On Friday, 13 March, the Saeima in an extraordinary sitting approved the government decision on declaring state of emergency to contain the coronavirus Covid-19. 

On Thursday, 12 March, the Presidium of the Saeima made a decision regarding precautionary measures in response to the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Members and employees of Parliament are invited to comply with the recommendations of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to prevent and mitigate the threats posed by Covid-19.

The US military presence in the Baltic region as well as the support provided by the US Congress for the development of military infrastructure in our countries is and will remain highly significant in the years to come. We invite our partners from the USA to consider the need for a long-term support programme. This was emphasised by Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, during a meeting with representatives of the US Congress as part of the working visit to the USA. The Speaker of the Saeima is visiting the USA together with parliamentarians from the Baltic States and Poland.

“We, the speakers of the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Polish parliaments, are on a symbolic visit to the United States Congress to demonstrate our commitment to resolving security issues together. We are grateful to the USA for its firm support to the Baltic States and Poland for thirty years since the restoration of our independence. The USA has a crucial role in our region. We invite the US Congress to explore the possibility of providing long-term support for the security of our region,” stressed Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 3 March, in Washington, DC, during the meeting of the speakers of Baltic and Polish parliaments with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

On Thursday, February 27, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Office of the Prosecutor Law and the Law on Judicial Power, which change the procedure for selecting and appointing the Prosecutor General.

On Thursday, 27 February, the Saeima examined the Final Report of the Parliamentary Committee for investigating the objectives and impact of introducing aid in the form of the mandatory procurement component (MPC).

Latvia firmly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We remain committed to the policy of non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea, stressed Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 25 February during a meeting with Dmytro Razumkov, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the accompanying delegation who are on an official visit to Latvia.

As set out in the amendments to the Law on Excise Duties adopted on February 20 by the Saeima in the final reading, the increase of excise duty rate for alcoholic beverages planned for 1 March 2020 will be more moderate.

Municipal deputies who have been prompted by the Latvian State Language Centre to improve their state language proficiency to reach an appropriate level, will have to do so at their own expense, according to amendments to the Law on the Status of the Deputy of the Republic City Council and Municipality Council, adopted in the final reading by the Saeima on Thursday, 13 February.

On Thursday, February 13, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on the Dismissal of the Riga City Council, which provides for the dismissal of the Riga City Council and the appointment of an interim administration.