Press releases
On Thursday, 19 April, the Saeima supported in the final 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.
On Wednesday, 18 April, the Social and Employment Matters Committee of the Saeima accepted amendments to the Law on State Pensions submitted by the government envisaging an increase in the retirement age as of 2014 and forwarded them for the consideration in the first reading by the Saeima. Six members of the Committee supported the relevant Draft Law, three voted against and two abstained.
Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, when asked to evaluate the work of her Committee during the parliament’s winter session, pointed out that as Latvia’s position is actively explained, our chances to receive more financing within the new Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU are increasing. Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasised that cooperation among the three Baltic States, to which the Committee pays serious attention, will be a decisive factor in the continued negotiation process.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
