Overview of the Chamber's main activities in the second quarter of 2026
In the second quarter of 2026, the Chamber submitted written opinions on 64 draft acts or other policy-making documents. In the second quarter, the focus was primarily on reducing bureaucracy and eliminating unreasonable requirements, labour and environmental issues, and ensuring crisis resilience.
KEY TOPICS IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2026
The number of companies subject to sustainability reporting will decrease from 200 to 10
The Chamber supported amendments to the Accounting Act that exempt some companies from the obligation to submit a sustainability report and from the related audit requirement. In future, this obligation will apply only to large companies whose revenue exceeds 450 million euros and which have, on average, more than 1,000 employees. We also supported an amendment limiting the amount of sustainability information that a preparer of a sustainability report may request from smaller companies in the value chain. The amendments are expected to enter into force in the second half of 2026. Before that, they must be approved by the Government and the Riigikogu.
Success: large consumers will be able to apply for a renewable energy charge discount
In recent years, the Chamber has proposed various solutions to the state for reducing the final price of electricity. Among other things, we have made proposals to reduce the renewable energy charge. We welcome the fact that amendments to the Electricity Market Act entered into force on 9 May, giving companies whose annual electricity consumption exceeds 1 GWh the opportunity to apply for a discount of up to 85 percent of the renewable energy charge. At the same time, we have repeatedly emphasised that the conditions for applying for the support should be as simple as possible for companies.
The Chamber supports a more flexible approach to the Climate Act
In the second quarter, the draft Act on a Climate-Resilient Economy reached the Environment Committee of the Riigikogu. In the Chamber's view, the draft is more balanced and flexible than earlier versions. For example, the draft includes an overall greenhouse gas reduction target, but no longer includes sector-specific targets. This more general approach provides greater flexibility for both companies and the public sector and helps achieve climate objectives in a more cost-effective way.
We support the direction chosen in the draft, according to which the objectives of each sector and the path towards achieving them will be agreed in roadmaps prepared in cooperation between the state and the sector. The preparation and implementation of such roadmaps must be voluntary for the parties, because sector-specific solutions can be effective only if they are created in cooperation with entrepreneurs and take into account the actual possibilities and specific features of the sectors, as well as the general competitive situation in Europe and more broadly around the world.
Success: longer road trains may operate on Estonian roads from 1 June
Amendments to the Traffic Act entered into force on 1 June, allowing longer and heavier road trains to be used on Estonian roads. For years, the Chamber has made proposals to the state to allow longer road trains. We last made such a proposal in spring 2025. We welcome the fact that our proposal has been incorporated into the law. This will improve the efficiency of transport and the competitiveness of Estonia's transport system.
The nature restoration plan process has significant shortcomings
The Ministry of Climate, in cooperation with other state authorities and interest groups, is preparing a national nature restoration plan. It will be created on the basis of EU law to restore protected terrestrial and marine habitats, improve river connectivity, increase pollinator populations, and restore urban, agricultural and forest ecosystems.
The Chamber has been involved in the preparation of the plan, but we are dissatisfied with the process. At the end of June, together with seven organisations, we proposed to the Ministry of Climate that the preparation of the plan in its current form be suspended and that the significant shortcomings in the process be eliminated. We support the protection and restoration of nature, but this must be done in a way that protects the natural environment, supports rural life and strengthens landowners' trust in the state. Estonia should not repeat previous mistakes where obligations have been assumed before the EU without sufficient impact analysis, cost calculation and substantive involvement of practitioners. The nature restoration plan must be based on Estonia's needs, reliable data and realistic implementation possibilities.
Pay transparency will soon increase
The Chamber supported amendments to the Employment Contracts Act that increase pay transparency and ensure equal pay for women and men for equal work. For example, under one amendment, an employer will in future have to provide a job applicant with information on the expected pay or pay range for the offered position before the job interview. The amendments will enter into force on 13 July 2026.
