Prime Minister Michal confirms ministers' areas of responsibility
Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) has confirmed the areas of responsibility for the Estonian government's new ministers. In accordance with the coalition agreement signed on July 22, these changes primarily affect the competencies of the minister of justice and digital affairs, minister of climate, minister of economic affairs and industry and minister of infrastructure.
There are no major changes in areas of responsibility for the minister of education and research, minister of defense, minister of culture, minister of finance, minister of the interior, minister of social protection, minister of health or minister of foreign affairs.
Some current tasks will be handed over by the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture.
In addition to leading the Ministry of Justice and its administrative area, the responsibilities of the minister of justice and digital affairs will also include planning and implementing digital society policy, organizing and supervising digital development and cybersecurity, coordinating the development of state information systems, including central network and information systems, managing telecommunications, drawing up the bill for the Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Act as well as overseeing the activities of the relevant structural units of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
The minister of economic affairs and industry will lead the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and its administrative area, except in the areas managed by the minister of justice and digital affairs. The responsibilities of the minister of economic affairs and industry will also include the field of foreign trade and managing the activities of the relevant structural units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They will also be responsible for land use policy, organizing spatial planning, fulfilling tasks related to land and spatial matters, including spatial data and databases, managing spatial data services, organizing activities related to land assessment, performing land management operations, directing and implementing land reform activities, acquiring land needed by the state and fulfilling tasks assigned by the state property manager related to undeveloped state land, as well as overseeing the activities of the relevant structural units of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture.
Decisions regarding the transfer of valuable agricultural land and of state land to local governments will be made by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in coordination with the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture.
The area of responsibility of the minister of infrastructure will include organizing the circular economy and waste management policy, housing and construction, and transport, including transportation, international public transport, transit, logistics and transport infrastructure.
They will likewise be responsible for increasing the international competitiveness of the maritime economy, developing maritime economy sectors and the state-owned fleet of watercraft, as well as traffic management, planning and implementing transport systems, mobility and mobility services, and increasing traffic safety.
The minister of climate will lead the Ministry of Climate within its area of responsibility, except in the areas that have been assigned to the minister of economic affairs and industry or the minister of infrastructure. The responsibilities of the minister of climate will include the comprehensive implementation of the green transition, energy, climate policy as well as steering business toward cleaner technologies. They will lead the development of renewable energy and coordinate the implementation of renewable energy projects.
The minister of climate will be responsible for environmental protection and nature conservation, but also the management, protection, regeneration and accounting of natural resources. They will likewise be responsible for environmental supervision and the organization of weather observation, natural and marine research, and water protection and use, as well as marine environmental protection and use policy.
The climate minister's duties will also include ambient air protection and developing radiation and nuclear safety policy, organizing environmental monitoring, managing the use of subsoil resources, geological mapping as well as ensuring state geological competence.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla