They want to remove Soviet symbols even from monuments: Estonia is preparing a new law
The Ministry of Justice and Digital Technologies of Estonia plans to submit a new bill to parliament this autumn, which will define the procedure for dismantling Soviet symbols from public spaces, including objects under state protection as cultural heritage. This was reported by ERR.
The need to develop a new bill arose after the Estonian President Alar Karis refused to sign amendments to the Building Code adopted by parliament in March 2023. The head of state stated that the document did not comply with the Constitution due to insufficient legal clarity.
The Minister of Justice and Digital Technologies, Liisa-Li Pakosta, noted that the main subject of discussions remains buildings and other objects with Soviet symbols that were erected to demonstrate the power of the Soviet regime.
In her opinion, such objects should not be considered the most valuable part of Estonia's cultural heritage, so they can be removed from state protection.
At the same time, some experts advocate preserving their protected status, which is why discussions around the legislative initiative continue.
The chairman of the Economic Committee of the Estonian parliament, Marek Reinaas, reported that an agreement has been reached between the committee and the Ministry of Justice: the ministry will prepare a new bill and submit it to parliament in the autumn, after which deputies will begin its consideration.
According to Reinaas, some Soviet symbols have already been dismantled, but many objects are still under state protection, so a separate law is needed to resolve this issue.
Liisa-Li Pakosta also said that the preparation of the bill was delayed due to disagreements with the Ministry of Culture.
The Estonian Ministry of Culture, in turn, stated that since spring 2025, it has not received any requests regarding the preparation of this bill.
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