"It came like a bolt from the blue. I held my head in my hands this morning, thinking, 'Oh no, again!' First it was the Russian church, now it's the objection to requiring conscripts to speak the official language," Kalev Stoicescu told ERR.

Stoicescu recalled that the law was passed in the Riigikogu on November 19 with 66 votes in favor and five against. Only five members of the EKRE parliamentary group voted against it. Members of all other parties supported it, including some from the Center Party. The proposal to add the language requirement, meaning that only people with at least B1 Estonian proficiency get the call-up, was made by seven members of the National Defense Committee: Kalev Stoicescu, Peeter Tali, Alar Laneman, Priit Sibul, Meelis Kiili, Leo Kunnas and Kristo Enn Vaga.

"Seven of the committee's 12 members — so, a majority — submitted the amendment. And that group included members of both the governing coalition and the opposition. Still, Kadriorg did not see fit to consult even once with the Riigikogu board or the National Defense Committee, which initiated the amendment. We would have gladly shared our reasoning and the considerations we had in mind when we proposed the legislative change."

According to Stoicescu, the committee had already discussed the very issues the president later raised as constitutional concerns.

"We can start with the fact that all citizens are required to participate in national defense. That obligation is stated as being 'in accordance with procedures established by law.' Those are important words that shouldn't be swept under the rug. In accordance with procedures established by law. For example, female citizens are exempt from service. That doesn't mean half of Estonia's citizens are automatically released from the obligation. And even for the men who are obligated to serve, there are age limits — both minimum and maximum — for conscription."

Stoicescu said the amendment was based on feedback the committee received from the Estonian Defense Forces.

"The point of that feedback was to ensure both safety and a smooth training process from the very first day of conscription. Let's be honest — the Estonian Defense Forces is not a language school. A lot of time and effort currently goes into helping conscripts acquire even basic language skills and, in some cases, simply to ensure operations can be carried out safely at all."

Upon hearing the president's decision, Stoicescu said his immediate reaction was that the law should be re-adopted without changes.

"Of course, it depends on how other parties respond. But my first thought was that there's no other way than to adopt and enact it again, exactly as it was."

Should the Riigikogu pass the law again unchanged and the president refuse to promulgate it for the second time, the matter will move to the Supreme Court.

According to the committee chair, the president's decision will also delay several other important provisions included in the law.

"Starting January 1, voluntary service unfortunately won't go into effect and will be put on hold, even though the EDF was really looking forward to it. And also starting January 1, service members won't begin receiving seniority bonuses as planned, which they were eagerly anticipating. So Defense Forces personnel will be materially worse off because they won't receive the income they were expecting from the start of the year," Stoicescu said.

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