Ojārs Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, when asked to evaluate the work of his Committee during the winter session of the parliament, affirmed that members of the Saeima can influence foreign policy through interparliamentary contacts, as attested by success in defending Latvia’s interests with regard to the European Union’s (EU) sanctions against Belarus.
Press releases
On Thursday, 12 April, members of the three Baltic parliaments met in Tallinn, where they adopted a declaration urging that direct payments of the European Union (EU) be equalized faster than proposed by the European Commission and that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) be reformed so that equal competition conditions are guaranteed to farmers in all the member states.
International conference on fiscal discipline and growth in Europe will take place in the Saeima (22.03.2012.)
On 26 March, the Saeima will host an international conference on How to Couple Fiscal Discipline with Growth? aimed at providing a forum in Latvia for a high-quality discussion on the EU’s treaty on fiscal discipline signed by 25 EU member states. High-level politicians from the parliaments of the Baltic States and Poland, the European Parliament (EP), as well as economists and political scientists, will take part in the conference and will elaborate further economic growth scenarios for the EU.
On Tuesday, 20 March, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Saeima decided to submit the proposed amendments to the Satversme (Constitution) for parliament’s consideration. The amendments are intended to limit the scope of MPs’ immunity and to revoke the secret ballot procedure for electing the President of Latvia and judges of the Constitutional Court.
Kalniņa-Lukaševica: EU’s political support is also necessary to lift Russia’s import ban on pigs (22.03.2012.)
On Friday, 16 March, the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima expressed its support for the initiative of Latvian ministers to consider at various meetings of the Council of the European Union (EU) the issue of Russia’s ban on importing live cattle and pigs from the EU, a move that will have a negative impact on our farmers.
To relieve their workload, courts of cassation will have an option to adjudicate civil cases in written proceedings (16.03.2012.)
On Thursday, 15 March, the Saeima in the final reading adopted amendments to the Civil Procedure Law according to which courts of cassation will adjudicate civil matters in written proceedings if a decision can be taken on the basis of available materials regarding the case. The amendments will help to reduce the workload of courts, as well as the time needed for adjudicating cases.
On Thursday, 15 March, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Law on Submissions. The amendments provide that as of 1 September 2012 inhabitants will be able to contact state and municipal institutions through the centralised state and municipal services portal www.latvija.lv and thus participate in public governance more efficiently.
On Friday, 9 March, members of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Ventspils for a parliamentary seminar of the Baltic Assembly (BA) to discuss the creation of a single cooperation platform of the Baltic States for developing research, technologies and innovations.
Saeima conceptually supports amendments to EU treaty (09.03.2012.)
On Thursday, 8 March, the Saeima supported in the first reading the draft law whereby Latvia is to ratify amendments to Article 136 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (EU), or the so-called Lisbon Treaty. The amendments establish the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) for the purpose of ensuring financial stability of the euro area.
Plans to support honest entrepreneurs (06.03.2012.)
On Thursday, 1 March, in the first reading, the Saeima adopted amendments to the Law on Taxes and Duties, which envisaged several kinds of relief and other advantages for entrepreneurs who conscientiously fulfil their responsibilities to the state.