Bill to include women on ERR's board passes 1st reading
Legislation to include both men and women on the board of Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) passed its first reading on Wednesday after being proposed by opposition parties.
The amendment to the Estonian Public Broadcasting Act will ensure both men and women are represented on the broadcaster's highest governing body. The board is made up of experts and representatives of political parties.
The legislation aims to prevent a recurrence of the current situation where only one sex – men – is present.
Social Democrat MP Reili Rand said the initiative does not include a quota.
"Unfortunately, a situation has arisen in which the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) currently consists of representatives of only one gender," she said.
"In an institution that is extremely important to the Estonian state, such as the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR), we cannot afford in 2026 to fall below acceptable standards by having representatives of only one gender."
Rand added that it is necessary to improve the quality of governance and take into account the interests of various social groups. She also cited international research confirming the effectiveness of diverse governing bodies.
ERR board member Varro Vooglaid called the initiative hypocritical and pointed out that SDE's representative on the board is a man, Raimond Kaljulaid. He added that professional competence is more important than gender and that the amendment could be humiliating for women.
"At no point in the council's work so far has the issue even come up that the fact that there are currently no women on it would be a problem in any way. It has not hindered the council's work at all," he said.
"To be honest, I cannot imagine in any way how the quality of the council's work would improve if, instead of one of the current members, a woman were included," he added.
Signe Kivi (Reform), a member of the Riigikogu's Culture Committee, said the government supports the aim of the bill, but it is preparing a comprehensive reform of the ERR act sparked by EU legislation. This will include how experts are appointed, including transparency and open competitions, she said.
The legislation was proposed by members from the Center and SDE parties.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Sergei Mihhailov
