Session Profile: Maris Lauri

The political position strongly supports the bill concerning the Financial Intelligence Unit (RAB) (Bill 640), emphasizing the necessity of employing technological solutions in the anti-money laundering (AML) fight to safeguard Estonia’s reputation and economy against international criminal activities. The focus is on enhancing policy and operational effectiveness to more rapidly detect complex money laundering schemes and prevent the country from being added to international blacklists. The speaker stresses that this bill is a direct response to previous negative experiences (e.g., the Danske Bank case).

The speaker demonstrates comprehensive expertise in the fields of anti-money laundering (AML), data protection, and legislative drafting procedures, detailing the core functions of the RAB (case analysis, strategic analysis) and new data processing methods. They employ technical terms such as "pseudonymization" and "depseudonymization," and reference specific consultations with the Data Protection Inspectorate, the Chancellor of Justice, and Supreme Court judgments. They emphasize that the use of data is being elevated from the regulatory level to the statutory level, ensuring compliance with personal data protection requirements.

The style is highly factual, formal, and detailed, concentrating on clarifying the substance of the draft bill and the procedural process. The speaker remains patient and repetitive in addressing the opposition's recurring questions. Furthermore, the speaker employs logical arguments and technical language to alleviate concerns regarding the creation of a "super database" and the profiling of private individuals. He repeatedly emphasizes that all future decisions will continue to be made by a human, not a machine.

The speaker’s work pattern is linked to the thorough handling of the bill in the Finance Committee, which held three sittings (June 5, 10, 12) and meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, RAB, and the Data Protection Inspectorate. He/She also referenced his/her role as the rapporteur, who involved additional stakeholders whose input he/she deemed important. Furthermore, the law now includes RAB’s annual reporting obligation to the Riigikogu Special Committee for the Supervision of Security Agencies.

The primary critics are the opposition factions, whom the speaker faults for failing to attend the Finance Committee meetings. He argues that this absence has resulted in a lack of knowledge and the asking of inadequate questions. The opposition's concerns relate to the widespread collection of personal data, the creation of a "super database," and the risk of profiling, points which the speaker repeatedly tries to refute. The speaker is critical of the opposition's lack of thoroughness, pointing out that they do not even bother to listen to the answers.

The speaker emphasizes the consensus-based cooperation within the Finance Committee, where all decisions regarding the further handling of the draft bill were adopted unanimously. He/She highlights the successful collaboration with the Data Protection Inspectorate (DPI), based on whose recommendations the scope of personal data processing in the bill was significantly narrowed. The speaker also stresses that various parties (the Chancellor of Justice, the Auditor General) were involved in the processing of the draft bill.

The focus is both national (Estonian legislation and the activities of RAB) and strongly international, underscoring the cross-border nature of money laundering and its connection to international crime. It emphasizes the necessity of avoiding placement on international "blacklists," citing the experience of our Southern Neighbor, where trading in dollars was prohibited.

Economic views are aimed at protecting financial stability and the country's economic reputation, emphasizing that insufficient anti-money laundering efforts lead to enormous economic damage, higher borrowing costs, and difficulties in international transactions. The goal of the draft law is to improve the functioning of the economy by deterring criminals interested in using Estonia (e.g., for laundering Russian "bloody money").

The social focus centers on the balance between civil liberties and national security, emphasizing the need to protect personal data (including sensitive data) while RAB combats international crime (drug trafficking, sanctions violations). It is stressed that data collection will be needs-based, not "all-encompassing," and the scope of data concerning private individuals will be significantly reduced.

The main legislative priority is the completion of the second reading of the Money Laundering Data Bureau Act (Bill 640), which aims to streamline data usage and create the technological capacity for deep analysis. The speaker is the proponent and procedural manager of the bill, who introduced amendments to narrow the scope of data processing, bringing it to the statutory level, and established parliamentary oversight within the special committee for the supervision of security agencies.