Monday began with ‘10 Minutes with Jana Toom’ on Radio Maximum; this time we discussed the revised Anti-Trafficking Directive (I was the shadow rapporteur for it) and forced labour, which is something one can easily encounter in Estonia too.
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On Monday evening, an internal seminar on energy was held at the Centre Party’s office in Tallinn. Behind the electricity prices that are hitting everyone without exception lies a complex system. The electricity we generate, the electricity we import, the electricity we could generate in the future; different types of power stations; geographical, climatic, legal and economic factors – all of this must be taken into account to understand how to ensure a guaranteed supply of electricity to Estonia and affordable electricity prices.
Alas, there are no magic solutions in the energy sector, but there are plenty of nuances to consider. How should we finance the construction and/or refurbishment of oil shale power stations? How will the construction of data centres in Finland, which will increase local demand for electricity, affect us? If we build a nuclear power plant, how will we solve the waste problem and how much will it cost?
The best way to understand complex systems is to listen to the experts. This time we spoke with Professor Einari Kisel of Tallinn University of Technology and former TUT professor Arvi Hamburg. We won’t stop at just one seminar; there will be others. The Centrists are preparing to come to power, and it is important for us, as they say nowadays, to build up our expertise.
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On Monday and Tuesday, I discussed with lawyers the petition we will be submitting to the Committee on Petitions (PETI) next week. The petition was inspired by a scandal: businessman Parvel Pruunsild has filed a lawsuit against Telia, demanding that it cease the illegal collection of data on his telephone calls and their transfer to the Security Police, and pay one million euros in compensation. As it turns out, our telecoms companies can provide law enforcement agencies with data on who we spoke to, when and for how long, and where we were at the time. There is a Supreme Court ruling stating that this is illegal, but the malpractice continues. We are submitting a petition against it.
I have also drafted a query to the Minister of the Interior Igor Taro, regarding drones over Estonia and the public warning system. The trigger was the latest drone incident in Ida-Viru County: after receiving a text message at night, people rang 1247 and visited the Kriis.ee website, but to absolutely no avail. Why are the Ministry of the Interior’s services so slow to respond? Where can one get information in an emergency? I am very keen to hear the minister’s answers to these and other questions.
On Tuesday evening, I appeared on ETV+ in the programme ‘Interview of the Week’. I spoke about the President’s comments regarding the need to rethink relations with Russia once the war is over, and about the reaction to these comments.
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Wednesday turned out to be the busiest day of the week: I had a long flight to Brussels and went straight from the aeroplane to a meeting of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL). It was an interparliamentary meeting – representatives from national parliaments were present. We discussed the implementation of the Minimum Wage Directive. Unfortunately, no one from the Riigikogu was present. Apparently, our MPs are not interested in this directive.
Then there was a meeting of the Committee on Petitions (PETI), where I stood in for the coordinator from my Renew Europe group. After that, there was a meeting of the Tallinn City Council’s Urban Property Committee. I recorded a video message for Europe Day in Rakvere, where I spoke about the work of the Committee on the Housing Crisis.
After the latest meeting of the EMPL coordinators, I spoke to young people from the NGO Euro Youth Mental Health about the work of the intergroup on mental health. Finally, late in the evening, I and four other Estonian MEPs discussed foreign policy on the ERR programme ‘Esimene stuudio’.
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On Thursday, I flew back to Tallinn because that evening, in Tallinn’s Kesklinn district, at the Teachers’ House, another constituency meeting was taking place. I told those gathered about the work I am currently engaged in and answered their questions. As is customary, a lawyer was also present at the meeting.
Early on Friday morning, I flew to Riga, where a conference for non-profit organisations was held on Europe Day – my colleagues and I explained to them how they can influence European legislation. The first and most important piece of advice is to get in touch with an expert – ideally MEP whom you trust and who is actually making a difference. They will guide you through the labyrinth of Brussels, save you time and help you achieve your goals. Incidentally, I was very pleased to see representatives of Estonian NGOs at the conference.