Agenda Profile: Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart
Draft law amending the Basic and Upper Secondary Education Act and the Vocational Education Institutions Act (620 SE) – First Reading
2025-09-17
15th Riigikogu, 6th sitting, plenary sitting.
Political Position
The first reading of Draft Bill 620 SE is supportive: the speaker emphasizes ensuring school meals and children's health, and criticizes the state's current activities for not having adequately helped families. He/She stresses the need for greater state involvement and tripartite (state-local government-parents) cooperation, and is either opposed to or noncommittal regarding the idea of lowering VAT (recommending state aid instead). The stance is policy- and value-based, focusing on social security and children's welfare, and highlighting the impact of increasing burdens and prices on families.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker shows expertise regarding the importance of school meals and how food prices affect families. They bring up the triple partnership funding model and the consequences of the tax hike. They refer to the core mechanisms (state, local authority, parents) and discuss the issue of VAT on foodstuffs, which illustrates the policy-technical context. They reveal that they are using mapping data, not quantitative data, and concentrate on the medical and social implications (health, school meals).
2 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
Emotional and argumentative tone: It uses creative exclamations and questions (e.g., framing school lunch as the "only warm meal of the day") to draw attention and underscore the seriousness of the issue. A strong, value-driven, and concern-focused approach is employed, emphasizing societal outcomes. The text addresses resources and practical application but maintains a simple, discursive style, avoiding overly technical language.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
Two speeches regarding the scope of the same day's proceedings (September 17, 2025); a discussion within the context of the first reading; demonstrates active participation in the draft bill debates and the highlighting of specific nuances concerning school meal funding.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The criticism is aimed at the state and the current tax and funding policy (the state hasn't provided enough help to families; the burden has fallen on parents and local municipalities). It takes the form of the opposition pointing out the state's failure to act on decisions already made, but it does not name specific opposing parties. The intensity ranges from moderate to strong when the subject is the welfare of children and the funding of school meals.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
It clearly emphasizes cooperation and shared responsibility: the triple partnership (state, local governments, and parents) as a solution model; a readiness to involve various parties in the financing of school meals. Specific examples of single-party coalitions are not provided, but cooperation is emphasized.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is at the national level: there is general discussion about school meals and children's health, not about a specific area or region. Local municipalities are mentioned as bearing the burden, but the national steering of funding and organization is the central element.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
An economically pro-social stance; it criticizes tax hikes and emphasizes the need for state aid and funding for school meals, rather than lowering the value-added tax (VAT). The sharing of the bilateral burden and costs is emphasized: parents and local governments share responsibility more; the state should increase its share. They advocate for non-monetary tax revenue or state support for school meals; the overall tone is fiscal redistribution in the name of social welfare.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
The speech emphasizes child health and nutrition, alongside ensuring school meals as a vital source of security. Poverty, the food crisis, and guaranteeing access to school meals are directly addressed; it is stressed that without state support, children may receive less healthy food. Social justice and children's well-being are linked to a moral and value-based framework.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The focus is on the financing of school meal management and the debate surrounding food tax policy; specifically, the first reading of draft bill 620 SE and its funding structure (state, local government, and parents). The speaker supports the bill, stressing the necessity of state assistance and tripartite funding, and observes that a reduction in VAT is not the preferred solution. Emphasis is placed on collaboration and activating state intervention to guarantee the quality and accessibility of school meals.
2 Speeches Analyzed