On Tuesday, 26 January, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, addressed the participants of the annual parliamentary foreign affairs debate. She emphasised the importance of strengthening Latvia’s security, which includes ensuring long-term presence of NATO forces in the region, a strong and vigilant European Union, as well as economic security of Latvia. “Latvia’s security depends on a strong European and Transatlantic community,” said the Speaker.

On Monday, 25 January, Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, addressed the chairs of the European affairs committees of the Baltic and Polish parliaments, who met in Vilnius, Lithuania, emphasising that “Georgia and Ukraine continue to implement reforms, thus demonstrating their commitment to pursue deeper integration in the European Union. We must promote Georgia’s and Ukraine’s European integration based on their progress, as well as support their sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognised borders”.    

On Thursday, 21 January, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on the Sale of Energy Drinks, which imposes a ban on the sale of energy drinks to individuals under the age of 18. The prohibition to sell energy drinks to minors will come into effect as of 1 June. The law was adopted with 88 votes for, two votes against and one abstention. 

“At the time of the Barricades we breathed as one. It was 25 years ago in January when we gathered around bonfires and used our warmth to keep the delicate flower of freedom from withering. We prevailed and kept it alive. And it will live on as long as people are prepared to defend it,” said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Wednesday, 20 January, during an anniversary event dedicated to the Barricades of January 1991. 

On Tuesday, 19 January, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, met with David Usupashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, at the Saeima. The Chairman of the Georgian parliament is in Latvia on an official visit. “Reforms implemented by Georgia are bringing rewards, and I really hope that Georgians will soon be able to enjoy all the benefits of visa-free travel to the European Union (EU). I would like to congratulate my Georgian colleagues on the progress that has been achieved and wish you success in future work that will hopefully result in full and final Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia”, underlined the Speaker of the Saeima.

In honour of the 25th anniversary of the Barricades of 1991, the Saeima is publishing a compilation of the press releases distributed to foreign media during the Barricades by the Supreme Council, which was the legislature in Latvia at the time.

On Thursday, 14 January, in the Grand Vestibule of the Saeima building, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, opened an exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Baltic Assembly (BA). Mūrniece emphasised that the strength of the Baltic States lies within unity, underlining the role of the BA in addressing issues of regional importance, such as cooperation in the areas of security and energy, as well as the strategically important implementation of the Rail Baltica project.

In a New Year’s photo greeting, boys and girls residing in a Ukrainian orphanage thanked the Latvian parliament for the wonderful surprise of presents collected at the Christmas charity event. This year, the gifts collected during the traditional Saeima charity drive along with heartfelt greeting from Latvia made their way to the Chernigiv Community Work Centre for Children and Youth to delight those most in need.

Coming together for a charity drive, MPs and staff of the Saeima prepared Christmas gifts for children in Ukraine. The charity drive, which ended on Thursday, 17 December, saw members of the Presidium and the Saeima, as well as staff of the parliament gather for the traditional Christmas workshop and decorate gingerbread hearts together with students of the Riga Ukrainian Secondary School and Chef Raimonds Zommers. 

On Thursday, 17 December, the Saeima adopted in the third and final reading amendments to the Asylum Law transposing the provisions of the new European Union (EU) Asylum Procedures Directive.