In April, the Riigikogu approved amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act in early April. The law aims to ensure that religious organizations operating in Estonia cannot be used to incite hatred or violence, and specifically concerned the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (formerly the Estonian Orthodox Church), which would be required to cut all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.

President Alar Karis refused to promulgate the bill amending the act, saying it was unconstitutional.

The Riigikogu may make amendments to the bill and then approve them. It is also possible to re-approve the bill without making any changes. If the president does not agree with the decision of the Riigikogu, the situation then has to be resolved by the Supreme Court. According to the Madis Timpson (Reform), chair of the Riigikogu's Legal Affairs Committee, the Riigikogu would prefer to amend the bill than to leave it unchanged. The nature of the amendments will be revealed during the relevant debates.

"It will then go to the floor to decide whether to support the bill, not to support it or to support it with amendments, and I can predict that the bill will probably go to an amendment," said Timpson

The Churches and Congregations Act will be debated by both the Riigikogu's Legal Affairs Committee and the Constitutional Affairs Committee, with the first debate set for next Tuesday. Lauri Läänemets (SDE), a member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, said the president's remarks need to be taken into consideration. According to Läänemets, some of the criticisms are easier to deal with than others.

"The president thought that we must not insist on this so-called severance on there in this form. That's where I disagree with the president. This is the most important point. These possible alternatives are much more complicated and confusing. If we think about what this subordination means, the most difficult thing is to understand influence. I think this is where we should bring in experts," said Läänemets.

Helir-Valdor Seeder, chair of Isamaa's Riigikogu group, said experts should be consulted first.

"In my opinion, this law was already ready for adoption and I did not find any contradiction with the Constitution, restriction of religious freedom or restriction of human rights. If there are any legal nuances that need to be changed, then they should be considered and could be changed," Seeder said.

Vadim Belobrovtsev (Center) said the Riigikogu should abandon the Churches and Congregations Act and it should no longer be adopted either unchanged or with amendments.

"We will see what changes will come, but it is clear that at the moment we cannot imagine what those changes might be, so that the president says the draft law is now in line with the Constitution, and at the same time be done in a way whereby the content of the draft bill is not be radically altered," Belobrovtsev said.

The Riigikogu approved amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act in early April. The law aims to ensure that religious organizations operating in Estonia cannot be used to incite hatred or violence, and specifically concerned the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (formerly the Estonian Orthodox Church), which would be required to cut all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.

President Alar Karis refused to promulgate the bill amending the Churches and Congregations Act, saying it was unconstitutional.

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