Politicians: Several key matters to attend to next to elections preparations
Political parties are preparing for local elections, but according to politicians, there are several issues that need attention beyond the elections, including energy security, boosting the economy and lowering food prices.
Chair of the Social Democratic Party, Lauri Läänemets, said that lowering food prices has already been discussed within the government, but the talks are still in the early stages.
"One approach could be finding ways to offer the food sector more favorable energy prices, for instance in the energy sector – we need to see whether this would have a tangible effect. There may be other solutions as well. The Ministry of Regional Affairs is currently analyzing whether reducing the VAT on food, as has been done elsewhere in the world, could yield meaningful results," Läänemets explained.
Mihhail Kõlvart, chair of the Center Party, also highlighted lowering food prices, while emphasizing energy policy.
"If we don't understand that we need to restore oil shale energy production, we will face serious existential problems in the future. At least two crises – the economic crisis and the security crisis – have shown us that oil shale energy must be revived," Kõlvart said.
Urmas Reinsalu, chair of the opposition party Isamaa, pointed to the risk of an energy shock.
"This could stem from the damage to the EstLink 2 connection, but also from desynchronization, which will reduce the ability of Lithuania and Poland to import electricity into the Baltic region. The government has not made any concrete decisions on how to ensure the security of electricity supply and competitive pricing," Reinsalu said.
Chair of the Reform Party's parliamentary group, Õnne Pillak, also highlighted security, economic growth and energy as key topics. She said one of the most critical issues in parliament is the ongoing debate on amending the Constitution.
"It is important that we achieve cross-party consensus and compromise this spring, so that we can make the necessary decisions in time for the upcoming local elections this fall, ensuring that citizens of Belarus and Russia will no longer participate in Estonia's local decision-making processes," Pillak said.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Marcus Turovski