Incoming state secretary: Estonia's public sector too preoccupied

Estonia has created too many regulations while adopting European Union law and has often drafted legislative proposals without considering how they affect businesses and individuals, said Keit Kasemets, set to be Estonia's new State Secretary in February.
Kasemets highlighted that his first challenge as state secretary — head of the government office in other words — will be ensuring Estonia's smooth disconnection from the Russian electricity grid and integration into the European system.
However, he said his broader goal is to simplify administrative processes and reduce the burden of excessive regulations.
Speaking to ETV politics show "Esimene stuudio," Kasemets said: "Perhaps Estonia's public sector has become a little too preoccupied with itself."
"What I have observed in my work as a secretary general (at the Ministry of Climate – ed.) is that when we draft legislative proposals, we may not think things through enough — this is not a criticism of my colleagues, but a broader observation — about how these can actually impact businesses and individuals, and why we are creating these proposals in the first place."
"We are not doing this to make our own work easier or to establish clearer regulations," Kasemets went on.
To address this challenge, Kasemets said a review of regulations is essential, to determine where deregulation is possible and where the state's role might be minimized.
"This has been discussed at length, and one might say it's a rhetorical approach," he said.
"But I see it as something that should be done in close cooperation with businesses. One of my first steps as state secretary will certainly be to bring together business representatives and begin reviewing the state's role and regulations," Kasemets went on.
Kasemets argued that the issue of over-regulation has grown particularly concerning over the recent years, adding: "And with the adoption of EU law and various crises, we have indeed reached a point where there is too much regulation."
"In a small country like Estonia, where we are used to being an open and administratively simple state, this has become an issue, and addressing it is certainly part of the plan," he went on.
Kasemets acknowledged the EU's green transition has come in for criticism, but said he believes it will progress anyway.
"The EU is highly dependent on fossil fuels, which are either not produced at all in Europe, or produced in very small quantities. Most are imported from elsewhere, and often from hostile countries," he said.
The incoming state secretary emphasized that the green reforms aim to create economic growth through renewable fuels, clean energy, and new industries. "The question is whether the measures used have been appropriate and whether the market has responded accordingly."
While there is room for improvement with the EU's green reforms, Kasemets said he supports any efforts to simplify bureaucratic processes. "I do not believe that sustainability reporting requirements are the main obstacles limiting the competitiveness of European businesses. However, there is certainly room to simplify processes."
"The European Commission plans to review these regulations, and I support it," Kasemets concluded.
Keit Kasemets enters office next month, to replace Taimar Peterkop, whose term as state secretary is ending.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: "Esimene stuudio", interviewer Andres Kuusk