Session Profile: Urmas Kruuse

The political stance is heavily focused on reducing bureaucracy by abolishing the mandatory licensing requirement for catering services in childcare facilities, thereby granting service providers greater freedom in organizing their operations. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the necessity of correcting technical regulatory errors and inaccuracies that emerged during previous legislative processes. We support raising the quality of school meals, recognizing that this responsibility is shared by the state, local municipalities, and parents. Policy development is strongly geared toward resolving practical and procedural issues.

The speaker demonstrates in-depth knowledge of the technical details of lawmaking, including error rectification, harmonization of terminology, and procedural processes (e.g., notifying the European Commission). Their expertise is also evident when addressing the Food Act, childcare regulations, and rural affairs issues (such as organic food subsidies, land taxation, and the price differentials between agricultural land and forest land). They reference the risk-based control system used by the Agricultural and Food Board.

The style of presentation is formal, factual, and explanatory, which is typical of a commission rapporteur tasked with presenting technical amendments. Logical arguments are employed, and specific dates and agencies are referenced to justify the urgency of the proposed changes. The tone is predominantly neutral and consensus-seeking, even when acknowledging procedural errors, which are referred to as "clerical errors."

The speaker is actively involved in the work of the Rural Affairs Committee, having organized an extraordinary session on May 7th and serving as the rapporteur for the draft legislation. This pattern of activity demonstrates a rapid response to legislative issues, ensuring the amendments take effect before September 1st. He/She has coordinated actions across multiple ministries.

There is no direct confrontation with specific political opponents; criticism is aimed instead at procedural errors and inaccuracies in the legislative process, which emerged during the parallel consideration of two laws. The topic of providing free school meals is addressed neutrally as a purely political decision, to be discussed within the framework of the budget strategy.

The collaborative approach is strongly emphasized, as the amendments to the draft bill were developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, and the Committee on Rural Affairs. The Committee’s decisions regarding the processing of the bill and the conclusion of the first reading were reached by consensus. It is also planned to seek the opinion of the Culture Committee, which was the lead committee for the original act.

The focus is directed towards both national legislative amendments and the autonomy and responsibility of local governments (LGAs). Emphasis is placed on the role of local governments in land taxation and ensuring social welfare so that children receive meals. Furthermore, support is given to prioritizing local Estonian food through public procurement.

Economic views support reducing bureaucracy (the administrative burden) for childcare service providers. The impact of inflation, supply chains, and Russia’s war of aggression on food prices is acknowledged, but it is claimed that average prices in Estonia are cheaper than the European average. Support is given to analyzing land taxation to find ways to decouple the taxation of agricultural and forest land.

The central social issue is the accessibility and quality of early childhood education and children's catering. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the social welfare system must ensure that children from socially vulnerable families are not deprived of meals, which serves as an indicator of the quality of the local government's social welfare services.

The main legislative priority is the expedited processing of amendments to the Preschool Education Act in order to abolish the licensing requirement for catering services in childcare facilities and to correct the regulatory technical errors contained within the Act. The goal is to ensure the law enters into force smoothly on September 1, 2025. Furthermore, a request has been initiated to the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture to analyze differences in land taxation.