On Friday, 24 September, two German students had their last day of a three-week internship at the Saeima. The internship was arranged as part of the International Parliament Scholarship Programme.

After meeting the students, Mrs. Solvita Āboltiņa, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, expressed gratification for the fact that it had been possible to offer reciprocal internship opportunities for the scholarship programme established by the German Bundestag. „We have taken the first steps. There are always things which can be done better; however, this programme is proof of the Saeima’s ability to implement such projects and to share its experience successfully,” emphasised S. Āboltiņa.

Mr. Ojārs Judrups, Director of the Academic Department of the University of Latvia, also acknowledged that he was glad that both students had chosen to visit Latvia and, as part of the internship, to attend courses offered by the University of Latvia. O. Judrups speculated that if the number of such students increases, a special course programme could be devised for t

Ms. Charlene-Mareen Wolf, a student from Hamburg, said that the time spent in Latvia was very valuable. It was an opportunity for her to gather information for her master’s thesis and to become acquainted with the work of the Saeima committees and structural units of the Saeima Chancellery. „This is a valuable experience which can be useful in the future,” averred C. Wolf. 

Ms. Inga Holtschke, a student from Leipzig, stated that the term of internship was too short; she suggested that it be extended so that students have a chance to get acquainted not only with the work of the parliament but also Latvia’s cultural life. „This is a very nice country, and I would like to express my thanks for the warm welcome,” said I. Holtschke. 

During the three weeks, students became acquainted with the daily life of several MPs, the work of the parliamentary groups, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the European Affairs Committee, and structural units of the Saeima Chancellery whose work is related to foreign affairs and public relations. Concurrently with the internship, both students attended lectures offered to foreign students by the University of Latvia. Students were chosen by a special selection commission. 

The German Bundestag developed the International Parliament Scholarship (Internationales Parlaments-Stipendium) in 1986; more than 1,200 young people, including 54 from Latvia, have participated in this programme. Since 1992, Latvian students have had an opportunity to be interns in the German parliament. The programme involves 29 countries of which internship opportunities in legislative bodies are offered by the United States, Poland, France, Russia and Hungary.

Photos of the internship: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/5017498636/ 
Videos of the internship: https://www.youtube.com/user/SaeimaSAB 
For public use of any material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery

Press Service
of the Public Relations Department
of the Parliament of Latvia
Phone.: +371 67087218
Mobile phone.: +371 261 36160 
E-mail: prese@saeima.lv