The requirement to develop cable ducting and charging infrastructure was added to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive back in 2018. The directive, adopted in 2022 and in force since last year, forms part of the EU's Fit for 55 climate package, which involved consultations with 77 stakeholder groups.

"Unfortunately, we have to admit that the government at the time handled the process sloppily. Business organizations also didn't have enough time to go through what amounted to wheelbarrows full of documents. On top of that, the European Commission's own impact assessment was based on false assumptions, including the price of carbon emission allowances," said Urmas Reinsalu, chair of the opposition Isamaa party.

According to Reinsalu, his call at the time was to pause the process and commission a new impact assessment that would more accurately reflect Estonia's needs. To this day, he said, there is no objective evaluation of the obligations imposed by the European Union.

Peeter Tali, chair of the European Union Affairs Committee and a member of Eesti 200, said that businesses should have spoken up earlier.

"Where are officials supposed to get their input? They're supposed to get it from entrepreneurs and the business sector. But that part seems to have slipped by. At least when I looked through the stakeholder involvement table, I didn't notice any concerns raised by entrepreneurs. I didn't follow every entry closely, but overall I just didn't see it there," said Tali.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform), who chaired the Riigikogu Economic Affairs Committee at the time the directive was approved, said the requirement is clearly excessive.

"I'd suggest we reassess what is feasible for the Estonian state and Estonian businesses and what consumers actually want — how quickly do we need to expand the number of charging stations? This package that's coming down the line now, in my opinion, is a bit overblown when viewed through a lens of common sense and our actual needs. It's just not realistic to expect every store parking lot to support that kind of infrastructure," Michal said.

There are several paths forward: scaling back the ambition and entering negotiations with the European Commission, finding a domestic solution or attempting to reverse the directive altogether.

"Reversing the directive is entirely possible, but it's not particularly easy. You need a qualified majority in the European Union, which means support from 15 member states and more than 65 percent of the EU population," said Tali.

Reinsalu argued that the current situation is yet another example of decisions being made too lightly and that the trend continues.

"This is a ridiculous example — hundreds of millions of euros are going to be spent laying cables across store parking lots. The government should not take on even more ambitious climate goals. By 2040, the target is 90 percent climate neutrality. Unfortunately, just a few weeks ago, the government adopted this position, and we were one of the first European countries to report that we intend to shoulder even greater ambition," Reinsalu said.

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