Seeder: Joint loan should be approved with a Member State consensus

Helir-Valdor Seeder.
Helir-Valdor Seeder. Source: Siim Lõvi /ERR

The chairman of the governmental Isamaa Party, Helir-Valdor Seeder said that while Isamaa does not yet have a final position on the European joint loan, it should be approved by European Union member state consensus.

According to Seeder, Isamaa would not agree to a centralized EU budget and established common taxes.

The party is also worried if all member states do not have to declare their responsibilities. "The support given to member states, but what has to be paid back and returned, if member states do not have to declare as debt or responsibility," Seeder said.

"We should certainly not send a signal to Southern Europe that responsibilities should not be declared and that everyone should just live beyond their means. And to Eastern Europe that the EU budget is such that you can always get more from it if you pay into it. If you send different signals to different regions, the solution will not be sustainable," Seeder said.

"Being that it is developed under difficult circumstances, the joint loan has to be in compliance with all the different EU treaties and the autonomy of member states should remain. The process should also use the principle of unanimosity, every member state should have to agree with it," Seeder noted.

He would also like to have more clarity in the repayments of loans.

The European Commission would borrow €750 billion to restart the economy, of which €500 billion would be given to member states as support and €250 billion as loans. The fund based on the joint loan also would complement the European Union's seven-year €1.1 trillion budget.

The Estonian government does not have a common position on the joint loan. Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Center) has called it a step in the right direction, but coalition partner leaders Mart Helme (EKRE) and Helir-Valdor Seeder (Isamaa) have opposed it.

Estonia to analyse the effects of EU's recovery plan

To form a common position on the European Union's recovery plan, the Estonian State Chancellery has begun to analyse effects of the plan, among others its accordance to other EU treaties.

The State Chancellery told ERR that the recovery plan requires an extensive impact analysis.

"The effects of all proposed bills and positions explained in memorandums have to be analysed, including the legal side of it. As is the case with the recovery plan presented by the European Commission and the European Union budget for 2021-2027," the Chancellery explained.

"Estonia's positions on the recovery plan and the EU budget are developed by the State Chancellery in cooperation with ministries. In finding a position, legal questions are also assessed, among others the accordance to previous EU treaties."

The government is planning to discuss the positions on Thursday.

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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste

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