Finance committee sends 2025 state budget bill for first Riigikogu reading
The Riigikogu's finance committee has sent the 2025 state budget bill to a full session for voting.
The committee recommended the bill go for its first reading, of three, on Wednesday, October 16.
The 2025 budget includes a planned €132.1 million in cuts, some of which remain unspecified.
Committee member Annely Akkermann (Reform) said that planned cuts constrain the budget's scope for change, though some amendments can still be made.
The committee's deputy chair, opposition MP Andrei Korobeinik (Center) criticized a lack of transparency in the budget, and called for detailed cost breakdowns from each of the 11 ministries.
He said: "So that the budget is understandable and transparent, each ministry should detail its expenses. The present government's approach encourages inefficient governance, and further harms Estonia's economic well-being."
Opposition MP Aivar Kokk however said he supported the decision, calling it a formality.
Kokk said: "Amendments get made ahead of the second reading, so if Isamaa's amendments are not considered, we will vote against the budget [then]."
Substantive amendments are made between the first and second reading of a bill, while changes between the second and third reading are generally cosmetic. The state budget generally passes ahead of the winter recess and is usually the last significant thing Riigikogu MPs do in the year.
Total budget revenues for 2025 are projected at €17.7 billion; expenditures at €18.2 billion.
Increased defense spending is one of the main focuses.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Marko Tooming