Taking part were Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) leader Martin Helme and sitting MEP Urmas Paet, from the Reform Party.

When asked about EKRE's declining ratings and the prospect of not increasing the party's current MEP seat tally of one, at the ongoing European Parliament elections, Helme said that even if that remains the case, nothing has fundamentally changed - adding the party's goal is to win two seats nonetheless.

The EKRE leader expressed skepticism towards party polls, arguing they are propaganda intended to discourage their core voters. "I consider it a part of the propaganda, not a metric, and something which is used to put off our voters," he said, adding that EKRE's support percentages will rise once again after the elections.

Paet disagreed with the host's assertion that Estonia is trying to secure a commissioner position ahead of the elections taking place. "The whole procedure starts once it is clear how the political power is to be distributed," he said.

Paet also said that the Reform Party, which is according to the domestic Reform-SDE-Eesti 200 coalition agreement, entitled to a commissioner position, has not yet decided which party member would take up that position.

When asked if EU countries should be able to purchase weapons from a common budget, Helme stressed the need to ensure that this does not undermine member states' budgetary sovereignty.

He said: "That must certainly remain intact. We are not opposed to the EU helping its member states bolster their defense, but if this is done, not to strengthen national defense, but to hijack the right to impose taxes, to take on common debts, and to decide on foreign and security policy, then it must be opposed."

Paet responded in the affirmative, adding that the EU needs to invest more seriously in both the domestic defense industry and in national defense.

At the same time, a common EU defense budget would require member states to find additional funds. One solution suggested is common bonds, Paet said.

Martin Helme agreed that Europe has neglected its defense but argued that each member state should deal with boosting its defense budget individually, since channeling member states' money via Brussels, he said, does not create additional funds but instead cedes decision-making sovereignty.

The same applies to taking out loans for defense purchases, which again should not be done collectively, but by each member state, including Estonia, separately, Helme went on.

Paet said a common defense budget would send out a clear message to European defense industries and encourage them to cooperate more. "The EU can support the European defense industry to come together more effectively," Paet said.

Helme: The long-term stay of Ukrainian war refugees is unacceptable

When asked if the temporary protection granted Ukrainian war refugees should be extended, if it expires next spring, Helme's answer was that Ukraine needs these people, making it cynical to use war refugees both for cheap labor and to fill demographic gaps. "For Estonia, the number of Ukrainian refugees has exceeded a critical limit. Their stay here, which could even be a permanent one, is completely unacceptable to our party," he said.

Paet said that if Russian aggression has not ended and Ukraine is not free come next spring, that temporary protection must be extended. "Two things overrule sending Ukrainians back: The principle of international protection, and what Ukraine itself wants. Ukraine itself has not said that we have to get our people back," the MEP went on.

Helme argued that Estonia has been too lenient in accepting war refugees, especially men of service age, making Estonia a favorite place for Ukrainian deserters.

Regarding the EU migration package, Paet said it is a step forward in attempting to reach agreements with third countries to share migration pressure and that agreements between member states help to distribute refugees reasonably.

Helme called the EU's migration policy a total failure, stating that the new migration agreement only makes things worse as it grossly violates a member state's right to decide its immigration policy. "None of us should agree to the dismantling and destruction of European civilization and our countries through mass immigration. There is nothing to be ashamed of if we oppose this," he said.

Paet: Green transition has been an ongoing process in Estonia for over 30 years

As for any connection between the EU's green transition and economic growth, Paet said that this transition is a process which has been ongoing in Estonia for over 30 years, ie. longer than Estonia has been in the union, and must continue.

He said: "You must have common sense in the background when setting necessary goals. You must be ready to adjust those goals, if you see unreasonable harm arising."

Helme, on the other hand, whose party is deeply skeptical of the green transition to put it mildly, described policy as "insane" and "a totalitarian utopia built on false premises, which will destroy our wealth and freedom and which should be stopped immediately."

Helme cited carbon emissions reduction as an example. "We don't need to fight CO2; on the contrary, fighting CO2 is madness because it is plant food; if we reduce it by another 20 percent, plants will have no food, after which we will all simply starve," he said, referring to the photosynthesis process which most plants use and which incorporates atmospheric CO2 into already existing organic carbon compounds.

Helme said that it is cheaper for humanity to adapt to climate change, rather than to fight it, and that the scapegoating and taxing CO2 should be stopped.

Regarding increasing the EU's global competitiveness, Paet said that competition within the union must first be fostered, and that the type of state intervention which hinders competition in the single market must be curbed.

He added that what makes it easier for Chinese entrepreneurs to operate in the European market than for the reverse situation needs to be reviewed. "The EU has let things slide too easily," he added.

Helme said he agreed with Paet, but only in theory, given that in practice, every EU regulation makes doing business more difficult, increases bureaucracy, reduces competition, and kills off innovation.

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