safety principle and that the studies were in the trial phase.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid criticizes the rushed rollout of COVID vaccines and vaccine passes, arguing that the initial promises of effects that would slow the spread of the virus were not true and that there was a lack of oversight and accountability.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller asks Irja Lutsar to come.
Irja Lutsar
Profiling Eesti 200 fraktsioonAI Summary
Irja Lutsar said that the Nobel Prize for mRNA technology awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman provoked criticism in her, asked whether the prize should be withdrawn, and recommended reading the passage about COVID passes, in which she has said that COVID passes were a mistake.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid criticizes the introduction of COVID passes, saying that he would have expected there to be opposition at the time it came into effect, and, if necessary, to resign from office, and emphasizes that mRNA technology may have great potential, but its implementation and risk assessment depend on the context.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller turns toward Kalle Grünthal and asks him to come and deliver a speech.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Grünthal refers to the claims of two doctors that COVID-19 vaccines are weapons of mass destruction and could reduce humanity, and asks whether that was a project to reduce humanity.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid emphasized that speculation is speculation, and time will tell how sound the vision is, and although for now he remains in a wait-and-see stance, the impact of injecting billions of people and advancing genetic modifications could be very far-reaching if it proves to be true.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller turns to Anti Poolametsa and asks for something.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets called for a thorough investigation of adverse effects and a critical review of the functioning of state authorities, referring to the death of a 23-year-old firefighter caused by the vaccine and to numerous complaints, and asking why adverse effects were not investigated and why the actual actions were classified under other matters.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid emphasizes that the draft bill covers only a narrow portion of the spectrum of this problem, and that real vaccine injuries have been systematically suppressed, with those affected often left without assistance, which calls into question the credibility of the state and of science and shows the need for a more thorough investigation and a critical review of statistical manipulation.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-chairman Arvo Aller asked Mart Helme.
Mart Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Mart Helme says that the article published in Postimees, which claims that he cures the coronavirus with goose fat, is false, and he explains that it spoke only about the history of how the disease was treated in cases of colds with goose fat and vodka-soaked socks, and not an explicit recommendation, and he draws attention to journalistic propaganda and to the objectivity of topics, adding that applying goose fat would not have killed as many people as injections.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid claims that the recommendation to use goose fat as a treatment for COVID-19 was sensible, and that for the majority of people the coronavirus is not a serious disease, while, in his view, mainstream media and the government are spreading propaganda, and the coverage of Ukraine is one-sided, because experts are closely tied to foreign intelligence agencies.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller asks Helle-Moonika Helme to speak.
Helle-Moonika Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The presenter Helle-Moonika Helme criticizes examples related to vaccination and doctors' attitudes, highlights miscarriages and possible links to autoimmune diseases and propaganda-like pressure, and asks whether truth and accountability can finally be established.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid emphasizes that the truth must stand up and accountability must be brought to light, criticizes the impact of the 2023 elections, and highlights the funding system for general practitioners, where the more you inject, the bigger the bonus—which is a conflict of interest and requires critical analysis and resistance to unethical practice.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller invited Evelin Poolamets to speak.
Evelin Poolamets
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Presenter Evelin Poolamets noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic the weekly average of deaths was about 300, but at the start of vaccination it rose to 420–430 and stayed there for weeks, raising the question of whether the relationship is causal or coincidental.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
They emphasize the need for independent and rigorous investigation to determine whether the number of deaths has increased after the mass administration of substances and whether there is a causal link, and warn that ignoring the issue or labeling people as panic-mongers is irresponsible.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-chairman Arvo Aller asked Anti Poolametsa to speak.
Anti Poolamets
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Anti Poolamets points out that in the United States there are the largest vaccine manufacturers, and that their advisers there allegedly have conflicts of interest, and he calls for international cooperation and involvement of experts in the creation of a commission in order to clarify these questions and to establish Estonia's own vaccine advocates and the principles for interviewing them.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid emphasized that questions about forming the commission require clarification, and once it is finally formed, its members should involve independent experts to obtain diverse input and an informed assessment of the risks, and the parliament's responsibility in protecting the people's health is clear, even if the bill is likely to end up in the trash.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Arvo Aller thanks the presenter, confirms that there are no questions, and forwards the Steering Committee's discussion; the next speaker will be Katrin Kuusemäe, a member of the Constitutional Committee.
Katrin Kuusemäe
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The Constitutional Committee discussed a Riigikogu draft decision to establish a parliamentary inquiry committee to assess the dangers of COVID-19–modified mRNA vaccines, and on March 13 decided to put the draft on the plenary agenda and to withdraw the draft (6 in favor, 2 against), and appointed Katrin Kuusemäe as the Constitutional Committee's rapporteur.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The deputy chair invited Varro Vooglaid to ask a question.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Vooglaid asks whether there were no substantive arguments at the committee meeting during the first reading of the draft bill, and whether all attention focused solely on colleague Karmen Joller's assertion about the high safety of vaccines.
Katrin Kuusemäe
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Katrin Kuusemäe said that the discussion was indeed extremely short, the chair of the committee asked questions, and Karmen Joller answered Mrs. Poolamets, at which point the committee's discussion ended.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller asks Varro Vooglaid.
Varro Vooglaid
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Varro Vooglaid, as a member of the committee, said that in NORTH Group's petition very serious questions have been raised, especially whether these preparations may affect the human genetic structure; the discussion must be thorough and commensurate with their seriousness, and he asked whether the current superficial discussion is in line with that.
Katrin Kuusemäe
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
The committee's discussion was short because Evelin Poolamets gave a clear presentation of the draft and the committee's objectives, and questions arose from that.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The deputy chairman announced that the question period had ended, opened inter-faction negotiations and invited Martin Helme to speak on behalf of the EKRE faction.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme claims that Estonia's coronavirus policy began with a lack of information and an overreaction, but after the state of emergency ended, a vaccine passport system resembling totalitarianism was established upon taking office, and falsehoods about vaccines were presented and the results of studies were concealed.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
He asks for three more minutes.
Martin Helme
Profiling Eesti Konservatiivse Rahvaerakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Martin Helme describes the current vaccine policy and the corona panic as a conspiracy, behind which are politically connected companies and a medical mafia, and calls on the culprits to reveal themselves and be punished so that such a situation does not happen again.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The vice-chairman Arvo Aller announced that Irja Lutsar would speak on behalf of the Eesti 200 faction and would request extra time; the speech would last a total of eight minutes.
Irja Lutsar
Profiling Eesti 200 fraktsioonAI Summary
Irja Lutsar says that the Riigikogu is not the most suitable place to handle vaccines, because for this purpose the competent Estonian Medicines Agency and the European Medicines Agency exist, she emphasizes that mRNA-based vaccines have saved millions of lives and that side effects are rare and mostly mild, and she recommends that the bill's proponents turn to the relevant authorities, and Eesti 200 supports the leadership committee's decision to reject the bill at the first reading.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The deputy chairman Arvo Aller declares the negotiations closed and brings to a vote in the Riigikogu the leading committee's proposal to reject Draft Bill No. 557 at its first reading, asking members to take a position and vote.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The proposal received 40 votes in favour, 10 against, and there were no abstentions; the draft bill 557 was rejected and is no longer under consideration; today’s agenda has been exhausted and the session has ended.