Greens force extraordinary session

  • 2007-07-27
  • By TBT staff and wire reports

BACK TO BUSINESS: Energy policy will be on the agenda in the Riigikogu (Photo courtesy Estonian Parliament)

TALLINN 's Estonia's Green Party claims it has succeeded in collecting the 21 signatures it needs to call an extraordinary session of the Riigikogu, Estonia's parliament, next month.

The head of the Greens faction, Valdur Lahtvee, told Baltic News Service he does not yet know the exact number of deputies who signed the petition but that he is certain it is above the required minimum threshold.

"What matters right now is that we have the necessary number of signatures and can call the extra meeting," he said.

Opposition parties want to put two bills on the agenda of an extra session, with August 13 a likely date.

The Greens demanded an extraordinary session after they noted that Prime Minister Andrus Ansip has been committing Estonia to participation in the Lithuanian nuclear power plant project despite the fact that the current national energy strategy contains no definite provision for the use of nuclear power.

The session will address updating of the long-term energy strategy, and could establish deadlines for the government to submit amended plans to Parliament, as well as clarifying the precise nature of Estonia's joint energy projects in Lithuania and Finland.

A second bill to be presented during the session would establish a select committee to deal with energy issues.

Convening an extraordinary session requires the support of at least 21 members of the 101-member parliament. However, decisions can only be made only if more than half its members, or 51 MPs, are present.