Political Risk:
Moderate
Score:
66/100
Defence and Security Policy and Policy Transparency
Q1
67/100
Is there formal provision for effective and independent legislative scrutiny of defence policy?
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In accordance with the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act, all the laws (with a few exceptions) in Estonia pass three thorough…
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The Riigikogu has regularly approved and vetoed laws on security. Since 1999, it has vetoed 15 and approved 265 draft laws that had been…
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There is de facto consensus amongst major Estonian parties when it comes to the overall direction of the Estonian defence policy. [1] This makes…
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Q2
96/100
Does the country have an identifiable and effective parliamentary defence and security committee (or similar such organisations) to exercise oversight?
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In accordance with the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act there are 11 permanent committees at Estonia’s Riigikogu, one being the National…
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The National Defence Committee comprises of the members of the political fractions represented in the Estonian parliament. The members and the number of the…
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Major defence policies and decisions are revised and updated at least every four years after the new composition of the national parliament is elected.…
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In accordance with the Riigikogu Rules of Procedure and Internal Rules Act [1], the standing committees – such as the National Defence Committee –…
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The National Defence Committee regularly commissions Estonia’s International Centre for Defence and Security to write assessments on relevant issues and topics. [1] There have…
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Every couple of months the National Defence Committee carries out hearings with representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and…
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Q3
50/100
Is the country’s national defence policy or national security strategy debated and publicly available?
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In accordance with the Peacetime National Defence Act, [1] the government approves a ten-year National Defence Development Plan, after having heard the opinion of…
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The debate revolves mostly around security threats and defence spending. The security threats stemming from Russia are widely discussed both in the public as…
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A systematic and regular consultation process does not exist in Estonia in the defence sector. Regular Riigikogu sessions (not just on defence topics) –…
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The relevant government institutions have the obligation to review relevant documents concerning defence strategy and submit their proposals to the National Defence Committee before…
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Q4
58/100
Do defence and security institutions have a policy, or evidence, of openness towards civil society organisations (CSOs) when dealing with issues of corruption?
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According to the Public Information Act, [1] the state and local government agencies are obliged to grant citizens access to public information. However, they…
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CSOs have not seen any interference from the government when it comes to the defence sector, as pointed out by two interviewees, both from…
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Interviewed experts from the CSO sector perceive the defence and security sector in Estonia to be isolated. [1] This is also reflected in the…
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Q5
100/100
Has the country signed up to the following international anti-corruption instruments: UNCAC and the OECD Convention?
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Estonia is not considered a significant defence exporter. For example, in 2016 Estonia exported 724 small arms and 2 light weapons, according to the…
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There is little evidence that compliance with UNCAC is examined. There has been a review of the implementation of Articles III and IV of…
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Q6
50/100
Is there evidence of regular, active public debate on issues of defence? If yes, does the government participate in this debate?
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Defence issues have historically been considered important for the Estonian public due to its geopolitical location and close proximity to Russia. The defence issues…
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The Ministry of Defence regularly publishes announcements and news on their website. The Ministry of Defence may organise media briefings when a new strategy…
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Q7
75/100
Does the country have an openly stated and effectively implemented anti-corruption policy for the defence sector?
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Estonia passed a general anti-corruption law. [1] In addition, there is a Civil Service Act that, in addition to the officials of state and…
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This indicator has been marked Not Applicable. The National Security Concept [1] only emphasises that it is important to tackle corruption for Estonia’s good…
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Q8
58/100
Are there independent, well-resourced, and effective institutions within defence and security tasked with building integrity and countering corruption?
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The Ministry of Defence does not have a department or a position that specifically deals with corruption and integrity issues. The Ministry’s Audit and…
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The internal audit unit at the Ministry of Defence directly reports to the Ministry of Defence, as stipulated by the Statutes of the Ministry…
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There have been a couple of seminars to build a better understanding of the new corruption law in 2013 for the officials at the…
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Q9
NS/100
Does the public trust the institutions of defence and security to tackle the issue of bribery and corruption in their establishments?
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This indicator is not assigned a score in the GDI. Twice a year the Ministry of Defence publishes results from a public poll that…
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Q10
25/100
Are there regular assessments of the areas of greatest corruption risk for ministry and armed forces personnel, and are the findings used as inputs to the anti-corruption policy?
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There is a governmental anti-corruption action plan developed regularly for every seven years. In accordance with the State Budget Act [1] it is submitted…
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The EISS publishes its reviews annually. [1] The reviews include risk assessments for government institutions, but not specifically for the defence sector. However, the…
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This indicator has been marked Not Applicable. This is because there are no corruption risk assessments specifically within the defence sector, nor an anti-corruption…
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Defence Budgets
Q11
75/100
Does the country have a process for acquisition planning that involves clear oversight, and is it publicly available?
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Since 2015, the Centre for Defence Investment handles all the procurement and manages property in the defence sector. Since the centre was formed, the…
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All major procurements and general information about them can be found in the defence budget and the ten-year National Development Plan. [1] The budget…
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The Riigikogu approves the basis of Estonia’s defence policy, which is the fundamental document for the course of action within the defence sector. [1]…
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Q12
75/100
Is the defence budget transparent, showing key items of expenditure? And it is provided to the legislature in a timely fashion?
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Q13
100/100
Is there a legislative committee (or other appropriate body) responsible for defence budget scrutiny and analysis in an effective way?
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The National Defence Committee, a standing committee of the Riigikogu, takes part in the preparation of the national budget. The committee holds consultations on…
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The National Defence Committee invites experts to appear before the committee. They also make amendments, but not all the members of the committee are…
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Q14
67/100
Is the approved defence budget made publicly available? In practice, can citizens, civil society, and the media obtain detailed information on the defence budget?
