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.

Latvia has made significant progress in promoting gender equality, and the country’s deliberate actions and sound policy are contributing to the elimination of discrimination against women, said Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 11 February, in Geneva, Switzerland, taking part in the 75th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

The parliament as an institution elected by the people, by way of representation, embodies the will of the sovereign, an it is a great mandate and responsibility. On Friday, 7 February, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, opened the discussion "The Legislative Role of the Council of State” and emphasised the need to promote the quality of legislation as much as possible with regards to its content, the sustainability of the State and the fundamental values enshrined in the Constitution. 

From 2022, an increased excise duty rate is to be applied on sweetened non-alcoholic beverages, as set out in the amendments to the Law on Excise Duties adopted by the Saeima in the final reading on Thursday, 6 February. 

The Holocaust has taught the world that one must never turn a blind eye or remain silent when witnessing inhumane conduct. We must do everything in our power to prevent the taking of human lives on the account of their ethnicity, said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 23 January, in Israel, taking part in the Fifth World Holocaust Forum on “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Anti-Semitism”, which gathered political leaders from across the world.

On Thursday, 23 January, the Saeima adopted a decision on extending the term of the National Armed Forces (NAF) troops' participation in counter-terrorism operation in Iraq until 1 February 2022.

On Thursday, 23 January, during the annual Saeima Foreign Policy Debate, Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, underlined the ensuring of the continuity of Latvia's independence as a constant and fundamental task of Latvia's foreign policy.