The bill provides for the establishment of a cross-party research commission to investigate the circumstances of financial management, contractual obligations and management of state assets in the field of defense. The committee is formed based on the principle of equal representation of political parties represented in the Riigikogu. As a result, the committee includes one member from each political group. The purpose of the formation of the investigative committee is to find out what has been identified by the National Audit Office in the Ministry of Defense's area of governance the circumstances and causes of serious deficiencies and exercise parliamentary control over the use of state money and property.
The bill envisages the formation of a cross-party Riigikogu investigation committee to control the use of funds in the Ministry of Defense's governance area. The commission includes one member from each faction.
The commission's task is to find out the scope and causes of systemic deficiencies in the use of funds that have appeared in the Ministry of Defense's governance area and to make proposals to improve the situation in order to restore taxpayers' trust in the field of defense. Commission formation is important so that the questions that have arisen regarding the use of funds by the Ministry of Defense do not negatively affect the will to defend the people of Estonia and the willingness to contribute to national defense.
The bill amends the relevant provisions in the Act on the Status of Members of the Riigikogu and the Act on State Secrets and Classified Foreign Information regarding the right of access of members of the Riigikogu to state secrets and classified foreign information.
The bill strengthens the measures to ensure that the national identity document is issued only to the authorized person.
The draft creates a legal basis for the e-resident's digital identity card (digi-ID) application to be returned regardless of review, if the applicant is a citizen of a country with a greater risk of money laundering or terrorist financing, or with which Estonia does not have a cooperation relationship in the field of justice, security or law enforcement (countries with restrictions on e-residency).
With the bill the PPA has the right to demand a DNA examination in the event that a person applies for an identity document of an Estonian citizen for the first time and there is a reasonable suspicion that the document allowing identification of Estonian citizenship issued in a foreign country is not genuine or its basic data is not correct.
The bill creates an opportunity to verify identity through the mobile application of the Estonian Information Gate.
The explanatory letter states that due to the seriousness of the management errors and the significant investments directed to Nordica in previous periods, it is necessary to immediately form a Riigikogu investigation committee. In order to ensure the reliability and broad-based nature of the investigative committee itself, it should include at least one representative from each faction of the Riigikogu.
The bill provides for the formation of a Riigikogu research committee whose task is to check the project's compliance with the Rail Baltic agreement ratified by the Riigikogu in 2017; find out the total budget of the project, financing options, etc.; if necessary, make a proposal to the Riigikogu and the government on how to proceed with the project. Final report 01.12.2024.
This bill supplements the Holidays and Public Holidays Act with a provision that makes the 2nd day of Easter a public holiday and a day of rest and provides an additional day of rest if a national holiday or public holiday falls on a weekend. A simple majority of the Riigikogu is necessary for the adoption of the law.
The bill provides for allowing the state to pay compensation to cover the costs of housing loan interest for conscripts. Since a conscript cannot take a full payment leave in the case of a housing loan, the interest on the housing loan will be reimbursed to the conscript during his military service.
An allowance may also be paid for the right to drive a motor vehicle of category B acquired before military service, as it allows for basic skills training to be provided in a shorter period of time. One-time the amount of the support is 1000 euros. The difference is that the aforementioned allowance is paid to those conscripts who are in 11-month military service after the entry into force of the law. The decision and payment of the support is made by the Defense Resources Board. Compensation for the purchase of individual equipment will be simplified for active military personnel. A procedure will be created according to which active servicemen will purchase certain clothing items through certain e-shops and for this compensation will be paid to the active military every year. At the same time, the Income Tax Act is supplemented with a provision according to which compensation for the purchase of clothing equipment is not subject to income tax.
In addition, the regulation regarding the protection of war graves will be updated and the decision-making level regarding war graves will be brought below the ministerial level. This makes the implementation of the law more flexible and operational. With the amendment of the Heritage Protection Act a provision to end the dual protection of war graves is added.
According to the bill, in 2023 it will be possible to contribute up to 285 defense personnel to the North Atlantic Organization (NATO) readiness units. The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a high-readiness unit capable of conducting military operations anywhere in the world. The NRF plays a key role in launching NATO's short-notice collective defense operations. The NRF is subordinate to SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe). to the NRF the transfer is decided by the North Atlantic Council. Ensuring the full manning of the NRF is directly in the interest of the Estonian state, because the NRF ensures NATO's commitment to deterrence and collective defense.
In addition, by contributing to its allied obligations, Estonia will also fulfill the NATO Readiness Initiative (NRI) from the beginning of 2021. The aim of the initiative is to increase the readiness of allied forces so that we are ready to react quickly with our own forces, incl in collective defense situations. These units are in addition to the troops already in the NRF.
The draft provides for the use, if necessary, of up to 70 defense forces of the Defense Forces as part of the NRF (NATO Response Force) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and up to 200 defense forces of the NATO Defense Forces as part of the new NATO Readiness Initiative (NRI) under Chapters VI and VII of the United Nations Charter from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. on the basis of peace and security in a military operation organized for the purpose of preservation or restoration and in another international military operation in accordance with the generally accepted principles and norms of international law.
The creation of the NATO Response Force (NATO Response Force - NRF) was decided at the Prague summit in 2002. The NRF is a high-readiness unit capable of conducting military operations anywhere in the world. The NRF plays a key role in launching NATO's short-notice collective defense operations. The NRF is subordinate to SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe). The NRF transfer is decided by the North Atlantic Council. Ensuring the NRF is fully manned is straightforward In the interests of the Estonian state, because the NRF ensures NATO's commitment to deterrence and collective defense.
Eelnõu muudetakse püsiasustusega väikesaarte nimistu moodustamise aluseid. Lisaks tehakse muudatusi transporditeenuse korraldamise kohustuses ja riigieelarvest väikesaarte toetamise põhimõtetes. Eelnõu sätestab kriteeriumid püsiasustusega väikesaarte nimistusse kuulumiseks ja näeb ette erinevat liiki transpordivahenditega transporditeenuse korraldamise väikesaarele kooskõlas ühistranspordiseadusega. Samuti muudetakse eelnõuga püsiasustusega väikesaarte elanikele teenuste tagamiseks täiendavate kulude katmiseks rahastamise korda.