This year we are marking the 25th anniversary of the Baltic Way. A quarter of a century has passed since 23 August 1989, when two million people of the Baltic States joined their hands forming a 600-km-long chain which connected the capital cities of the Baltic States, thus manifesting their aspirations for freedom, self-determination and democracy. The Baltic Assembly (BA), an institution for parliamentary cooperation among the Baltic States, is urging young people to take part in an essay contest by viewing the historic events of that time from today’s perspective and expressing their reflections and feelings regarding the Baltic Way, said Raimonds Vējonis, Vice President of the BA.

High school students from the Baltic States are called on to submit essays on the topic “What the Baltic Way means to me”.  

The authors of the three best essays from each Baltic State will be given an opportunity to participate in the 33rd Session of the BA, which will take place on 23-24 October of this year in Tallinn, Estonia.

Essays containing the name and surname of the participant should be submitted by 31 March of this year via e-mail: BAesejukonkurss@saeima.lv or mail: Baltijas Asamblejas Latvijas delegācija, M. Trokšņu iela 2, Rīga, LV-1811.

Essays submitted in each grade category will be evaluated separately by the Latvian delegation to the BA. Two essays from each grade category will be shortlisted for the second stage of the contest, in which the essays will be evaluated by the Presidium of the BA.

The goal of the contest is to motivate young people to participate actively in political, economic and social processes of Latvia and the world, as well as to promote interest in the Baltic States’ cooperation, their common values, cultural heritage and development of the Baltic region. 

The essay contest is organised by the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia and the Baltic Assembly.

The Baltic Assembly is an inter-parliamentary cooperation organisation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania established with the aim to coordinate Baltic cooperation on the parliamentary level, to address joint issues and projects, as well as to express a joint opinion on political, economic, social and culture issues in the European Union and globally. The Baltic Assembly consists of 12 to 20 members from each country’s parliament.

Saeima Press Service