By Months: Vilja Toomast

The political position is centered on rejecting the draft amendment to the Penal Code concerning the prohibition of using symbols of aggression. This stance is policy-driven and supports the government’s position, emphasizing the necessity of protecting peace and public order in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression.

The speaker strongly supports the government-initiated draft legislation aimed at increasing the fine unit and doubling the fine rates, stressing that its primary objective is to enhance public compliance with the law. This stance is politically geared toward shaping behavior, although the positive impact of increased state budget revenues is also recognized. He defends the government's rationale for uniformly doubling the fine rates, pointing out that, relative to the growth of the minimum wage, the increase could have been even steeper. The political framework is primarily policy- and results-driven.

The political stance is strongly supportive of the bill initiated by the Government (increasing the fine unit), justifying this by the need to align the fine unit with historical logic and the growth of the average salary. He stresses that increasing fines should primarily ensure that offenders cover the procedural costs, rather than serving as a tool to cover the state budget deficit. He supports the swift processing of the bill, despite the absence of impact assessments.

The political focus centers on the technical updating and implementation of the Imprisonment Act and associated procedural codes. Consensus proposals from the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Affairs Committee are supported, specifically those aimed at addressing the observations made by the Chancellor of Justice and the decisions of the European Court. The viewpoints expressed are primarily policy- and procedure-centric, highlighting the necessity of postponing deadlines given the lengthy processing period of the draft law.

The speaker supports the ratification of the amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, focusing specifically on the procedural correctness and efficiency of the legislative process. Their approach is policy-driven, emphasizing the technical compliance of the draft bill and the need for its swift handling.