Permitting investigations of the Estonia wreck
Act temporarily amending the Act on the Protection of the Wreck of the Passenger Ship Estonia
Authorities would be permitted to carry out investigations and inquiries at the wreck of the Estonia notwithstanding the protection provisions. The aim is to examine the significance to the sinking of the vessel of new ruptures discovered in the side of the wreck.
- Status
- Passed
- Submitted
- 12 May 2021
- Latest event
- 9 Jun 2021
- Votes
- 0
- Speeches
- 7
- Confirmed
- 18 Jun 2021
- Statute
- 538/2021
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
A temporary exception would be added to the Act on the Protection of the Wreck of the Passenger Ship Estonia, allowing authorities to carry out necessary investigation and inquiry measures concerning the sinking of the vessel in the protected area.
What it means
The amendment enables underwater investigations planned by the Estonian and Swedish accident investigation authorities in Finland's exclusive economic zone without the risk of criminal sanctions. The act would be in force temporarily from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2024, and the costs of the investigations would be covered by Estonia and Sweden.
How Parliament voted
The bill passed without a vote – no MP proposed rejecting or amending it in plenary.
Debate in the chamber
What was argued and where each group stood, followed by MPs' speeches verbatim from the parliamentary record. Speeches are shown in their original language.
7 speeches · 7 speakers · 2 debates
Key points of the debate
The debate addressed the temporary amendment of the act on the protection of the wreck of the Estonia to allow official investigations to examine new ruptures found on the wreck. The proposal received full and unanimous support from Parliament. The debate emphasised the importance of uncovering the truth as well as absolute respect for the sanctity of the grave and the relatives of the victims.
- Social DemocratsIn favour
The SDP supported the proposal to establish the truth and remove uncertainty, as long as investigations are limited to what is strictly necessary and the principle of proportionality is observed.
”Tapauksen avaaminen ei ole kevyt päätös, mutta totuus onnettomuuden taustalla on syytä selvittää.”
— Kristiina Salonen - Swedish People's PartyIn favour
The SPP considered the legislative amendment necessary so that the new findings can be thoroughly investigated and conspiracy theories dispelled while respecting the sanctity of the grave.
”Av den anledningen är den här lagändringen behövlig och något som jag stödjer fullt ut.”
— Mats Löfström - National Coalition PartyIn favour
The NCP warmly supported the proposal so that the new findings are thoroughly investigated and the spread of misinformation is prevented in a controlled and supervised manner.
”Kannatan lämpimästi tätä lakiesitystä.”
— Paula Risikko
This digest was generated by AI from 7 speeches 13 Sep 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Keskustelu päättyi. Asia lähetettiin lakivaliokuntaan.
Yleiskeskustelu päättyi. Eduskunta hyväksyi hallituksen esitykseen HE 81/2021 vp sisältyvän lakiehdotuksen sisällön mietinnön mukaisena. Lakiehdotuksen ensimmäinen käsittely päättyi.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 12 May 2021Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Oikeusministeriö
- 20 May 2021Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
- 27 May 2021Valiokunnan mietintö tai lausunto · lakivaliokunta
- 1 Jun 2021Ensimmäinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 4 Jun 2021Toinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 8 Jun 2021Eduskunnan vastaus ja kirjelmä
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki matkustaja-alus Estonian hylyn rauhoittamisesta annetun lain väliaikaisesta muuttamisestaHyväksytty · 538/2021 · 18 Jun 2021
Proposed law text
The law proposals in the bill as the Government presented them. The final act may differ after committee consideration.
The law text is shown in Finnish or Swedish from Parliament's official documents; it is not translated into English.
Laki matkustaja-alus Estonian hylyn rauhoittamisesta annetun lain väliaikaisesta muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti lisätään matkustaja-alus Estonian hylyn rauhoittamisesta annettuun lakiin (903/1995) väliaikaisesti uusi 4 a § seuraavasti:
4 a §
Sen estämättä, mitä 3 §:ssä säädetään, viranomaiset voivat ryhtyä matkustaja-alus Estonian uppoamista koskeviin tarpeellisiin tutkinta- ja selvitystoimenpiteisiin.
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20 ja on voimassa 31 päivään joulukuuta 2024.
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 13 Sep 2026. They are not official documents – check the details in the original bill. The title and summaries are machine translations of the Finnish AI summaries. Speeches and quotations are always shown in their original language.