Rahvaalgatus.ee

Rahvaalgatus.ee was created by the Estonian Cooperation Assembly in 2016 and is a collective proposals platform that connects the citizenry, parlament, and local governments. It enables people to implement their right to submit collective proposals conveniently by making political decision-making processes more transparent and dialogue more open.

– Rahvaalgatus.ee is the flagship of Estonian e-democracy, a stimulator of open governance that empower local democracy and provides an example of public sector innovation.

– Rahvaalgatus.ee was the finalist of The Innovation in The Politics Awards 2023

– Read about successful petititions at the local level

– Read about the five factors of success behind Rahvaalgatus

Submission of collective proposals to the Riigikogu (parlament)

In 2014, the Riigikogu passed an amendment, which obligated the Parliament to process appeals with at least 1,000 signatures and to discuss them in a committee of the Riigikogu. As of 2016, the digital infrastructure designed by the Estonian Cooperation Assembly enables the public to conveniently realise their right to make collective appeals kollektiivsete pöördumiste õigust, thereby making the work of the Riigikogu more transparent and dialogue more open.

Submission of collective proposals to local governments

As of August 2020, people have been able to initiate discussions and make collective appeals to local governments on local government initiative website. This is a civil right prescribed by law, and making the implementation as simple as possible encourages the residents of rural municipalities and cities to participate more actively in the discussions and decision-making processes related to their places of residence.

According to the law, locals can submit an application to the rural municipality or city council, which has been signed by at least 1% of the residents in the local municipality or city government.