Riigikogu approves merger of consumer protection, regulatory agencies
The Riigikogu on Wednesday adopted a bill according to which the Consumer Protection Board and the Technical Regulatory Authority will be merged as of 1 January.
"The work of both authorities entails market supervision, and by bringing the teams into one building, it is possible to increase the capability of the supervision of economic activities, the provision of public services as well as simplify people's communication with the state," Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Kadri Simson (Centre) said in a press release on Wednesday.
The newly merged authority is to begin work on 1 January 2019, and will continue fulfilling all prior tasks of the two prior authorities. The joint authority will be led by Kaur Kajak, incumbent director general of the Technical Regulatory Authority.
"The objectives set for and efficiency factors expected of the merged authority are broad-based and take into consideration all sides," Kajak said. "The vision of our activity will on one hand be a quality, trustworthy and safe living environment, and on the other offer better accessibility of public services and user convenience for both consumers and entrepreneurs. In order to achieve all of this, I as head of the merged authority consider the primary challenge to be creating synergy and the best cooperation and management models in my team. This is one of the key factors of success and sustainability."
The bill adopted on Wednesday will introduce legislative amendments that will enable the merger of the two state authorities. Said merger is based on a more general principle of the state reform, which is reducing duplication in state authorities, reducing the number of state institutions and improving the quality and accessibility of public services.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla