THE COORDINATION OF EUROPEAN UNION ISSUES IN ESTONIA

The goal of the national coordination system is to ensure effective and smooth participation of Estonia in the decision-making process of the European Union. The coordination involves various institutions and their tasks are the following.

Executive power

• The Government determines Estonia's political priorities and the short-term goals for their realisation (usually for every EU presidency period). These priorities serve as the basis for all Estonia's positions on the initiatives of the European Commission and those presented in EU councils.
• Ministries prepare Estonia's positions on the EU initiatives and draft legislation in their area of government. The ministries also have to organise the defence of the positions in EU institutions and implement adopted EU legislation.
• The Prime Minister manages the national coordination of EU issues and is also politically responsible for the effective and purposeful advancement of this process.
• The European Union Secretariat (EUS) of the State Chancellery advises the Government and the Prime Minister. The EUS also assists the inter-agency Coordination Council, manages EU documentation, participates in developing the Government's EU-related positions and monitors the implementation of EU legislation.
• The Coordination Council ensures that the materials presented to Government sessions are adequately prepared. The responsibilities of the Coordination Council also include the coherence of the Government positions, the resolution of disputes and exchange of information. The Council is comprised of representatives from ministries and Eesti Pank as well as observers from the parliament's European Union Affairs Committee and the Office of the President.
• Domestic working groups. In addition to the Coordination Council, ministries have also established several working groups between or within ministries in order to involve as many stakeholders as possible in shaping Estonia's positions and thus ensuring as well-advised positions as possible.

Legislative power

Although Estonia's positions are developed and presented in the EU institutions by representatives of the executive power, the legislative power plays an important role in ensuring the widest possible socio-political ground for the Estonian positions in the EU.

• The European Union Affairs Committee of Riigikogu observes the Government's EU-related policies and, in cooperation with the other standing committees of the Riigikogu, formulates parliamentary positions concerning more significant draft EU legislation. In that respect, the Committee also gives the Government mandates to defend Estonia's positions in the Council of the European Union. Ministers are generally invited to the Committee's meetings on Fridays in the week before the meetings of the Council of the European Union.

Eesti Pank is involved in several national cooperation bodies, such as:

• The Committee of Experts, which deals with preparations for the adoption of the euro in Estonia and consists of several working groups.
• Quadripartite meetings, which involves participants from the Ministry of Finance, Eesti Pank, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and the Office of the Prime Minister.