On the motion of the Finance Committee, the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Securities Market Act and Other Associated Acts (8 SE), initiated by the Government, was concluded. The main purposes of the amendments are to transpose into Estonian law the European Union directive concerning financial collaterals and securities settlement and to specify the register acts related to the securities accounts in the Estonian Central Register of Securities, in particular those concerning pledging of securities, and to enable persons to open a securities account directly in the Estonian Central Register of Securities without the intermediation of a bank or another account administrator. The Bill was sent to the second reading.