The report on the Conference of INGOs’ fact-finding visit in Tallin that took place from 25 to 26 September 2017, has been published and sent to the Estonian authorities for comments. It will be presented and discussed together with the representatives of Estonian civil society and Estonian authorities on 26 January 2018 during the winter session of the Conference of INGOs.

The visit was organised by the Network of Estonian Non-profit Organisations with the assistance of the Permanent Representation of Estonia to the Council of Europe which facilitated the meetings with the public authorities. The delegation explored and discussed the national and local mechanisms which allow NGOs to take part in public policies and the political decision-making process. Taking into account the context of E-State and e-governance which is highly developed in Estonia, the delegation was particularly interested to hear about their impact on civil participation in the political decision-making process.

The delegation congratulates the Government of Estonia and the non-profit sector for their efforts to build a partnership based on shared interests and mutual respect. However, as shown in the report, some adjustments concerning the public consultation process should be made. The publication of the draft laws at an early stage of consultation is an important requirement to allow the NGOs to make a substantial contribution and propose alternative solutions.  Estonian E-State is quite professional and a high level of competency is expected from NGOs in order to be a relevant partner for the Government.  The State should help them in this respect. The development of the participation and cooperation skills of the non-profit sector with regard to professional policy development will contribute to the vitality of Estonian democracy.