President Egils Levits was in Germany September 16, for a visit to the country in which he spent much of his youth, alongside his counterparts from Estonia and Lithuania to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and the Baltic states.
Politics
At its sitting on Thursday, September 16, the majority of the Saeima rejected a motion of no confidence submitted by several members of the opposition Greens and Farmers Union (ZZS) party in the Minister of Health Daniels Pavļuts (Development/For!)
President of Latvia Egils Levits was in Italy September 15 to take part in the 16th meeting of the 'Arraiolos Group' of heads of state.
On Thursday, September 16, the Saeima advanced amendments to the Animal Protection Law submitted by several deputies of the Saeima factions, which provide for a ban on fur-farming to be implemented as of 2026.
Rihards Kols (National Alliance), Chairman of the influential Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee, said Wednesday, September 15 that the policies and actions of Latvia's municipalities need to be in alignment with foreign policy goals at national level.
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš through a resolution on September 15 has ordered the Ministry of Health to submit revised and simplified epidemiological safety rules to the government within two weeks.
Delivering her annual State of the Union address at the European Parliament on Wednesday, September 15, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered support to the EU member states, including Latvia, that are currently being targeted by the desperate human trafficking of the Lukashenko regime in Belarus.
The government will discuss new Covid-19 restrictions next week. The issue is becoming more pressing as the number of people infected and the pressure on hospitals grows, Health Minister Daniels Pavļuts said at a briefing September 14.
The Foreign Ministers of the Baltic states and Poland met in Rīga September 13, using the occasion to express solidarity in the face of hybrid threats posed by Russia and Belarus.
Monday, September 13 sees the Ministers of Defense and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Lithuania and Poland visiting Rīga together, for meetings hosted by their Latvian counterparts.
Last week, Varakļāni and Rēzekne municipalities held local elections. The turnout in Varakļāni was the highest this year in the whole country, according to LETA's information published September 12.
The Ministry of Health (VM) will soon offer the government a model of new safety measures in the fight against Covid-19 spread, Health Minister Daniels Pavļuts said in an interview on Latvian Television September 10.
Opposition deputy Aldis Gobzems will be expelled from six Saeima meetings for refusing to present a Covid-19 certificate or a negative Covid-19 test in the on-site session. It was decided by a majority of parliamentarians on September 9.
On September 9 and 10, delegations to the Baltic Assembly are in Lithuania to participate in the meetings on the migrant crisis on the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, among other issues.
On 13 September 2021, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Ministers of Defense of the Baltic States and Poland will gather for a joint meeting in Rīga to discuss current security policy matters and regional challenges, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.
The Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee decided September 8 to forbid maverick deputy Aldis Gobzems to attend six Saeima meetings, Latvian Television reported.
On 6 September 2021, in an official ceremony in Riga Castle, the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, presented credentials to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Commonwealth of Australia, Marģers Krams.
Latvian President Egils Levits took part in the annual Lennart Meri conference in Tallinn on September 5, taking part in a panel titled "Non Ducor, Duco / I am Not Led, I Lead".
On 2 September 2021, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa Lukaševica, took part in a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, which featured an exchange of views on the situation at the EU’s external border with Belarus.
Not for the first time, independent opposition MP Aldis Gobzems was the center of attention in Latvia's parliament September 2 when his refusal to show a valid Covid test certificate - despite apparently having one - forced the Saeima to revert to its e-Saeima distanced format instead of holding a full in-person sitting.
95 out of 100 Saeima deputies have a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19 or recovery, the Saeima Speaker Ināra Mūrniece (National Alliance) told Latvian Television September 2.
Latvian State President Egils Levits launched the Fall session of the Saeima September 2, using his opening speech to tell deputies what they need to focus on in the final year of this Saeima's term, ahead of elections next October.
The Saeima Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Commission will not currently review the draft law regarding compulsory vaccination for specific population groups. This was decided August 31 after Saeima factions met with President Egils Levits to discuss further pandemic-related policies.
On Tuesday, August 31, President Egils Levits meets with the Speaker of the Saeima and the leaders of the various Saeima factions to discuss further action to curb the Covid-19 pandemic and urge them to work more effectively -- but for now is offering few concrete proposals of his own.
There are no big surprises at the top of the party ratings in August, with the most interesting feature being a plethora of parties battling to gain the more than 5% voter support required to win seats in parliament, just over a year before the next Saeima elections.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued an indication for the Latvian and Polish authorities regarding the treatment of migrants on the Belarusian border. Latvian authorities responded August 26 by saying that Latvia is already acting in line with the indications.
An absolute majority of members of Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee conceptually supported compulsory vaccination for Saeima deputies on August 26.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) indicated an interim measure in the cases of two illegal migrant groups against Poland and Latvia concerning recent events at the borders of Poland and Latvia with Belarus, LETA reported August 25.
Two more citizens of Afghanistan and their families who had cooperated with the European Union's mission have been evacuated from the country and transported to Latvia, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said on Twitter August 25.
The Finance Ministry presented a report on the base basic budget and base special budget of 2022 at the government meeting August 24.