Estonian parliament increases number of ERR council members

On Wednesday, June 17, the Estonian parliament (Riigikogu) adopted amendments to the Estonian National Broadcasting (ERR) Act, which increase the number of ERR council members by three. The law was passed with 60 votes in favor (Reform Party, Eesti 200, and Social Democrats), 25 against, while 7 deputies were absent.

According to the authors of the amendments, the goal is to enhance gender equality and the political independence of the ERR council. Before the second reading, the Culture Committee decided to add a provision that the number of elected expert members should be one more than the number of parliamentary factions represented. Under current law, four experts are appointed to the council, while there are six factions in the current parliament.

Initially, the bill only required at least one woman on the ERR council. The changes sparked a political debate on whether involving more experts increases or decreases the political independence of ERR. The coalition argues that the council should not be dominated by politicians but by independent experts, hence the desire to increase the number of experts.

The opposition (except the Social Democrats) criticized the move, stating that appointing three new experts would only strengthen the ruling parties' influence over ERR. The ERR council is primarily responsible for selecting ERR's management and approving budgets. The current ERR management's term expires next year.