On Thursday, 16 May, the Saeima passed in the second and final reading a law ratifying the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia, which will allow the western Balkan nation to became a full member of the NATO.
Press releases
On Thursday, 9 May, the Saeima in the second and final reading under urgent procedure adopted amendments to the Law on the Preservation and Use of the Documents of the Former Committee for State Security and the Determination of the Fact of Collaboration with the KGB. The amendments provide for the release of the additional card index of the agents of the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic and other documents held by the National Archives of Latvia.
Address by Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima,
Speaker Mūrniece on 4 May: key events in our history were not happy coincidences, our actions were thought out (04.05.2019.)
"Sometimes we view these key events in the history of our nation and state as an incredibly good luck or as happy coincidences. However, with the benefit of hindsight, it becomes clear that our actions were thought out and we moved in the desired direction in a pragmatic way," said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Saturday, 4 May, at the Saeima ceremonial sitting in honour of the 29th anniversary of the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Latvia.
On Friday, 26 April, concluding the 9th Youth Parliament, young people who were particularly active in sectoral committees and in discussions on draft declarations of the Youth Parliament were awarded the title of Future Politician.
"The international community must give strong and ongoing support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its Euro-Atlantic integration. We are deeply concerned about the fate of the Crimean Tatars," said Ināra Mūrniece on Wednesday, 24 April, during a meeting with Refat Chubarov, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, and Olexandr Mischenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Latvia.
On Wednesday, 24 April, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima adopted a statement on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars and expressing support for the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea. The statement cites evidence of a deliberate genocide by the Soviet regime against many nations and ethnic groups living in the Soviet Union and its occupied territories, including the Crimean Tatars, in order to destroy their cultural and social heritage and historical presence on the Crimean Peninsula and to force the Crimean Tatars out of their homeland.
Speaker Mūrniece: EU must start accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania (08.04.2019.)
“This June European Union (EU) should start accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania”, underlined Speaker Mūrniece at the annual Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments that took place 8-9 April in Vienna, recognising the commitment of both countries to reforms and the progress they have achieved so far.
Saeima: cigarette display ban as of 1 October 2020 (04.04.2019.)
On Thursday, 4 April, the Saeima in the final reading adopted amendments to the Law on the Handling of Tobacco Products providing that retail outlets will no longer be allowed to display tobacco products for customers, and it will only be possible to purchase tobacco products by choosing them from a price list.
Saeima adopts state budget for current year (04.04.2019.)
On Wednesday, 3 April, the Saeima in the final reading and as a matter of urgency adopted the Law on the State Budget for 2019 and 14 draft laws related to the budget.