Approximately 2,000 amendments have been submitted to the draft Family Benefits Bill by the Reform Party to slow the legislation’s progress through the Riigikogu. The Center Party has agreed to hold extended sittings to process them.
Reform whip Mart Vorklaev said this had been done for several reasons.
A substantive debate should be held to find the best way to help children and families, he said. Additionally, the party still prefers to discuss the topic within the framework of the country’s budget.
Thirdly, Reform does not want the government to collapse and for EKRE to return to power during the biggest security crisis in the last 30 years, Vorklaev said, referring to the war in Ukraine.
“It is incomprehensible to us that the coalition partner (Center) wants to add almost EUR 300 million of additional expenses to the budget with the votes of the opposition, but expects the government to continue the same after that. The only way for the current government to continue is to discuss raising family benefits within the state budget,” he said.
Vorklaev said the Social Democratic Party, which withdrew its signatures from the bill on June 1, had realized the draft had nothing to do with improving the situation of children and families but was designed to cause the collapse of the Reform-Center coalition.
Siret Kotka (Center) said the Social Affairs Committee would discuss the amendments on June 2 and hoped to send the bill to its second reading next week. The MP said the party had agreed to carry out sittings at night to process the amendments.
She said that Reform tabling so many amendments showed “they are against children and families”.
“If they would have wanted to discuss it seriously, they would have made between 5 and 10 amendments,” she said.
“It is possible that Kaja Kallas simply wants to stretch out the time that the coalition continues. But the Center Party wants the Family Benefits Act to be passed as a matter of urgency,” said Kotka. (ERR/Business World Magazine)