Government sends bill to parliament to secure national defense interests

TALLINN - The government approved a bill during an e-session and is sending it to parliament for deliberation, aiming to significantly shorten the time needed to establish facilities critical for national defense.

The amendments reduce bureaucracy and, in the interest of security, allow for bypassing multi-stage planning procedures.

According to the bill, for constructions important for national defense, such as warehouses, training grounds on state land, shooting ranges, or radar positions, it will be possible to waive the Planning Act and simplify the environmental impact assessment process.

"Current legislation allows for potentially around ten court disputes during the construction of a single facility. Such delays are in no way acceptable considering our security needs, which is why accelerating the construction of national defense facilities is imperative, taking into account both the security situation and defense plans," said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.

Under the bill, courts will be required to resolve disputes related to national defense constructions as a priority and within a maximum of four months, an extension of up to two months being possible in justified cases. The application for preliminary legal protection in complaints filed to protect public interests will also be restricted. This aims to prevent work stoppages caused by malicious delays.

Pevkur pointed out that the bill approved today will also speed up the completion of facilities for defense industry companies that produce products critical for the Estonian Defence Forces. "This is a crucial part of Estonia's own defense capability, and it must be possible to build such defense industry projects, alongside other national defense constructions, in an expedited manner."

According to the bill, for national defense constructions, the environmental impact assessment can be omitted from the building permit process, and a forest notification will not be required for land clearing. Assessments related to Natura 2000 sites will remain mandatory, and cooperation with the Environmental Board will be undertaken during construction activities to mitigate any negative impacts.

The planned amendments are exceptional and will be narrowly applied only to fulfill state security objectives, including those of military national defense. The special regulation for national defense constructions is intended to be in effect for six years, after which parliament can decide whether its continuation is necessary.

Estonia's allies, such as Denmark and Lithuania, have also implemented similar fast-track procedures for establishing national defense facilities due to the security threat.