On Thursday, 4 November, during the first meeting of the European Affairs Committee, members of the Committee elected a former diplomat and defence minister Mr. Imants Lieģis (Unity) as the Chairman of the Committee.

Sixteen MPs voted in favour of Mr. Lieģis, no one was against, and two abstained.

Mr. Staņislavs Šķesters (Union of Greens and Farmers) was elected as the Deputy Chairman, and Mr. Igors Pimenovs (Concord Centre) was elected as the Secretary of the Committee.

Other members of the Committee will be Ms. Solvita Āboltiņa (Unity), Mr. Valērijs Agešins (Concord Centre), Mr. Boriss Cilevičs (Concord Centre), Mr. Sergejs Dolgopolovs (Concord Centre), Mr. Jānis Dombrava (national alliance of All for Latvia and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK), Ms. Iveta Grigule (Union of Greens and Farmers), Mr. Nikolajs Kabanovs (Concord Centre), Mr. Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš (Unity), Ms. Rasma Kārkliņa (Unity), Mr. Ivans Klementjevs (Concord Centre), Mr. Atis Lejiņš (Unity), Mr. Dzintars Rasnačs (national alliance of All for Latvia and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK), Ms. Dana Reizniece (Union of Greens and Farmers), Mr. Edvards Smiltēns (Unity), Mr. Guntis Ulmanis (For a Good Latvia) and Mr. Jānis Vucāns (Union of Greens and Farmers).

The European Affairs Committee approves national positions of Latvia on issues addressed at the EU’s Council of Ministers.

Each minister who is going to represent Latvia at the Council of Ministers is obliged to inform the Committee about the position of the Latvian government on all important decisions regarding legislation and strategic issues. The minister receives the parliament’s permission to express the national position at the Council of Ministers only after the position has been coordinated with the European Affairs Committee.

According to the Rules of Procedure, there are 16 committees in the Saeima. Today the Saeima adopted the regulations for establishing permanent committees and approved their composition. 

Each committee specialises in a specific sphere; it oversees the activity of the executive branch and carries out other tasks that fall within its competence. Committees of the Saeima prepare documents which are later discussed at the plenary sittings. On the basis of decisions of the Saeima, committees review draft laws, proposals and submissions.

In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, the first meeting of a committee is convened by the Secretary of the Saeima, who also chairs the meeting until the chairman of the committee is elected.

The committee elects its chairman and secretary, as well as a deputy chairman, if necessary, from among its members.

Each MP can be a member of not more than two permanent committees and two subcommittees simultaneously.

Press Service