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In accordance with the State Budget Act, [1] the Ministry of Finance publishes the approved budget strategy on its website promptly following the approval.…
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Most of the defence budget is available to the public, except for the expenses classified as state secrets. [1] The Procedure for Protection of…
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The media does not generally cover the defence budget in detail, because of lack of public interest, as pointed out by an interviewee, a…
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Q15
58/100
Are sources of defence income other than from central government allocation (from equipment sales or property disposal, for example) published and scrutinised?
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Defence income is included in the national defence budget. Besides the central government, it also includes a detailed overview of the income stemming from…
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Estonia’s independent institution, the National Audit Office, regularly audits the defence sector’s financial activities. In accordance with the National Audit Office Act, [1] the…
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Based on interviewees with CSOs and media outlets, [1,2] there is very limited public information about sources of income in the defence sector. This…
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Q16
50/100
Is there an effective internal audit process for defence ministry expenditure (that is, for example, transparent, conducted by appropriately skilled individuals, and subject to parliamentary oversight)?
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According to the Statutes of the Ministry of Defence, [1] the Audit and Development Department in the Ministry of Defence offers an objective evaluation…
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The internal audit unit’s activities are scrutinised by the National Audit Office which the unit closely cooperates with. The National Audit Office annually presents…
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The National Audit Office and the Ministry of Defence’s internal audit unit organise regular meetings and cooperate closely, but the Ministry of Defence’s internal…
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All the audit’s recommendations and the implementation of those recommendations are reviewed by the leadership of the Ministry. Either a post-audit report will be…
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Q17
63/100
Is there effective and transparent external auditing of military defence expenditure?
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The National Audit Office exercises economic control over the government and state authorities. The main function of the National Audit Office is to assess…
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The National Audit Office is a constitutional institution. The Constitution stipulates that the National Audit Office is an independent state body that carries out…
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The Communication Service of the National Audit Office adheres to the underlying values of governmental communication formulated in 2002. One of the principles from…
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The Ministry of Defence regularly incorporates audit recommendations. [1] The leadership of the Ministry claims to consider the recommendations by the National Audit Office.…
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Nexus of Defence and National Assets
Q18
67/100
Is there evidence that the country’s defence institutions have controlling or financial interests in businesses associated with the country’s natural resource exploitation and, if so, are these interests publicly stated and subject to scrutiny?
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There is no law that specifically states that having controlling or financial interests in businesses associated with the country’s natural resource exploitation is prohibited.…
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According to an expert’s analysis (Merili Vipper has both worked in as well as written her thesis on the field), the biggest risk to…
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Until July 2018 active public servants were not allowed to conduct business activities in Estonia. [1] However, the situation is different with the Defence…
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This indicator has been marked Not Applicable. As there have not been any cases identified, this question does not apply to Estonia’s current situation.
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This indicator has been scored “Not Applicable” as there are no cases of defence institutions being involved in businesses related to natural resources exploitation.…
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Organised Crime
Q19
88/100
Is there evidence, for example through media investigations or prosecution reports, of a penetration of organised crime into the defence and security sector? If no, is there evidence that the government is alert and prepared for this risk?
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In accordance with the Penal Code, [1] a criminal organisation is a permanent organisation consisting of at least three individuals who share the distribution…
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The Minister of Justice recently stated in front of the Riigikogu [1] that police departments and the Prosecutor’s Office have been successful in combating…
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Q20
100/100
Is there policing to investigate corruption and organised crime within the defence services and is there evidence of the effectiveness of this policing?
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There are two police units to deal with corruption in Estonia. In accordance with the Anti-Corruption Act [1], the Estonian Internal Security Service [2,3]…
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The Police, the Border Guard Board as well as the Estonian Internal Security Service [1] fall under the Ministry of Interior Affairs, different from…
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A report by the Security Authorities Surveillance Select Committee, based on oversight, concludes that the Estonian Internal Security Service is doing its job with…
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Control of Intelligence Services
Q21
88/100
Are the policies, administration, and budgets of the intelligence services subject to effective and independent oversight?
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Since 2017, the Security Authorities Surveillance Select Committee at the Riigikogu exercises supervision over the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service that is under the purview…
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The Security Authorities Surveillance Committee of the Riigikogu, whose members have access to state secret information, is required to submit an overview of the…
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Q22
50/100
Are senior positions within the intelligence services filled on the basis of objective selection criteria, and are appointees subject to investigation of their suitability and prior conduct?
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The appointment of staff at the Estonian Internal Security Service (EISS) is regulated by the Security Authorities Act [1] and Police and Border Guard…
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In accordance with the Security Authorities Act, [1] an official and an employee of a security authority is not allowed to work for another…
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It is difficult to evaluate the vetting procedure by the Foreign Intelligence Service as it is not public information. Based on the interviewee, a…
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Export Controls
Q23
67/100
Does the government have a well-scrutinised process for arms export decisions that aligns with Articles 7.1.iv, 11.5, and 15.6 of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)?
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Estonia signed the ATT in 2013 [1] and ratified the Treaty in 2014. Urmas Paet, Estonia’s Foreign Minister at the time of the signing,…
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A report from 2015 on measures undertaken to implement the ATT concludes that Estonia’s national control system includes a risk assessment procedure. It also…
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Estonia is not a major arms exporter. [1] Arms exports from Estonia are barely a subject of discussion at any level. However, at the…
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Lobbying in Defence
Lobbying is not regulated in Estonia – there is no legislation or any other kind of normative act regarding it. [1] The responsibility is…
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This indicator has been marked Not Applicable. Estonia does not regulate lobbying of defence institutions.
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This indicator has been marked Not Applicable. Estonia does not regulate lobbying of defence institutions.
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This indicator has been marked Not Applicable. Estonia does not regulate lobbying of defence institutions.
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