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On Thursday, 27 June, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, chaired a hearing on foreign influence regulation, good practices and European standards organised by the Monitoring and Legal Affairs Committee of the Assembly in Strasbourg.

“We need to be ready to fight malicious third-country interference in our democratic processes. At the same time, this must be done in a manner that respects national obligations and does not harm the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals. Legislators must have a clear vision of which measures meet democratic standards and which not,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima.

Veronika Bílková, Vice-President of the Group of Experts on Constitutional Affairs of the Council of Europe (Venice Commission), also took part in the thematic meeting organised by the Committees as an expert, and argued about the principles to be taken into account when drawing up regulations of this kind. The situation in Georgia and the Venice Commission's views on Georgia's foreign influence transparency law were also discussed.

At the plenary session of the Assembly, when presenting the report drawn up by the Monitoring Committee on the challenges to democracy in Georgia, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, in her capacity as the Chair of the Committee, stressed that “the recent developments in Georgia raise serious doubts as to the country’s commitment to international democratic norms and further Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as doubts as to Georgia’s readiness to fulfil its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe”.

“Unfortunately, the controversial adoption of the foreign influence transparency law is not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a series of events.  This is a turning point that goes against democratic principles. These developments cannot be seen in isolation from the upcoming elections in Georgia, which have now turned into a de facto referendum on Georgia's democratic and foreign policy trajectory. Therefore, the Committee urges the authorities to reverse this trend and fully commit to the commitment of a Member State of the Council of Europe to protect the highest principles of democracy and human rights,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima.

The report approved by the Assembly reaffirms its commitment to cooperation and dialogue with all political forces in the country and commends the commitment of Georgian citizens to support the democratic development of the country and further Euro-Atlantic integration.

“The expectations and aspirations of Georgian citizens for a democratic future firmly anchored in the European family must be appreciated and respected,” Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasised.

This week, the summer session of the Assembly takes place in Strasbourg. It is attended by all representatives of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: Head of the Delegation Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, and members Edmunds Cepurītis, Andris Bērziņš, Ināra Mūrniece, Ričards Šlesers and Aiva Vīksna.

Saeima Press Service