Press releases
Together with other countries in the region, Latvia has understood at an early stage that the need for security is a priority. This reveals Latvia and the Baltic region as a sensitive international seismograph which detects regional geopolitical challenges, notices potential eruptions before others are aware of them and calls for measures to deal with them. This was emphasised by Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 22 January, in her address at the annual Foreign Policy Debate in the Saeima. The Speaker of the Saeima described 2014 as a turning point when the Baltics, whose previous concerns had gone unnoticed by the rest of Europe, became the initiator of reinforcing security.
Organisational and technical duties will be assigned to 19 volunteers who applied to assist in the hosting the parliamentary dimension events of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
On Thursday, 8 January, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, will meet at the Latvian parliament with the speakers of parliaments of neighbouring Lithuania and Estonia.
On Thursday, 8 January, the College of Commissioners will pay a traditional visit to the country presiding over the Council of the European Union, during which it will address the priorities of the Latvian Presidency and facilitate the dialogue between social partners, NGOs and society, on one hand, and the European Commission, on the other hand. During the visit, the commissioners will meet with Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, and Latvian MPs, as well as take a family photo at the main building of the Saeima.
The Saeima has set up the website www.parleu2015.lv that provides information on the events being organised by the parliament of Latvia during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The website will be a useful tool for participants to register for events and to receive practical information about the content and agendas of events.
On Wednesday, 17 December, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on the State Budget for 2015, the Law on Medium-Term Budget Framework for 2015-2017, one new budget-related law, as well as amendments to 18 other budget-related laws.
From 8 to 12 December, a group of staff members from the parliament of Moldova are on a study visit at the Saeima to learn about its experience in involving the public in the work of the parliament, as well as to observe the functioning of the Visitor and Information Centre and the Public Relations Department of the Saeima.
On Thursday, 4 December, the Saeima supported a draft resolution on participation of soldiers from the Latvian National Armed Forces in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, 4 December, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, while meeting with the participants of the Conference of the Presidents of the European Parliament, emphasised that “Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will take place at a time of significant institutional change within the European Union – for many of us this is a new beginning. Therefore, I am glad for the active dialogue among the newly elected officials in Latvia and officials at EU institutions.” At the Conference, the Latvian parliament was represented by representatives of parliamentary groups of political parties elected to the Saeima, as well as chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima.
“This is a year of radical challenges; one can even say that this is the “moment of truth” for the Neighbourhood Policy of the European Union. It is a reality that cannot be ignored, and it must be the point of departure for any analysis of the state of play and future vision of the EU’s foreign policy,” said Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee, on Tuesday, 2 December, at the LII COSAC held in Rome during the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
