Minister wants to limit right of appeal to speed up national defense planning
The right to appeal will be reduced under new legislation aimed at speeding up the planning and construction of nationally important defense facilities, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has said.
A statement from the Ministry of Defense on Thursday said the minister has sent a draft bill for discussion.
Pevkur said the goal is to establish "special conditions" to speed up the process. This would mean "skipping the multi-stage planning process, significantly simplifying various construction-related procedures, and to some extent restricting the right of appeal."
He said lengthy legal disputes can "jeopardize" national defense.
"Therefore, we are proposing a maximum period of four months to resolve disputes, and since there would be fewer permitting procedures, the number of appeals would also decrease," Pevkur said.
The new rules would also be extended to buildings for defense industry companies that produce critical products for the Estonian Defense Forces.
"Since the defense industry is an indispensable part of our defense capability, it must also be possible to develop defense industry projects that are of critical importance to national defense in an expedited manner," the minister outlined.
Estonia's recent large-scale construction projects have all been held up by the appeals process. This includes the expansion of the Nurisipalu training polygon in Võru County, the building of an ammunition factory at Ämari, and a defense industrial park in Pärnu County.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Helen Wright
