The Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian parliaments have issued a joint statement expressing support for Ukraine’s path to full membership in the European Union (EU) by 1 January 2030, as well as for Ukraine’s progress towards NATO accession. The statement also includes a commitment to promote Ukraine’s participation in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

On Tuesday, 3 June, during her visit to Sarajevo, Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa met with senior officials of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasising Latvia’s support for the country on its path to the European Union and NATO. She stressed that the enlargement process must be based on merit. “We are not here to lecture you — we have come to offer our support. You are not alone on this path,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.

A delegation of Members of the Saeima has inaugurated a modular primary healthcare centre in the village of Stepkivka, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. The centre was established in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the World Health Organization, with funding provided by the Latvian state. The total investment amounts to 200,000 EUR.

A delegation of Members of the Saeima has arrived in Ukraine to reaffirm steadfast support for the country in its fight against the aggressor and to gain first-hand insight into Latvia’s assistance projects in the war-affected nation.

From 26 to 28 May, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica visited Moldova as part of a fact-finding mission for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (hereinafter – the Assembly) in preparation for a monitoring report. The aim of the working visit was to assess Moldova’s compliance with the commitments it undertook upon joining the Council of Europe in the areas of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

To reorganise the national crisis management system, the Saeima on Thursday, 29 May, adopted amendments to several laws in the third and final reading. The amendments designate the government as the primary authority responsible for crisis management and the mitigation of threats, and provide for the establishment of a Crisis Management Centre.

Micro-enterprises will now be eligible to benefit from the simplified application of value added tax (VAT), according to amendments to the Micro-Enterprise Tax Law adopted by the Saeima in the third and final reading on Thursday, 29 May.

On Wednesday, 28 May, Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa welcomed the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Woo Won-shik, to the Latvian Parliament to discuss opportunities for closer cooperation, particularly in the field of security. As Speaker Mieriņa emphasised, we are living in a rapidly changing and intense era, and cooperation in the area of security among like-minded partners such as Latvia and South Korea is especially important.

“Closer cooperation is in all our interests,” emphasised Deputy Speaker of the Saeima Antoņina Ņenaševa on Wednesday, 28 May, as she welcomed the Chair of the Defence Committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, to the Saeima. The meeting placed particular emphasis on strengthening defence partnerships and fostering cooperation between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

"The close cooperation between Latvia and Finland, as well as our shared experience and understanding of regional and geopolitical threats, significantly contribute to regional security and strengthen our joint capabilities to counter threats," said Ainars Latkovskis, Chair of the National Security Committee of the Saeima, welcoming Mats Löfström, Chair of the Intelligence Oversight Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Finland, to the Saeima.