“Latvia highly appreciates the significant contribution of Italy to the NATO battlegroup in Latvia. Your participation strengthens the security of the Baltic region,” said Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Inese Lībiņa‑Egnere on Wednesday, 24 November, in Rome, during her meeting with Senator Isabella Rauti, who is also the Chair of the group for promoting parliamentary cooperation between Italy and the Baltic states.

The aggressive actions of the illegitimate Alexander Lukashenko regime have reached an unprecedented level. They provoke the crisis at the external borders of the EU, threaten the security of the entire region and deliberately endanger the lives of vulnerable people. It constitutes a breach of international law, political commitments and a disregard for fundamental human rights. This is expressed by Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, Jüri Ratas, President of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, and Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, 23 November.

History shows that trust in the Latvian state and its people and supporting one another for the sake of a greater objective has consistently helped us overcome the most difficult of times.  This belief and faith have never failed us. It has given us wisdom, foresight, and passion that we have used whenever we faced a decisive moment, said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, at the ceremonial sitting of the Saeima in honour of the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia held on Thursday, 18 November.

On Tuesday, 16 November, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Law on Personal Income Tax, which provide for a gradual increase in the non-taxable minimum as of next year. The amendments are introduced in relation to the state budget for 2022.

As of next year, books, newspapers, and periodicals are to be subject to a reduced rate of value added tax (VAT) of 5 %. This is provided for in the amendments to the Value Added Tax Law adopted by the Saeima in the final reading on Monday, 15 November. The amendments are introduced in relation to the state budget for 2022.

On Friday, 12 November, the Saeima adopted in the second and final reading and as a matter of urgency a new Law on Temporary Additional Requirements for the Work of Members of the Saeima and Local Government Councils.