According to Chair of the National Defense Committee Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200), the committee still considers it absolutely necessary to introduce a requirement for conscripts to have a basic level of Estonian language proficiency. However, it also believes it should be done through a separate bill.

"We will remove the provision in question from the bill under discussion and draft a new bill for the establishment of language proficiency requirements. This will allow us to move forward quickly and adopt the bill under discussion, which also includes the creation of a voluntary service and other changes the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) are eagerly awaiting," Stoicescu said.

According to Stoicescu, a working group consisting of Riigikogu MPs along with representatives of government ministries, the EDF and other institutions will begin drafting the bill to establish language proficiency requirements for EDF conscripts.

"We all understand the need for language requirements, and a lot of preliminary work has already been done. We hope to finalize the text within a few weeks, after which the National Defense Committee can submit it to the Riigikogu for consideration," Stoicescu told ERR.

In November, the Riigikogu adopted a bill amending the Defense Forces Service Act, which requires conscripts speak Estonian to at least B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

At the time, the Estonian Defense Resources Agency (KRA) told ERR the requirement is necessary because training is conducted in Estonian and increasingly involves complex weapons, communications systems, and specialized terminology.

The explanatory text accompanying the proposed amendment outlined that conscripts are trained in Estonian, and their training involves increasingly complex weapon and communication systems as well as the use of specific professional terminology.

"A person with language skills below B1 level cannot adequately understand orders or grasp the training content, which would hinder successful completion of effective military training," said KRA spokesperson Daisi Želizko-Kask.

In early December, however, President Alar Karis declined to promulgate the law, citing a violation of the principle of equal treatment.

Karis stated that, under the Constitution, all Estonian citizens are obligated to participate in national defense. "If a certain group is given the opportunity to avoid conscription, this must be done in accordance with the principle of equal treatment," Karis wrote. This principle is enshrined in Article 12 of the Estonian Constitution.

"Although conscripts who lack Estonian language skills are not exempted from military service, they are not called up for conscription until they have acquired the necessary level of Estonian," the president noted. "A person may, in fact, know the language, but if they don't have a proficiency certificate, they cannot be compelled to fulfill their constitutional duty of national defense."

The president considered it necessary to re-discuss the law in the Riigikogu and bring it into line with the requirements of the Constitution.

On December 17, the plenary assembly of the Riigikogu opted to amend the law.

On Thursday, the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee proposed to the Riigikogu Board that a second reading be held in the upcoming plenary session on January 21. A third reading would then take place on January 28.

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