Estonian government rejects plan to restrict officials' private sector moves
The Estonian government has rejected a proposal to impose a cooling-off period before senior public officials can take jobs in industries they previously oversaw.
A bill of amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act, introduced in June by the Riigikogu's Anti-Corruption Select Committee, followed concerns raised in the Estonian Internal Security Service's (ISS) annual yearbook over the so-called "revolving door" between civil service and the private sector.
The ISS argued that officials overseeing procurements worth hundreds of millions of euros — particularly in defense and energy — should face a waiting or "cooling-off" period before joining companies in the same sector.
"This would help prevent conflicts of interest in which information, networks or influence acquired in a previous role affects decisions in a subsequent position," the yearbook read.
The select committee's proposed changes would require the state to identify positions with elevated conflict-of-interest risks and allow officials in those roles to be barred from taking related private-sector jobs for up to one year.
In feedback submitted on behalf of the government, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200), standing in for Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) during her vacation, said the government cabinet found no evidence the problem in question exists in Estonia on the scale suggested by the bill.
"Neither the bill nor its explanatory memo demonstrates a problem that would require the solution as proposed," Tsahkna wrote.
He also argued the proposal lacks precision, would increase bureaucracy and could disproportionately restrict officials whose contact with a private company may have only been formal in nature.
'He may not have understood what he was signing'
Center Party MP and Anti-Corruption Select Committee chair Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart, one of the leading lawmakers behind the bill, called the government's position startling, saying the ISS and other security agencies have repeatedly warned the committee of the risks of the "revolving door" effect.
She said Tsahkna "may simply not have understood what he was signing," suggesting the issue should maybe await Pakosta's return. The feedback was nevertheless submitted on behalf of the entire government.
The bill is expected to return to the Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee during the fall session, where Kovalenko-Kõlvart said she remains open to proposed changes and hopes MPs will assess the proposal on its merits rather than along coalition lines.
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Editor: Märten Hallismaa, Aili Vahtla
