Inquiry Regarding Estonian Environmental Policy (No. 743)
Session: 15th Riigikogu, Fifth Session, Plenary Session.
Date: 2025-05-19 23:21
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 51
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 1h 5m
AI Summaries: 51/51 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The agenda item addressed the inquiry of the members of the Riigikogu concerning the delay in confirming the Development Plan for the Environmental Sector 2030 (KEVAD) and Estonian environmental policy. The inquirer, Tiit Maran, drew attention to the fact that, despite extensive preparatory work and the existence of a 73-page draft, the development plan has not been submitted to the Government of the Republic for confirmation in almost two years. Maran asked whether the Ministry of Climate intends to move forward with the document or if it will simply disappear into a drawer.
The Minister of Energy and Environment, Andres Sutt, explained that the delay was due to the creation of the Ministry of Climate and the reorganization of the ministry's strategic performance areas. The former environmental sector has been divided between two new performance areas, meaning the KEVAD draft is no longer comprehensive and performance area-based. The Minister confirmed that the work done in preparing the development plan is valuable and will be used in future, more compact development plans, such as the "Development Plan for the Energy Sector 2035," the "Development Plan for Forestry 2035," and the "Plan for the Restoration of Estonian Nature." The debate quickly focused on the government’s forestry policy, particularly the plan to define 70% of forest land as available for management. The opposition sharply criticized this direction, claiming that it serves narrow business interests and would lead to forests turning into "tree farms." Minister Sutt rejected these accusations, emphasizing that the 70% figure provides investment certainty and that forest management must follow the Forestry Act and the principles of intergenerational management. The opposition expressed concern that significant environmental decisions are being made without a broad-based and comprehensive strategic document.
Decisions Made 1
Decisions were not made.
Most Active Speaker
Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party, left) was one of the most active speakers who used the extra time during the debate. He criticized the government's forestry policy, claiming that declaring 70% of forested land as available for management has lost the public interest filter, serving business interests, which leads to forests turning into tree plantations. He called for reducing felling volumes and increasing added value.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Today's agenda item addresses the interpellation concerning Estonia's environmental policy, which was submitted on April 7th of this year by Tiit Marani, Madis Kallas, Jaak Aab, Andre Hanimäe, Reili Rand, and Riina Sikkut. Tiit Marani will introduce the interpellation.
Tiit Maran
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tiit Maran raised a concern before the Riigikogu regarding why the draft development plan for the Estonian environmental sector has remained unsubmitted to the government for approval for almost two years, what changes are necessary and why, and how stakeholders will be involved and strategic development will be advanced, especially considering unexpected 30%–70% changes and the absence of a broad consensus.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar invited the Minister of Energy and Environment, Andres Sutt, to the Riigikogu rostrum to respond to the interpellation.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Andres Sutt explains that due to the reorganization of the Ministry of Climate and the redistribution of result areas, a more compact system of development plans will be compiled. In this system, two result areas – “Climate, Energy and Biodiversity” and “Living Environment, Mobility and Maritime Affairs” – will cover the developments. The Energy Sector 2035 and Forestry 2035 development plans, as well as the Estonian Nature Restoration Plan, will be drawn up and submitted to the European Commission, while simultaneously increasing broad-based inclusion and being guided by Estonia 2035 and the environmental strategy.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman thanked everyone and noted that there were many questions, and invited Heljo Pikhof to take the floor.
Heljo Pikhof
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Heljo Pikhof stated that the government intends to convert up to 70% of Estonia's forests into tree plantations and reduce the cutting age. This would result in the disappearance of older forests, leaving only young growth that would be harvested prematurely — a direction she considers fundamentally flawed.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Andres Sutt stated that the government does not intend to pursue such a direction—where 70% of the forest area is managed as commercial forest based on the principle of increasing long-term value, and where the Forest Act regulates management. He added that he cannot agree with such an emphasis and wishes to seek more common ground than confrontation.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar makes a request to Tiit Maran.
