Draft law amending the Act on Obligations and, consequently, other laws (613 SE) – first reading
Session: 15th Riigikogu, 5th session, plenary sitting
Date: 2025-04-22 15:29
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 14
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 16m
AI Summaries: 14/14 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The second item on the agenda concerns bill 613 (first reading) amending the Civil Code, as initiated by the Government of the Republic, and consequently amending other laws. The bill aims to ensure that every individual legally residing in the European Union has access to a basic account and to reduce the discretion of banks in relation to clients who may be subject to restrictions due to money laundering risks. A focus is also placed on legal certainty and the availability of services – the state should ensure that transfers, cash payments, and card payments can be made without having an account, and that banks cannot impose time-limited restrictions in general terms based solely on an assessment.
Another important aspect concerns the implementation of the regulation: which banks must provide basic account services, amendments to the powers of the Financial Supervision Authority in oversight, and the preparation of oversight and offline card payment mechanisms to ensure essential services (offline payments with a PIN code). The bill also sets specified requirements for cash payments and establishes the legal framework for the law’s entry into force and the timeline for changes (expected to be 1st July 2024).
Decisions Made 2
The first reading is complete, and the deadline for submitting amendments is May 7th at 5:15 PM. This is the leading committee’s consensus decision, and the discussion will continue according to procedure.
Appoint Mart Võrklaev as the representative of the finance committee to the steering committee and place the draft agenda before the plenary session on April 22nd; grant a short preparation period together with notes from the participating stakeholder groups and continue the first reading procedure by consensus.
Most Active Speaker
The most active speaker was Kalle Grünthal (pidocking: UZO6xIIvIiQ), who asked two questions regarding the draft. His representative role is that of a consensus member of the Riigikogu; his position was “other” (not definitively left- or right-wing). He is active in discussions, directing the focus to the nuances of the basic account regulation and the considerations involved.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Today we continue with the agenda, and the second item on the agenda is the Government-initiated draft law 613 on the amendment of the Law of Obligations and the amendments to other laws arising therefrom (first reading), presented by Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
This draft bill ensures access to a basic payment account for all persons lawfully residing in the EU, prohibits providing the service solely on the basis of a higher money-laundering risk, sets out restrictions to mitigate risks, determines which banks must provide the basic payment service, increases the powers of the Financial Supervisory Authority, and adds the ability to make offline payments in emergencies, and shall come into force on July 1.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, thanks the audience and invites listeners to submit questions, and then turns to Helmen Kütt.
Helmen Kütt
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helmen Kütt noted that the draft is sensible and important, and asked how payments would work when the channels are not functioning—when will the amendment take effect, whether it would be possible to pay by card in the absence of cash, and what technical or software changes this would require.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
Banks must set a per-customer offline limit on the bank card and ensure the terminals' offline card payment capability, and it must not be too expensive.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair thanks and asks his colleague Kalle Grünthal to take the floor.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Kalle Grünthal explained that, according to § 7101(21) of the Law of Obligations Act, proving a justified interest to the consumer must not be unreasonably burdensome, and he asked what the criteria of an unreasonable burden are and whether they are clearly laid out in the law.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
In short, this is a matter of discretion that can be challenged in court, and not all details can be codified into law.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair, Lauri Hussar, asks Kalle Grünthal to present the second question.
Kalle Grünthal
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Kalle Grünthal emphasizes that discretion creates variation and potentially unequal treatment, and therefore it should not be applied in its current form.
Rahandusminister Jürgen Ligi
AI Summary
Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi thanked for this opinion and said that, based on it, relying on your assessments in this field would be a very slippery slope, because such a possibility to weigh considerations is widespread in many laws and situations.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chairman, Lauri Hussar, thanked the minister, said that there were no further questions, and requested that the discussion held in the State Audit Committee be presented by committee member Mart Vorklaev.
Mart Võrklaev
Profiling Eesti Reformierakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
The Finance Committee discussed on 15 April the draft regulation on basic payment accounts, noting that the questions of opening and closing corporate bank accounts and amendments to the Law of Obligations require more thorough work, and that by 1 June time is tight, therefore the further work should be organized; it was decided to end the first reading, to put the draft on the plenary agenda on 22 April, to involve the Legal Affairs Committee and stakeholder groups, and to collect feedback no later than 7 May, appointing Mart Võrklaev as the lead committee.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The chair announced that the first reading of Draft Bill 613 had been completed, that the negotiations had ended, and that the deadline for submitting amendments is May 7 at 17:15; the sitting has ended.