Estonia needs to modernize its system of government, strengthen political accountability and give citizens a greater role in decision-making to restore public trust and address future challenges, Jaak Aaviksoo, Marju Lauristin and Jüri Raidla write.
Estonia has made tremendous progress in the 35 years since it regained independence. Economic prosperity has increased, life expectancy has risen and Estonia has become a full-fledged member of the international community of democratically minded nations.
This successful development was driven by our desire for freedom and willingness to work toward a better future, as well as the democratic maturity needed to draft a balanced constitution and establish a system of government based on it that serves the interests of the country's citizens. The wise decisions made in those early years have sustained us for more than three decades.
Yet against this backdrop of progress, we sense that momentum is fading, dissatisfaction is replacing confidence in the future and mutual distrust is growing in society. Politics driven by a sense of mission and vision is in short supply. Most importantly, trust in government has declined. Government is perceived as self-serving and burdensome, leadership is lacking and the quality of governance leaves much to be desired at both the institutional and individual levels.
This is a question of power and alienation. More precisely, it concerns the relationship of trust between the people in whom supreme power is vested and those who exercise that power.
Power, which in the early years was exercised by involving broad interest groups and drawing on the expertise of people from different backgrounds, is becoming confined to political party bubbles and the career politics that perpetuates them. As a result, much of the nation's talent and expertise has been excluded from the exercise of power.
Bureaucratic layers and decision-making processes have proliferated, characterized by slow procedures, a lack of transparency and a disconnect from the problems people face in their daily lives. The role of the elected parliament has been reduced to that of a decorative appendage to the state bureaucracy, with no real ability to provide strategic direction to the government's activities.
At the same time, party-political considerations rather than the common national interest have come to dominate the actions of government ministers. The political elite has adopted a dismissive attitude toward civil society institutions.
Developments around the world demand that the Estonian state adopt a strategic vision for the future, demonstrate greater resolve and be prepared to make new efforts to preserve its free and democratic system of government while ensuring the continued viability of its economy, defense capabilities, the Estonian people and culture and social security.
Our society itself has also changed significantly.
On the one hand, over the past 35 years, we have become more knowledgeable and gained more experience in governing our own country than ever before.
On the other hand, a new generation of active citizens and leaders has come of age in a free and open society, working in business, culture and civil society. They have a broad international outlook and are adept at using new technologies, including the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. This new generation of leaders is critical of political institutions and ways of thinking inherited from the last century, preferring data-driven, rapid decision-making and innovative forms of cooperation.
For the Estonian state to be capable not only of confronting threats but also of successfully pursuing new goals, both in international competition and in advancing the material, social and intellectual well-being of its citizens, the way the country is governed must also be capable of renewal and rest on trust and cooperation among all groups in society.
We believe that the way the country is governed needs to be modernized by making those in power more accessible to citizens, raising expectations and standards of accountability for the exercise of power, establishing a clearer division of political and administrative responsibility and making decision-making processes more data-driven, transparent and efficient.
We propose beginning this reform with three important steps.
First, make governance more open by ending political parties' monopoly over the formation and leadership of public institutions.
Given the limited membership of political parties, their poor ability to involve all significant groups in society, particularly the younger generation, and the experience of local elections, which shows that voters prefer electoral alliances to political parties, we propose expanding citizens' opportunities to participate in exercising state power. In addition to political parties, electoral alliances should be allowed to participate in Riigikogu elections on an equal footing with political parties.
Second, raise standards and strengthen accountability for the quality of governance. The Riigikogu's oversight of the executive branch should be strengthened. To improve ministers' ability to lead their respective policy areas, candidates for ministerial positions should undergo public hearings before the full Riigikogu, with the media present, including answering questions from members of parliament.
To clarify the division of political and administrative responsibility, ministers should be defined primarily as members of the Cabinet who lead their respective policy areas with the country's strategic development goals in mind and bear political responsibility for directing the activities of their ministries.
Ministers should report on the effectiveness of policies in their respective areas at least once a year at a public hearing of the relevant Riigikogu committee, with the media present. These hearings should also involve senior executives in the relevant field, experts and representatives of relevant civil society organizations. At the same time, the role and responsibility of ministry secretaries-general in overseeing and ensuring the functioning of their ministries and their areas of administration should be increased.
Third, establish an Estonian Future Convention as a new form of cooperation between the state and its citizens to broaden the democratic basis of state power and strengthen the country's strategic capabilities.
The Future Convention could function as an advisory body tasked with developing and evaluating potential strategic solutions to the key challenges facing Estonia's future, using a data-driven approach. This collaborative process would involve researchers from various fields, leading specialists, interest groups and representatives of all political parties as experts, while also allowing interested citizens to contribute ideas and proposals and express their views through an online citizens' assembly.
These changes could be implemented during 2027 and provide impetus for further steps toward modernizing Estonia's system of government.
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