Several Chamber proposals have been taken into account in preparing the national spatial plan
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has prepared a draft national spatial plan, "Estonia 2050", which sets out the basic principles of spatial policy and planning principles until 2050. Although the national spatial plan contains several important and necessary principles, the Chamber asked the ministry to review the plan to ensure that it would not unreasonably hinder business development, would not place a disproportionate burden on landowners, and would reflect broad-based national defence to a greater extent.
The ministry has supplemented the initial version of the national spatial plan and has also taken into account several Chamber proposals. For example, the national spatial plan now focuses even more extensively on broad-based national defence, crisis resilience and the continuity of vital services.
Changes to holiday expiry rules are becoming more reasonable
The Riigikogu is discussing amendments to the Employment Contracts Act concerning the expiry of holidays. For example, the law is to include the principle that the expiry of an employee's holiday is suspended during temporary incapacity for work, such as illness, if the employee cannot use the unused annual holiday within the expiry period because of the temporary incapacity for work. In addition, a requirement is to be established that the employer must inform the employee in advance of unused and expiring holiday in such a way that the employee can use the holiday within the expiry period. If the employer does not enable the employee to use the holiday, the holiday will not expire.
The Chamber does not consider it necessary to specify the rules concerning the expiry of holiday, because the Employment Contracts Act already gives employees a sufficiently long and flexible period for using annual holiday. At the same time, we are prepared to support the amendments as a compromise if the additional principles become clearer and more reasonable for both employees and employers. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has proposed amendments that meet these conditions. Proceedings on the draft will continue in the Riigikogu in the autumn.
Success: hiring foreigners will become easier in sectors with labour shortages
The Chamber has repeatedly made proposals so that more foreigners would be able to come to Estonia to work in positions that we cannot fill with people living in Estonia. The state has partially taken our proposal into account. In May, the Riigikogu adopted amendments to the Aliens Act that give foreigners the opportunity to obtain a temporary residence permit for employment in a sector with labour shortages under more favourable conditions than before. For example, such residence permits will not be counted towards the immigration quota, and instead of the Estonian average wage, the foreigner must be paid at least 0.8 times the average wage. The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2027.
We are working to ensure that occupational health services are of higher quality, more accessible in rural areas and less duplicative
The Ministry of Social Affairs, together with various parties, is preparing development directions for occupational health. The Chamber is also actively participating in this process. We are working to ensure that occupational health services are more accessible and of higher quality, duplication is reduced, health data moves more effectively, and more attention is paid to prevention.
Planning and permit proceedings are becoming simpler and faster
In previous years, the Chamber has repeatedly informed the state that planning and permit proceedings take an unreasonably long time and that the process is complicated. The state has recognised the problem and has introduced several draft acts over the past year. For example, amendments to the Planning Act and the Building Code entered into force on 13 June, helping to make the handling of planning and permits faster and clearer for companies.
The conditions for minors working are becoming more flexible
The Chamber has consistently stood for flexible conditions for minors working. This helps more employers offer minors opportunities to work and gives young people a chance to gain work experience.
The Chamber supported amendments to the Employment Contracts Act adopted by the Riigikogu in June. In future, these amendments will allow minors to work for longer during school holidays, allow minors aged 7-17 to work in their family business without restrictions on the field of activity, and speed up the Labour Inspectorate permit procedure required to employ a minor aged 7-12. The amendments will enter into force on 13 July 2026.
A person aged at least 15 may mow lawns
The Chamber supported the amendment that entered into force on 15 June and allows a person aged at least 15 to mow lawns with a lawn mower under an employment contract. Previously, this was prohibited for minors.
The Chamber does not support extending the audit requirement to public limited companies with one or two shareholders
The Chamber opposes the Ministry of Finance's proposal to impose an audit obligation on public limited companies with one or two shareholders. In addition, we again proposed increasing the thresholds for mandatory audits and reviews by at least 20 percent in order to reduce companies' costs and burden. It is currently not known whether the ministry will take the Chamber's proposals into account.
