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“With the approach of Latvia’s first presidency of the Council of the European Union, we are interested in developing closer cooperation with Luxembourg, which together with Italy and Latvia will make up the presidency trio,” pointed out Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 12 March, during her official visit to Luxembourg as she met with Laurent Mosar, Speaker of the parliament of Luxembourg.

As she thanked her host for the invitation and expressed her gratification at the active political dialogue maintained by the two countries, the Speaker of the Saeima stressed its particular importance for Latvia while it prepares for holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2015. “We are interested in broadening our cooperation with Luxembourg not only at the political level but also at the level of experts and administration, as well as in carrying out joint projects on public diplomacy and culture,” Solvita Āboltiņa said to the Speaker of the parliament of Luxembourg. Laurent Mosar also expressed interest and readiness in cooperating closely with the parliament of Latvia.

This will be the first presidency of the Council of the European Union for Latvia; therefore, our country has already begun preliminary preparation, the Latvian Speaker emphasised, noting that several discussions on the subjects and priorities of the upcoming presidency have taken place in Latvia. “Last year’s broad discussions have resulted in defining possible priority areas; therefore, this year Latvia will be ready to start the discussions on the priorities and agenda of the presidency also with its trio partners,” Āboltiņa stressed, adding that the parliament of Latvia has also actively involved itself in preparations for the presidency and has formed a Steering Committee for planning the parliamentary dimension of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Speaker of the Saeima highlighted the role of the national parliaments in a closer integration of the European Union and attested that Latvia is ready to get involved in the debate on the future of the EU. She also pointed out that it is important to involve society in such discussions.

When discussing the economic situation in Latvia, Āboltiņa noted that the economy of our country, which was hit hard by the global financial and economic crisis, has become one of the European leaders of economic growth. The strategic goals of Latvia are to join the euro area in 2014 and to become a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

“Latvia was the fastest growing economy in the EU in 2012 with a GDP growth of 5.5%. Since last September our country has been consistently fulfilling all the Maastricht criteria in order to be able to  join the euro area next January; furthermore, we are ready to become a full-fledged member of the OECD and to share with this organisation our experience in overcoming the crisis,” stated the Speaker of the Saeima.

During her visit, Solvita Āboltiņa is also meeting with Luxembourgian MPs: Ben Fayot, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Immigration, as well as members of the Committee.

The Speaker of the Saeima is on an official visit to Luxembourg from 11 to 13 March.

Saeima Press Service