The parliament as an institution elected by the people, by way of representation, embodies the will of the sovereign, an it is a great mandate and responsibility. On Friday, 7 February, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, opened the discussion "The Legislative Role of the Council of State” and emphasised the need to promote the quality of legislation as much as possible with regards to its content, the sustainability of the State and the fundamental values enshrined in the Constitution. 

From 2022, an increased excise duty rate is to be applied on sweetened non-alcoholic beverages, as set out in the amendments to the Law on Excise Duties adopted by the Saeima in the final reading on Thursday, 6 February. 

The Holocaust has taught the world that one must never turn a blind eye or remain silent when witnessing inhumane conduct. We must do everything in our power to prevent the taking of human lives on the account of their ethnicity, said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 23 January, in Israel, taking part in the Fifth World Holocaust Forum on “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Anti-Semitism”, which gathered political leaders from across the world.

On Thursday, 23 January, the Saeima adopted a decision on extending the term of the National Armed Forces (NAF) troops' participation in counter-terrorism operation in Iraq until 1 February 2022.

On Thursday, 23 January, during the annual Saeima Foreign Policy Debate, Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, underlined the ensuring of the continuity of Latvia's independence as a constant and fundamental task of Latvia's foreign policy.

"The heated public discussions over the last few weeks about defending the rights of Latvian citizens bring to light the lack of mutual understanding and cooperation between the involved State authorities. We have many declarative announcements regarding the importance of persons, yet we lack the courage to step out of the regulatory frame when a person gets into the grey areas of the law,” said Dagmāra Beitnere-Le Galla, Deputy Secretary of the Saeima, during the annual Saeima Foreign Policy Debate on 23 January.

It is in the interests of Latvia to assert itself as a co-shaper of the future of Europe, an advocate of a strong Europe and a custodian of democratic European values, stressed Vita Anda Tērauda, Chair of the Saeima European Affairs Committee, on Thursday, 23 January, during the annual parliamentary debate on foreign affairs.

We are interested in strengthening ties between Latvian and Israeli parliamentarians in order to raise awareness of the challenges facing both countries, said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, during a meeting with Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 22 January.