Act on amending the Building Code and the Act on the Implementation of the Building Code and the Planning Act

Summary

The purpose of the draft amendments is to help develop algae and shellfish farming in the Baltic Sea. The bill provides for the exemption of algae and shellfish cultivation from paying the building fee during the development period. The current building code considers the building fee as a fee paid for the use of state land or water area, the purpose of which is to compensate for the use of public property for private purposes. In practice, this principle applies equally to all public water bodies facilities, whether it is a port, an energy object, a floating pier or aquaculture that restores the environment. This one-size-fits-all approach taxes all marine activities in the same way, even though their environmental impact and purpose are very different. Regenerative aquaculture removes excess nutrients, improves the condition of the marine ecosystem and restores valuable marine habitats. The current building fee regulation does not provide for a distinction between the natural environment to recovery-related activities. The purpose of the amendment is to eliminate the situation where the activities necessary to fulfill the country's environmental and EU goals are systematically economically unprofitable in the development phase. The explanatory note states that the economic profit potential of regenerative aquaculture is low due to the peculiarities of the Baltic Sea, but the benefits to nature and the Baltic Sea are great. Regenerative aquaculture, primarily mussel and macroalgae cultivation, is an internationally recognized nature-based solution and ecosystem service – its main purpose and impact is related to the improvement of the marine environment, rather than conventional profit-based land use aimed at the mere production of private income.

Machine translation from Estonian. The official text remains authoritative.

Timeline

1. 20 May 2026

   I_LUGEMINE_LOPETATUD

   Source: SE

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Documents

6 official files

• Seletuskiri

  docx · ET · 22 May 2026

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• Eelnõu

  docx · ET · 22 May 2026

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• Eelnõu docx

  docx · ET · 20 May 2026

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• Seletuskiri docx

  docx · ET · 20 May 2026

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• Kaaskiri

  docx · ET · 20 May 2026

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• Algtekstid asice

  asice · ET · 20 May 2026

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Sponsors

• Yoko Alender · plenary-member
• Keskkonnakomisjon · Keskkonnakomisjon · Initiator

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