By Plenary Sessions: Mati Raidma

The political priority is national security, defensibility, and societal crisis resilience. The speaker strongly supports the accelerated development of civil defense, emphasizing its time-critical nature and the need for clarity in the legal framework. This is a firm priority for the Reform Party, presented within a policy- and value-based framework, focusing on the substantive implementation of comprehensive national defense.

The political position heavily emphasizes the nation's crisis resilience and the necessity of factoring in the European Central Bank's view when finalizing the draft legislation regarding the national bank. There is palpable concern over the potential conflict between Estonian and European interests, though the need to address this through political means is simultaneously stressed. The overall stance is highly focused on policy and procedure.

The most important topic is strengthening the state's crisis resilience and comprehensive national defense. The speaker strongly supports the draft law on civil crisis and national defense, considering it a time-critical and necessary step in streamlining the legal framework. The viewpoint is clearly policy- and system-centric, emphasizing that the legal framework has lagged behind the development of military national defense.

The political stance focuses heavily on national defense and security, which is anticipated to be the most pressing issue of the upcoming autumn season. The speaker stressed the necessity of updating strategic documents, raising doubts about whether the ambitions set out in the long-term development strategy "Estonia 2035" are sufficient given the current rapid pace of change.

The speaker acknowledges the existence of the problem and the need to resolve it. His political stance is strongly procedural, emphasizing the correct hierarchical route for addressing the issue (via the Tallinn City Council to the City Government, which would then appeal to the Government of the Republic). He criticizes the current activity as an improper "political race," preferring a proper institutional framework instead of politics.

The core political position is strong support for the introduction of a security tax until the end of 2028, aimed at financing the development of Estonia's defense capabilities and security investments. This stance is driven by the challenging security environment and the necessity for swift and decisive adaptation. This is a government priority, as stipulated in the 2024 coalition agreement. The Reform Party faction calls upon its colleagues to support the draft legislation.

The speaker's position is strongly value-based, centering on the recognition of the 1944 mass deportation of Crimean Tatars as an act of genocide, specifically to counter Russia's ongoing genocidal policies. They emphasize solidarity with Ukraine and the Crimean Tatars, and firmly assert that Crimea belongs to Ukraine. The speaker opposes any tolerance whatsoever of Russia's actions in Crimea.

The political focus is heavily directed toward strengthening national defense and supporting Ukraine, underscoring Estonia's status as a border state and the price of independence. There is strong support for raising defense expenditure to 3.4% of GDP, as well as for the government's initiative to introduce a temporary, broad-based security tax. The political framework is strongly value-based, emphasizing a sense of security and the invaluable worth of freedom.

The political position is to support raising state fees based on the principle of cost recovery, given that the rates have remained unchanged for years. Simultaneously, a moderate willingness is shown to alleviate these levies for gun owners and hunters, recognizing their role in security and in fulfilling state duties. The speaker frames their views primarily through a policy and procedural lens, emphasizing the necessity of covering the actual cost of state operations.

The speaker strongly supports the draft bill aimed at aligning state fees with the actual costs of the procedures (the cost recovery principle). The political stance is policy-driven, emphasizing that state-provided services (such as expedited processing) should be charged as a benefit, alongside maintaining fiscal discipline. The speaker defends the sharp increases in fees, citing, for instance, the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) estimated prime cost for firearm permits, which even exceeds the new fee rate.

Insufficient Data.

The speaker placed strong emphasis on the topic of international security, focusing on the destabilizing activities of Russia and Belarus within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The position taken is strongly value-based, expressing concern over the deterioration of the security situation and supporting continued commitment to Ukraine.