By Plenary Sessions: Kalev Stoicescu

The core political position is strong support for Estonia’s participation in international military operations, emphasizing the importance of collective self-defense and ensuring freedom of navigation. These stances are clearly policy- and security-based, focusing on contributions to the EU operation EUNAVFOR Aspides and NATO rapid reaction forces (ARF/SNF). Contributing to NATO readiness units is directly linked to guaranteeing Estonia’s security.

The speaker strongly supports accelerating national defense and civil crisis preparedness, stressing the critical importance of speed in the legislative process to avoid losing valuable time. The political focus is policy-driven, specifically centered on moving up the deadline for the mandatory construction of shelters to July 1, 2026, instead of the initially planned 2028. In his view, the key word in national defense matters today is speed.

The political focus is heavily concentrated on strengthening national defense and security, particularly the integration of civil crisis management and military defense. This stance is urgent and action-oriented, stressing that instead of merely discussing comprehensive national defense, we must genuinely start building it. This is a value-based approach that underscores the necessity of the Estonian state and its people remaining independent and secure given the threat posed by the aggressor state, Russia.

The central theme is a strong and comprehensive national defense, for which significant financial resources are being allocated, exceeding 5% of GDP. The politician strongly emphasizes the necessity of securing funding for both military and non-military capabilities, and demands strict financial discipline and accountability in Ministry of Defense procurements. Also highlighted are the salary increases for active duty personnel and reservists, as agreed upon in the coalition agreement. The political stance is strongly supportive of security, stressing unity and responsibility.

The political focus is aimed at expanding the status of small islands with permanent populations and eliminating the unequal treatment that resulted from the 2017 legislative amendments. The speaker heavily emphasizes the geopolitical significance of these small islands as manned outposts along the maritime border, thereby linking social issues directly to national defense. This represents a policy- and value-based approach to ensuring justice. The platform is strongly supportive of the legislative change, which will ease the lives of the island residents.