Tiit Maran
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tiit Maran points out that if the ministry changes, the development plan will have to change again. He then questions whether work related to biodiversity protection can be included in the restoration document, or if doing so would be a waste of resources.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Minister of Energy and Environment Andres Sutt stated that we don't approach things by first destroying and then restoring. Instead, the nature restoration plan must be jointly discussed throughout the entire preparation process. Furthermore, the forestry development plan until 2035 must reflect a strategic outlook, and better results can be achieved by having a smaller number of development plans.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar called upon Reili Rand to speak.
Reili Rand
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Reili Rand raised the issue that the environmental sector lacks a clear, broad-based development plan, consisting instead of a series of heated, isolated decisions. She then inquired about the reduction in funding for environmental education and the transfer of the relevant department to the Environmental Investments Centre, specifically questioning the strategic logic of these decisions and their long-term impact on the growth of environmental awareness.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Andres Sutt confirmed that environmental education remains a priority, the nature center helps strengthen the environmental knowledge network operating throughout Estonia, and the work and investments of the Environmental Investment Centre in this field will continue.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Speaker Lauri Hussar calls Züleyxa Izmailova to the podium.
Züleyxa Izmailova
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
He points out that previous governments set a clear course for the development of nuclear energy—something earlier development plans did not include—and asks which development plan this current direction is based on.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Following the mandate granted by the Riigikogu decision to pursue nuclear energy, and against the backdrop of the nuclear energy renaissance across European countries, the deployment of small modular reactors is under consideration in Estonia. The draft bill has been released for discussion, and nuclear power will become an element of the energy sector development plan until 2035.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman invited Tanel Kiik to speak.
Tanel Kiik
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tanel Kiik inquired, within the framework of the environmental sector development plan, about issues concerning groundwater quality and the steps taken to ensure the availability of clean drinking water.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Minister of Energy and Environment Andres Sutt stated that significant investments have been made over the decades to develop Estonia’s water systems, ensuring that clean water is available in both large cities and smaller communities. He added that water scarcity in various regions is a result of urban sprawl and climate change, necessitating continued efforts to secure both water quality and supply.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman calls Madis Kallas up to the stage.
Madis Kallas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
This address highlights the extensive engagement and debate process that precedes the adoption of development plans, and questions whether the forestry development plan will materialize in the classical sense, or if that statement was made by accident.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
He confirmed that it was not accidental, and that the Forestry Development Plan 2035 will be finalized, allowing for a debate on it to be held in the Riigikogu. He also added that he has not seen a single development plan or law that is secretly debated or adopted in the Riigikogu.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The utterance is merely a request directed at Anti Allas: "Anti Allas, please!"
Anti Allas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Anti Allas stated that although environmental policy is necessary, the strictly protected areas should be reduced, and the remaining forest should be allowed to function in a way that preserves diversity and values, while also ensuring that the beautiful Estonian forest remains for mushroom picking.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
I am certain that the beautiful mushroom forests, the beautiful cloudberry forests, and the forests for all other berries will be preserved for us; the balance point is 70% and 30%. We have agreed on the broad outlines within which we operate, and since there are as many opinions as there are people, we can definitely continue to discuss this.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar asks Helmen Kütt to come.
Helmen Kütt
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Helmen Kütt points out that while long-term plans and visions are being discussed, the current forestry development plan suggests the timeline isn't long enough. She warns that excessive logging could seriously affect our industry, which is why she urges the consideration of a more sustainable solution, ensuring that the Estonian forest remains available for berry pickers, working people, and investments.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Andres Sutt emphasizes the principle of intergenerational forest management stipulated in the coalition agreement. He affirms that the forest is an asset whose value grows with careful management, and stresses that 70% of commercial forest does not necessarily entail logging all of it.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar calls upon Raimond Kaljulaid.
Raimond Kaljulaid
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Raimond Kaljulaid emphasizes that the uncertainty of long supply chains highlights the need to develop and maintain domestic industry to ensure food security and job retention, especially since the constant changes in environmental policy create instability for investments.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
The Minister of Energy and Environment, Andres Sutt, stated that investment certainty is guaranteed by defining 70% of forest land as commercially managed under the Forest Act, adding that achieving balance requires shifting the discussion to a fact-based footing, taking into account the variety of forest owners and reducing emotional fears.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
The Chairman invites Lauri Läänemets to the stage.
