In the case of donations, parties generally agree they should continue but disagree on whether they should be regulated, so as to avoid an undue amount of influence from major donors.

MPs will have around six months to debate party financing, since the new Party Act is expected to reach Riigikogu within that time frame as things stand.

Social Democratic Party (SDE) MP Raimond Kaljulaid told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "We want to ensure that Estonia does not have, and never will have, oligarchs who pull the strings from behind the scenes and get politicians to execute their will."

"Otherwise, they could gain disproportionate influence over these parties, their policies, and, ultimately, Estonian politics as a whole," he went on.

While membership dues remain an unreliable source of income due to non-payment/non-collection, some parties have managed better compliance than others.

Secretary General of the Center Party Anneli Ott meanwhile said: "The goal is, of course, 100 percent compliance, but reaching that is extremely difficult, and I don't think it will ever fully happen. Some members are very passive. Some are active but not financially diligent, while others are very disciplined."

The state budget support which all elected parties are entitled to should remain the primary source of party funding, Ott added, noting that so far it is not clear how many donors to Center have been actual paid-up members, and how many are supporters in a looser sense.

Center was recently hit by another fine, this time totaling around a million euros following the Porto Franco case judgment, and has again appealed to members for donations, including via a social media campaign.

The opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) is the only Riigikogu party where members actively pay their dues, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

Party Vice Chair Siim Pohlak noted that while reminders are sometimes needed, there are no major issues here.

He said he believes that parties should primarily rely on membership fees for funding, though conceded this would require restructuring the entire party financing system.

Meanwhile, Isamaa's Riina Solman said: "Everyone faces the same challenge. It's understandable that some party members are highly engaged, while others remain passive. The question is, how can parties involve them more?"

To address this, parties often need to invest in member engagement, but the costs can be discouraging, she added.

"The truth is, engaging members costs money — you need to rent venues, provide coffee. This is work that doesn't yield immediate results, so it's often underestimated or ignored," Solman added.

Riina Solman (Isamaa). Source: Georg Savisaar/ERR

As for donations, parties generally agree they should continue but disagree on whether they should be regulated.

Currently, only cash donations are restricted.

SDE says it wants to impose a cap on donations to prevent any single individual from donating excessively to one or multiple parties.

However, Eesti 200, SDE's partner in government, has said it does not support the coalition partner's proposal to cap donations, arguing that it could encourage loopholes and financial maneuvering.

Eesti 200 MP Hendrik Terras and chair of the Riigikogu Constitutional Committee said the party has proposed an alternative approach, simply removing state funding from parties with criminal convictions.

All parties which poll above 2 percent at a Riigikogu election are eligible for state support in direct proportion to their representation, and this means is both the main source of income for the majority of parties, and also a potential lifeline in helping new parties get off the ground. The most recently formed party to qualify for state support, following the 2023 Riigikogu election, but which is not represented at the Riigikogu, is Parempoolsed.

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