Success: the alcohol register will disappear from 1 November
Since 2018, the Chamber has made proposals to abolish the alcohol register in order to reduce the administrative burden and costs for alcohol handlers and to enable new products to be brought to market more quickly and cheaply.
In June, the Riigikogu adopted legislative amendments that will terminate the operation of the alcohol register from 1 November 2026. As a result, alcohol producers and handlers will no longer be required to apply for registry entries for alcoholic beverages or pay the related state fees. At present, the costs of making a new registry entry can amount to several thousand euros for an entrepreneur.
The continuity of vital services must be ensured even during a strike
In May, the Chamber addressed the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the social partners with a proposal to agree on a list of companies where an indispensable level of service or production must be ensured even during a strike. No such list currently exists. In the Chamber's view, the list must include at least all providers of vital services designated under the Emergency Act. Otherwise, the uninterrupted functioning of services that are critical to society may be put at risk during a strike.
The possibility of creating EU Inc. would reduce the fragmentation of company law
The Chamber views positively the European Commission's proposal to create a pan-European company form, EU Inc., which would allow a company to operate in all Member States under uniform rules from establishment to dissolution. According to the proposal, an EU Inc. company could be established digitally within 48 hours, at a cost of less than 100 euros and without minimum capital. At the same time, we pointed out several risks that need to be further mitigated. For example, the simplified liquidation procedure for a company could unreasonably harm the protection of creditors. We also emphasised that, when the EU Inc. Regulation enters into force, actions related to an Estonian private limited company must not become more expensive, slower or more complicated compared with an EU Inc. company. For example, under the proposal, the maximum cost of registering an EU Inc. company is 100 euros, whereas in Estonia the state fee for establishing a private limited company under the expedited procedure is 265 euros.
The burden on employers related to attachment orders for debtor employees' wages may decrease
When a bailiff sends an employer an attachment order for the income of a debtor employee, or a wage attachment order, the employer incurs several obligations and costs that are not related to the employer's core work. We have repeatedly pointed out this problem over the years and have also proposed solutions.
It is positive that in June the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs proposed a solution that would help alleviate the problem at least partly. The ministry proposes exempting the employer from all obligations related to a wage attachment order if the employer transfers the debtor employee's wages to an account opened in Estonia.
New rules on environmental claims set clear limits on greenwashing
In June, the Riigikogu adopted amendments to the Consumer Protection Act, which from 27 September will prohibit misleading generic environmental claims (such as "environmentally friendly" or "biodegradable") and the use of unverified sustainability labels. In future, the seller of a product or service must substantiate all generic environmental claims with excellent environmental performance, and if a company wishes to use a sustainability label in future, it must be based on a certification scheme or established by a public authority. The new rules concern only relations between traders and consumers and do not extend to transactions between companies.
The Chamber proposed allowing products and stocks placed on the market before the law enters into force to be sold through without restrictions in order to avoid the unnecessary destruction of packaging and goods. Although our proposal was not taken into account in full, a provision was added to the law allowing a clearly understandable correction notice, such as a sticker, to be used for one year for goods and packaging produced before 27 September.
The Crisis Situation and National Defence Act brings new permanent obligations
In June, the Riigikogu adopted the Crisis Situation and National Defence Act, which consolidates the existing crisis regulations into a single whole. The amendments give all providers of vital services permanent crisis tasks, obliging them to ensure service continuity in every crisis, including in wartime. The new act will enter into force on 1 October.
At the Chamber's proposal, a provision was added to the act allowing suppliers, contractual partners and subsidiaries of providers of vital services to designate positions with crisis tasks and persons subject to a work obligation. This will help ensure the functioning of the entire value chain in a crisis situation and ensure that a vital service is not interrupted, for example, because of labour shortages among partners.
Changing jobs became easier for foreigners
The Chamber supported amendments to the Aliens Act that entered into force on 22 May and allow a foreigner to change employer during the validity of a temporary residence permit for employment without applying for a new residence permit. In addition, a foreigner may in future remain unemployed on the basis of a residence permit for employment for up to 3 or 6 months instead of the previous 90 days.
