Press releases
The Baltic Assembly calls on the parliaments and governments of the Baltic States, as well as the Baltic Council of Ministers, to devise cooperation mechanisms for the Baltic financial markets, to combat tax fraud and the spread of drugs, as well as to pursue joint energy projects and cooperation in the sphere of research. These areas of focus are included in the Resolution of the Baltic Assembly adopted on 9 November at the 31st Session of the Baltic Assembly held in Vilnius.
In the Final Document adopted at the 31st Session of the Baltic Assembly held in Vilnius, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian parliamentarians agreed that the priorities of the Baltic Assembly for 2013 will be stimulation of competitive and innovative development of the economies of the Baltic States, coordination of approach to development cooperation when using EU resources, as well as energy and transport.
The fate of the Republic of Latvia established on 18 November 1918 as a free and democratic state was determined In Riga on 11 November 1919.
On Thursday, 8 November, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on Extrajudicial Recovery of Debt, which aims to protect natural persons from aggressive practices of debt recovery, to facilitate voluntary repayment, as well as to give potential lenders a chance to assess a person’s ability to fulfil his or her commitments. Related amendments to the Law on Taxes and Fees that provide for the licencing of debt recovery companies were also adopted in the final reading.
On Thursday, 8 November, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, opened the students’ photography exhibition “Feeling Secure in Latvia”. In her address the Speaker emphasised the value of independence and the importance of preserving it. She also emphasised the responsibility for our nation’s security that we all share. The exhibition offers a view of Latvia as seen by Latvian students and reveals their perception of security in family, among friends, in school and throughout the country.
On 7 November, to mark the 90th anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution and the convening of the 1st Saeima , Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, invited to the Saeima all of the former speakers of the Latvian parliament since the restoration of independence – Anatolijs Gorbunovs, Speaker of the Supreme Council and the 5th Saeima; Ilga Kreituse and Alfreds Čepānis, speakers of the 6th Saeima; Jānis Straume, Speaker of the 7th Saeima; Ingrīda Latimira (formerly Ūdre), Speaker of the 8th Saeima, as well as Indulis Emsis and Gundars Daudze, speakers of the 9th Saeima.
On Wednesday, 7 November, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, opened the conference on “Parliamentarism in Latvia: Lessons from History and Future prospects” by stating that the Constitution of Latvia is an important and integral part of our legal culture; it has provided a stable legal foundation for a democratic parliamentary republic, and it still is the cornerstone of successful functioning of our state.
On Thursday, 1 November, the Saeima in the final reading adopted the law that ratifies the Agreement on the Establishment of the North European Functional Airspace Block between the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Finland, the Republic of Latvia and the Kingdom of Norway (NEFAB), which ensures that from now on, air navigation services will be more cost-efficient for Latvian airlines, flights will be safer and the environment will suffer less harm once airspace fragmentation has been eliminated.
On 25 and 26 October of this year, Latvia will receive an official visit by László Kövér, Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, and Alpár Gyopáros, Vice-chairman of the Hungarian–Latvian Group of the National Assembly of Hungary.
“Latvia and Hungary share opinions on many topics, so we are interested in mutual consultations in significant areas such as the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework, the future of Europe, defence issues and enlargement of the OECD,” pointed out Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 25 October, when meeting with László Kövér, Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, who is on an official visit to Latvia.
