Draft law amending the Construction Code Act, the Administrative Cooperation Act, and the Water Act (531 SE) – third reading

Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th session, plenary session

Date: 2025-03-26 19:10

Participating Politicians:

Total Speeches: 6

Membership: 15

Agenda Duration: 14m

AI Summaries: 6/6 Speeches (100.0%)

Analysis: Structured Analysis

Politicians Speaking Time

Politicians

Analysis

Summary

Today’s fourth agenda item concerned the third reading of the draft law amending the Construction Code Act, the Act on Administrative Cooperation, and the Water Act 531. Discussions began, focusing on the content of the draft and the reduction of bureaucracy, which should be distributed towards local governments with a broader mandate specifically in the areas of drilling drinking water wells. While restrictions on the use of certain methods will reach the level of regulation, it was emphasized that responsibility remains with the Environmental Agency if protected natural values are present. The Isamaa faction highlighted the need for additional regulation and analysis to ensure clarity and fairness.

Decisions Made 1
Collective Decision

The Riigikogu board adopted the motion to put the final version 531 of the draft bill to a final vote to conclude the procedure, and approved the preparations for the vote. As a result of the final vote, the bill was passed as a law.

Most Active Speaker
Andres Metsoja
Andres Metsoja

Isamaa fraktsioon

The most active speaker was Andres Metsoja (Isamaa faction). He represented the right-wing political line and drew attention to the substantive and constitutional organization of the bill, as well as the need to avoid potential conflicts at the ministerial level.

Aseesimees Arvo Aller
19:10:55
AI Summary

There is talk about the third reading of draft bill No. 531, which concerns amending the Construction Act, the Administrative Cooperation Act, and the Water Act, and negotiations are opened, inviting Andres Metsoja from the Isamaa faction to speak.

19:11:19
AI Summary

The Isamaa faction cannot support the bill, because although there is a plan to reduce bureaucracy and increase the autonomy of local governments, the restriction on the use of the ODEX method has remained incomplete, and this may threaten the quality of drinking-water boreholes and increase costs, and therefore there is no support.

Aseesimees Arvo Aller
19:16:00
AI Summary

The vice-chairman Arvo Aller thanks and asks that Jüri Jaanson, on behalf of the Reform Party faction, be granted three additional minutes.

Jüri Jaanson
Jüri Jaanson
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioon
19:16:09
AI Summary

Jüri Jaanson announced on behalf of the Reform Party that the bill has been approved and that it reduces bureaucracy and increases the state's efficiency, citing, for example, the taking over of water-sample attestations by a private legal entity and the transfer of the designation of wastewater collection areas to the Estonian Environment Agency, while noting that representatives of Isamaa have similarly expressed problems that must be addressed at the ministerial level, and therefore the bill should be adopted as a law that strengthens the constitutional order, and he urged the Social Democrats to vote for it for this reason.

Aseesimees Arvo Aller
19:22:24
AI Summary

The deputy chair announced that the negotiations had ended and is carrying out preparations for the final vote on Bill 531, asking members of the Riigikogu to vote in favor of the Government-initiated bill to amend the Construction Act, the Administrative Cooperation Act, and the Water Act, Bill 531.

Aseesimees Arvo Aller
19:25:30
AI Summary

The Estonian Parliament passed Draft Bill 531 into law: 55 members voted in favour, 10 against, and 1 abstained.