Building shelters and places of refuge is reasonable, but companies could have been given more time to adapt to the changes
On 1 July, amendments to the Emergency Act entered into force, as a result of which a public shelter must be built in new buildings with an enclosed area of at least 10,000 square metres. In addition, a non-public shelter must be built for smaller buildings, and for existing buildings the possibilities for taking refuge must be analysed and, if necessary, a place of refuge must be adapted in the building.
The Chamber supported the objective of strengthening civil protection in Estonia and improving opportunities to take refuge. At the same time, in May we informed the Government that entrepreneurs are being left too little time to adapt to the new requirements. For example, the requirements for shelters and places of refuge were completed less than two months before they entered into force. We also proposed to the Government that a support measure be created for the design and construction of the first shelters, but this proposal has not been taken into account so far.
Increasing private copying levies is unjustified
The Chamber opposes the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs' plan to increase the private copying levy payable on smartphones and other electronic devices. Since people are making fewer and fewer copies of music, films and series, increasing the levy is not justified. It also puts electronics retailers operating in Estonia in a worse position. Under the ministry's initial plan, copying levies were to increase on 1 July this year, but the draft has not moved forward for now.
Local authorities received an additional task to promote the local business environment
For years, the Chamber has made proposals that local authorities should contribute more to shaping the local business environment, including job creation. We are pleased that legislative amendments entered into force on 1 July that move towards this objective. The law now clearly states that the objective of a local authority also includes promoting the local business environment. In addition, from July local authorities are required to set out the development directions and needs of the business environment in their development plans.
Liability of a legal person must not disappear when a company is reorganised
In April, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs proposed supplementing criminal law so that a legal person could also be punished for a criminal offence if, after the act was committed, the company merged with another company, was divided, or its economic identity was transferred to another legal person. The Chamber supports the principle that a company's merger, division or transfer of assets must not become a means of avoiding criminal liability. At the same time, we emphasised that the protection of purchasers in good faith must be ensured when planning the amendments.
Restrictions on handling alcohol will soon be relaxed for those aged at least 16
On 13 July, at the Chamber's proposal, an amendment to the Alcohol Act will enter into force allowing young people aged at least 16 to perform work related to the production, offering for sale and sale of alcoholic beverages. The amendment mainly concerns the catering, accommodation and service sectors, where young people are often offered their first job opportunities. In the Chamber's view, the protection of minors is ensured by the requirement for parental consent before starting work. The employer will also remain obliged to ensure a safe and lawful working environment. At present, minors may not perform such work.
In the Chamber's view, the list of strategic sectors in the Industrial Accelerator Act must be broader
The European Commission presented a proposal for an EU Industrial Accelerator Act, the aim of which is to increase the share of the EU manufacturing sector in GDP from the current 14.3% to 20% by 2035.
The Chamber considers it important that the regulation support the development of European industry while being clear, practical and as low in bureaucracy as possible for entrepreneurs. For example, we drew attention to the fact that the current list of strategic sectors in the regulation (energy-intensive industry, the automotive industry, net-zero technologies) is too narrow and does not take into account the specific features of Estonia's economy. Estonian industry is also specialised in high added-value niche products, smart production solutions and electronics, which are critical inputs for larger industrial sectors but are excluded from the current list. We emphasised that the regulation should cover the entire value chain, including critical intermediate products and components.
From 2028, employers will not have to require employees to submit a health certificate confirming the absence of infectious diseases
The Chamber supported legislative amendments adopted by the Riigikogu in June, according to which, from 2028, employers in several fields will no longer be obliged to require a person starting work to submit a health certificate confirming the absence of infectious diseases. At present, such a certificate must be required before starting work, for example, from a beauty service provider who has direct contact with customers, from an employee handling food and drinking water, and from teachers. In future, the employer must ensure infection safety for customers, but the law will not prescribe how this must be done.
