Europe’s security and economic resilience today are closely linked with the United States (US), and transatlantic cooperation must intensify in light of current geopolitical challenges. This was emphasised by Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly (BA) and Head of its Latvian delegation, at a session of the Benelux Parliament in Luxembourg on Friday, 28 November.

In order to promote sustainable development and innovation in sectors of national strategic importance, as well as to strengthen the responsibility of ministries and institutions in meeting climate targets, on Thursday, 27 November, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the urgent Law on Climate Resilience and Economic Sustainability.

Emissions generated by the transport sector will have to be reduced by at least 16 percent from 2030 onwards, as established by the Transport Energy Law, approved by the Saeima in its final reading on Thursday, 27 November.

Today, it is the duty of every European politician to tirelessly continue reminding the world of the illegal occupation of Crimea, emphasised Daiga Mieriņa, the Speaker of the Saeima, on Monday, 24 November, at the Fourth Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, which has gathered Members of Parliament from all over the world in Stockholm, Sweden. Speaker Mieriņa noted that each of us is currently bearing witness to the militarisation of the Crimean Peninsula.

At its meeting in Kiel, Germany, on Monday, 24 November the Standing Committee of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) reaffirmed its unwavering solidarity with Ukraine, reports Jānis Vucāns, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly. The parliamentarians adopted a statement emphasising that Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity are inviolable, and that the rules-based international order must be upheld.

On Friday, 21 November, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, met with Michael A. Keller, University Librarian at Stanford University, and Amir Weiner, Associate Professor at the University’s School of Humanities and Sciences (Department of History), to discuss opportunities for cooperation between Latvian and Californian higher education institutions, particularly in the fields of science, research, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence.

“We are a strong and warm nation. We have an unwavering love for our country. And when the time comes to raise the flag together, all of us, each with our own story and experience, become one. Our country is not just a place on the map — it is who we are. As long as the love for our country lives within us, Latvia shall live as well,” said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, during the ceremonial sitting of the Saeima in honour of the 107th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, extending her gratitude to every Latvian because for us freedom is not just a word but a true value that we protect, nurture, and pass on to future generations.

The security, prosperity, and sustainability of the Baltic States depends on the cohesion and increasingly close cooperation between Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. “Transport connectivity is one of the pillars of regional unity, economic development, and security, and it must be enhanced,” emphasised Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly, during his address at the 44th Session of the Baltic Assembly on Friday, 14 November. During the Session, special attention was given to Baltic cooperation in defence, economy, education, culture, and science.