Agenda Profile: Mart Maastik
Draft law amending the Accounting Act (600 SE) - second reading
2025-06-16
XV Riigikogu, V Session, Plenary Sitting
Political Position
The political stance heavily focuses on cutting red tape and opposing mandatory ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) sustainability reporting, which they dismiss as "sheer nonsense." They support delaying the regulation for two years, but their ideal goal is its complete repeal or making it entirely voluntary. This position is pragmatic and value-driven, highlighting the negative effect these regulations have on businesses.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates expertise regarding ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulations and the associated costs of practical implementation, referencing the requirements imposed on European banks. He highlights a specific case study involving a timber company, where the expense of bureaucracy outweighed the actual benefit, and further explains the complexity of auditing international supply chains (e.g., verifying child labor standards in Bangladesh).
1 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The style is critical and pragmatic, employing strong judgments such as "increasing bureaucracy" and "stupidity." A personal anecdote and a logical cost-benefit analysis are used to support the arguments. When accepting a compromise, the vernacular expression "Better half an egg than an empty shell" is utilized.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
Insufficient data.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The opposition is aimed at European-level regulations that increase bureaucracy, which are being called the "folly" that emerged from "the big European machine." Criticism is also directed at the government and the coalition, whose parallel draft bill would not have reached the plenary session, even though they eventually supported the proposal put forth by Isamaa.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The speaker commends the government and the coalition for supporting Isamaa’s proposal to postpone sustainability reporting, noting that this is a rare instance of support for reasonable proposals. The cooperation is pragmatic, accepting the postponement as a partial victory, even though complete cancellation was the preferred outcome.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is on protecting Estonian companies from excessive international bureaucracy, citing the experience of an Estonian timber company as an example. Mentioned are European regulations, the loan conditions of European banks, and supply chain problems in distant countries such as Bangladesh.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
The economic views are strongly anti-regulation and pro-business, emphasizing that bureaucracy is costly and the expense outweighs the benefits derived from it. Voluntary approaches are preferred over mandatory reporting requirements, which force companies to engage in inefficient compliance processes.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
Social issues (such as child labor) have been discussed solely within the context of regulatory oversight and the inability to implement controls, stressing that it is impossible for an Estonian company to monitor what is happening in other countries.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is on the draft Act amending the Accounting Act (600 SE), which seeks to postpone the sustainability reporting obligation. The speaker is a supporter of the Isamaa proposal, which achieved initial success in the form of a postponement, and hopes that Europe will eventually recognize the need to abolish the regulation.
1 Speeches Analyzed