The Legal Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu made a proposal on Monday. They want to adopt the Churches Act unchanged. This means that President Alar Karis may send the law to the Supreme Court.
The chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, Madis Timpson, said that the consultation was very interesting. They found it difficult to change the text. Therefore, they recommend adopting the law unchanged.
The President's position is that security threats should be addressed in criminal proceedings. However, the government wants to provide a value-based assessment to organizations.
The committee's proposal will now go to the Riigikogu Board. The Board may approve it, and the law could reach the Riigikogu on September 17.
The President's legal advisor, Hent-Raul Kalmo, said that if the Riigikogu adopts the law again, the President will decide on sending it to the Supreme Court within two weeks.
Kalmo added that the committee believed that the Supreme Court's position might be necessary. This issue concerns not only religious associations but also political parties.
According to Kalmo, there were no major disagreements in the committee. The President has said that protecting national security is important. The question is only how to do it.
President Alar Karis left two laws unpublished at the beginning of July. He found that they were not in accordance with the Estonian Constitution. The Churches Act was left unpublished for the second time.
The President said that the laws have an important purpose, but the restrictions should not be too strict. This could cause many legal disputes.