THE RIIGIKOGU WILL COMMENCE DISCUSSIONS ON THE AMENDMENT OF THE CHURCH ACT ON TUESDAY.

Riigikogu Likely to Amend Church Act Returned by President

The Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) is highly likely to amend the Church and Congregation Act, which the President returned due to concerns that it contradicted the Constitution. The Riigikogu will adopt a revised version of the law by early June at the latest.

President Alar Karis declined to promulgate the amendments to the Church and Congregation Act and sent it back to the Riigikogu for revisions.

The Riigikogu can make amendments to the law and then approve it. It is also possible to approve the law again in its original form. If the President disagrees with the Riigikogu's decision, the Supreme Court must resolve the situation. According to the chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, the Riigikogu is more inclined to amend the law. The specific changes will become clear during the discussions.

"It will go to the plenary hall for a decision on whether to support the draft, not support it, or support it with amendments, and I can predict, with a pinch of salt as the classics say, that this draft will probably be amended," said Madis Timpson, chair of the Legal Affairs Committee.

The Church and Congregation Act will be discussed by both the Legal Affairs Committee and the Constitutional Committee, with the first discussion scheduled for Tuesday. Lauri Läänemets, a member of the Constitutional Committee, stated that the President's observations must be considered. According to Läänemets, some objections are easier to address, while the issue of charter subordination is more complex.

"The President thought that we should not demand this so-called severing in that form. On that point, I disagree with the President. That is the most important part. These possible alternatives are significantly more complicated and cause confusion. If we think about what this subordination relationship means, the most difficult thing to understand is the influencing activity. I think that is where we should involve experts," said Lauri Läänemets, chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDE).

Helir-Valdor Seeder, chairman of the Isamaa party faction, said that experts should be consulted first.

"In my opinion, this law was already mature for adoption, and I did not find any contradiction there with the Constitution, the restriction of religious freedom, or the restriction of human rights. If there are some legal nuances that need changing, then they should be considered and can be changed," Seeder said.

Vadim Belobrovtsev from the Center Party stated that Parliament should abandon the Church and Congregation Act and that it should no longer be adopted, neither in its original form nor with amendments.

"We will see what changes will come, but it is clear that we currently cannot imagine what those changes could be so that the President would say that the draft law is now in accordance with the Constitution, and at the same time, the content of this draft would not be fundamentally changed," Belobrovtsev said.

The Riigikogu approved the Church and Congregation Act in early April. The aim of the law is to ensure that religious organizations operating in Estonia cannot be used to incite hatred or violence, and it specifically concerned the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, which would have been required to sever all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.