Lauri Läänemets
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Läänemets said that although investment security is being discussed in the coalition negotiations, European Union funds should be directed towards forestry to increase added value and logging volumes should be reduced, because the decline of the Russian market does not allow for compensating for increased logging, and why is there a plan to turn 70% of Estonian forest land into tree plantations?
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
“Providing investment certainty to businesses, it is reasonable to support a 70% commercial forest ratio,” said Andres Sutt, stressing that forests must be managed in accordance with the Forest Act and that a wise owner focuses on long-term value, not a sudden surge in logging volume.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar addresses Riina Sikkut and asks her.
Riina Sikkut
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Riina Sikkut emphasizes that the forest is a valuable living environment and retains its value even when it is not harvested for timber. She stresses that these values should be incorporated and directions set through a strategic, inclusive document, because currently, individual decisions are being made that fail to reflect a broader valuation.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
The minister stressed that the issues surrounding nuclear energy and forestry are not an ideological debate, but rather that a pragmatic, diverse clean energy portfolio is beneficial for Estonia, and that fact-based discussion reduces fears and helps find common ground.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar invites Jaak Aab to speak.
AI Summary
Jaak Aab pointed out that the near-future logging volume charts for state forests show a significant decline, and asked whether this would increase the logging pressure in private forests, and whether conditions should be set to prevent overcutting and the felling of excessively young forests.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
Entrepreneurial forestry relies on the intended use and increasing added value through biorefining. Although the loss of the Russian and Belarusian markets and the drop in timber prices have changed the situation, investments are split, with one-third going to RMK and two-thirds to the private sector. Furthermore, ensuring long-term investment certainty requires a solution backed by a 70% guarantee, which must strictly adhere to the provisions of the Forest Act.
Esimees Lauri Hussar
AI Summary
Chairman Lauri Hussar thanked the Minister, announced that there were no further questions, opened the discussions, and first invited Tiit Maran, the representative of the interpellators, to the Riigikogu rostrum.
Tiit Maran
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Tiit Maran criticizes the fact that the development plan has been stalled for two years, noting that the new ministry is planning to redraft the document—a process he deems opaque. He simultaneously stresses the need for balanced consideration of the ecological, economic, and social roles of forests, along with the inclusion of all stakeholders. Furthermore, he calls for transforming the forestry industry to prioritize higher value over volume (less logging, greater value), ensuring that laws and nature conservation measures are applied uniformly and consistently.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Thank you. Next, Züleyxa Izmailova is called, and three additional minutes are requested.
Züleyxa Izmailova
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Züleyxa Izmailova stresses that building a strong Estonia requires protecting forests, rather than permitting 70% clear-felling, because such action jeopardizes the nation's security, democracy, and the future of its citizens. She demands an honest and transparent discussion regarding the interests of nature and the state.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Arvo Aller requests additional time, and Lauri Läänemets is granted three extra minutes.
Lauri Läänemets
Profiling Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna fraktsioonAI Summary
Lauri Läänemets said that the government's plan to turn 70% of Estonian forests into tree plantations is dangerous for public interest and ecological balance. As a countermeasure, he proposed reducing the volume of logging, increasing state subsidies for the forestry sector to boost added value, allowing private individuals to engage in forest management, and raising the felling age, so that forests and biodiversity are preserved and economic sustainability is ensured.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The Deputy Speaker thanked the previous speaker and invited Madis Kallas to take the floor.
Madis Kallas
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Madis Kallas stressed that the environment is vulnerable and that the responsibility for it continuously rests with the minister. He called on all stakeholders to participate in drafting balanced, long-term development plans and decisions that are not dependent on every change of government.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
The Deputy Chair thanked [the speaker] and asked if the Minister wished to add anything further, before calling upon Andres Sutt to speak.
Energeetika- ja keskkonnaminister Andres Sutt
AI Summary
The Minister of Energy and Environment, Andres Sutt, stressed that the forest is an ecosystem, called for basing arguments on facts and ensuring inclusion, confirmed that the claim that 70% of the forest would be cut down was never actually made, and added that no clear-cutting has taken place in Natura areas.
Aseesimees Arvo Aller
AI Summary
Vice-Chairman Arvo Aller declared the list of speakers closed, concluded the debate, and announced that today's agenda item had been completed, but due to one omission, it was the ninth one.