Planned fines for environmental misdemeanours must be lower
In April, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs introduced a draft act seeking to increase the penalty rates for legal persons for environmental misdemeanours by up to 125 times. For example, while at present a fine of up to 3,200 euros may be imposed for violating requirements for transporting, storing or processing natural products, in future the fine would be 400,000 euros. The Chamber proposed increasing the fine rates by half as much as planned, but the ministry did not take the proposal into account. Proceedings on the draft will continue in the Riigikogu in the autumn.
Companies will not be punished for failing to notify an idea
In March, the Chamber proposed to the Riigikogu and the Ministry of Climate that a provision of the Industrial Emissions Act be repealed which allows an entrepreneur to be punished with a fine of up to 200,000 euros if the entrepreneur fails to notify the Environmental Board of a planned change to the operation of an installation with an integrated environmental permit. In the Chamber's view, the current regulation is disproportionate, creates ambiguity and does not ensure legal certainty, because it allows a company to be punished even if it has not notified the Environmental Board of an idea for a change that it has not yet implemented.
The Ministry of Climate understood our concern and published a draft in May amending the wording of the relevant provision. The amendment will ensure that an operator can be punished only if it has started to implement a significant change or expansion of the installation's operation in a situation where the permit issuer should have been notified.
A withdrawal button will make withdrawal from e-shops easier for consumers
In May, the Riigikogu adopted legislative amendments requiring all companies selling goods or services to consumers online to add a special withdrawal button to their websites or applications from 1 September 2026. The new function must make it possible, by pressing the button, to withdraw from a contract concluded via an online user interface during the entire mandatory 14-day withdrawal period.
During the proceedings on the draft, the Chamber proposed adding control criteria to the explanatory memorandum so that it would be clear when the withdrawal button requirement is fulfilled and when the solution is misleading, for example because it is too many clicks away or is not a normally identifiable button, but the Chamber's proposal was not taken into account.
The fourth group of the Female Leaders Accelerator graduated - 25 ambitious female leaders joined the programme after a record competition
In June, the fourth group of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Female Leaders Accelerator graduated. This year's programme brought together 25 ambitious female leaders from nearly 20 different organisations. A record 470 female leaders applied for the fourth group, 170 more than last year. Over five months, the participants completed 12 different parts of the programme, including argumentation training, co-visions, management practices, meetings with top executives and decision-makers, and a media relations meeting at ERR. In addition, participants had the opportunity to take part in six Female Leaders Club meetings and a separate inspiration trip to London.
The Reservists' Fund handed over its largest donation to date to the Defence League
At the appreciation event for supporters of national defenders at the Ministry of Defence, the fourth donation target of the Reservists' Fund was handed over: drone detectors worth 100,000 euros for the Defence Forces and the Defence League. This is the largest donation in the history of the fund and will help strengthen the technological capability of Estonia's national defenders in a rapidly changing security environment.
President Karis named London-based Junior Sergeant Sten Vili Reservist of the Year
President Alar Karis announced this year's Reservist of the Year and Reserve Unit of the Year at Kadriorg. The Reservist of the Year award went to Junior Sergeant Sten Vili, and the 131st Territorial Defence Battalion Echo Company (131MKP-E), which is also Jr Sgt Vili's home unit, was selected as Reserve Unit of the Year.
The awards are funded by the Reservists' Fund, which is led by the Ministry of Defence and whose funds are managed by the National Defence Promotion Foundation.
Sports disputes in Estonia can now be resolved at the Arbitration Court of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
On 11 June 2026, by decision No. 6, the Board of the Arbitration Court of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry approved special provisions concerning the arbitration fee and the calculation of procedural costs in sports disputes. The amendments are based on the decision of the ECCI Council of 3 June 2026 and entered into force on 1 July 2026.
The purpose of the special provisions is to create a clear and predictable procedural framework for resolving sports disputes that takes account of the specific nature of the field.