Member of the Estonian Parliament, Varro Vooglaid, has deemed Transparency Law as ‘perfectly reasonable.’

In his address to the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, in the Parliament, Vooglaid said:

“I still haven’t understood what the problem is with this law. I know a similar legislation exists in the US. I am aware that comparable regulations are being considered throughout the European Union. I am aware that not only Russia but also Hungary, have accepted similar bill. And I don’t see why Estonia shouldn’t pass such a legislation so that we know the organisations which are heavily sponsored from overseas and attempt to influence political processes in Estonia.

Now, even if we find that this law is not reasonable, it is not the business of any other country to interfere in the internal affairs of another country and start dictating to them what laws their democratically elected parliament can or cannot pass.

Imagine if, for example, foreign ministers from other countries gathered in front of Estonia’s Government Office to protest the country’s completely undemocratic e-election system, which is opaque, uncontrollable, and thus unreliable. Although I also consider this election system completely unreasonable and unacceptable, I would in any case be against the fact that, for example, the Latvian foreign minister would come here to protest against the Estonian government. Things don’t work that easily. We do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

I would like to request an assessment of your government-led Estonian FM’s interference in Georgian internal affairs, which the Georgian Parliament Speaker has strongly backlashed stating that appealing to a gathering of enthusiastic young people led by radical opposition parties and calling them the whole nation is something one would expect from a Soviet or Russian regime. Is this kind of behavior by the foreign minister of the government you lead acceptable? Is this appropriate behaviour from the foreign minister of the country you lead?”