Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, sent official letters to officials of the European Union (EU) and the parliament of EU presidency (Poland) to inform them about the statements adopted by the Latvian parliament calling on the EU to develop an equitable Common Agricultural Policy so that farmers from all the member states receive the same direct payments, as well as to maintain the existing level of EU cohesion funding.

The letters were sent to Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament; José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission; Bogdan Borusewicz, Marshal of the Polish Senate; and Grzegorz Schetyna, Marshal of the Polish Sejm.

Āboltiņa informed the officials that on 14 July, the Saeima at its extraordinary plenary sitting unanimously adopted two statements: the Statement on an Equitable Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union after 2013 and the Statement on the EU Budget’s Financing for Reducing Social and Economic Disparities after 2013. Full English texts of the statements were also enclosed with the letter.

Speaker of the Saeima pointed out that agriculture and cohesion, which are referred to in the statements, are a high priority for Latvia in the discussion on the next multi-annual budget framework of the European Union for 2014–2020.

Saeima Press Service