Summary

The Ministry of Justice has an important role in legislative drafting: it is responsible for preparing the so-called general part of the law whereas other ministries are in charge of drafting specific Acts. The Constitution and its sources form the basis for choosing between different models. It is clear that specific Acts drafted by ministries must be based on the general part of the law.
In accession to the European Union, Estonia must observe the principles valid in the European Union. However, EC law does not harmonise the administrative organisation of the Member States nor interferes in the national decision-making process. This principle of EC law must be born in mind in the harmonisation of Estonian legislation with that of the European Union.
This is a presentation made by the Deputy Secretary General at the scientific conference devoted to the 80^th anniversary of the Ministry of Justice.