Session Profile: Urve Tiidus
15th Riigikogu, 3rd sitting, plenary session
2024-01-24
Political Position
The political position is highly focused on procedure and oriented towards quality, demanding strict adherence to the principles of good law-making, as set out in the document "Fundamentals of Legislative Policy until 2030". The speaker emphasizes minimal state intervention and the avoidance of over-regulation, placing the assurance of a constitutional legal order at the forefront. The focus is policy- and results-based, assessing the 2022 activities in light of the established objectives.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates thorough knowledge of legislative processes, referencing specific documents and terms such as ex-post evaluation, constitutionality analysis, and regulatory burden. They are well-versed in the requirements concerning the quality of explanatory memoranda and the justification needed for new regulations, relying on assessments from the Ministry of Justice and legal experts (Jõks, Ginter). Although the speaker notes that they are not a lawyer by profession, their treatment of the subject is detailed and authoritative.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The discourse is formal, analytical, and constructively critical, focusing on process improvement and learning from past mistakes. The style is logical and relies heavily on documented evidence and facts, utilizing direct quotes from the vision document and specific references to the minister's report. To conclude, a lyrical digression is included, featuring a historical example (King Hammurabi's Code of Laws) to underscore the long-term perspective inherent in the legislative process.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
The speech was delivered at a plenary session of the Riigikogu, where the implementation of the fundamental principles of legislative policy in 2022 was discussed. The speaker mentions participation in a debate held by the Legal Affairs Committee, which indicates active involvement during the legislative oversight phase. Other activity patterns or frequencies are not evident from the address.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
Direct political confrontation is not expressed; the criticism is directed at procedural shortcomings, especially the subpar quality of the analysis concerning the constitutionality of draft laws. The intensity of the criticism is moderate, emphasizing that there is always room for improvement and referencing the appeal by experts (Jõks and Ginter) to take the constitution seriously.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The speaker notes positively the cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and the University of Tartu in training lawyers to support skills in constitutional compliance analysis. The speaker expresses the wish that such educational cooperation would subsequently be extended to interested members of parliament.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is entirely on national-level legislative policy and ensuring the Estonian legal order. Ensuring Estonia's international competitiveness through the legal system is mentioned. Regional or local issues are not addressed in the speech.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
Economic views support a legal framework that ensures competitiveness, protects property rights and entrepreneurship, and guarantees the well-being of the population. Emphasis is placed on significantly reducing the regulatory burden and avoiding overregulation. Preference is given to solutions that do not unduly restrict discretionary power, property, and entrepreneurship.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
Social issues are generally discussed in the context of public welfare and societal security, both of which should be ensured by a robust legal order. The emphasis is placed on the legal framework needing to protect public interests without undermining the responsibility and freedoms of the individuals themselves. Specific socio-political themes are not addressed.
2 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is currently on procedural quality, underscoring the necessity of improving the quality of explanatory memoranda accompanying draft legislation, the analysis of constitutional compliance, and the practice of ex-post evaluation. The speaker supports the existing legislative policy framework and calls for a stricter and more effective implementation of its objectives. He emphasizes that new bills should not be initiated lightly; rather, the underlying problem must be clearly articulated.
2 Speeches Analyzed