On Thursday, 29 October, the Saeima in the final reading passed amendments to the Electronic Mass Media Law aimed at restricting retransmission of hate speech propagated by foreign-owned media.

On Wednesday,  21 October, Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, and Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, issued a joint statement on Latvia’s unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, extends her deepest condolences to the Turkish people regarding the bombings in Ankara, which killed 86 and injured more than 186people.

On Tuesday, 6 October, having convened in the Saeima to evaluate the nominees for the Baltic Assembly (BA) prizes, an international jury decided to award this year’s Prize for Literature to the Latvian writer Māris Bērziņš, author of the novel “Svina garša” (Taste of Lead). The novel, published earlier this year, portrays fateful events in the lives of Latvians at the beginning of World War II. 

Economic cooperation between Latvia and China has increased in recent years and we hope that the appointing of the new ambassador will only further our successful cooperation. This was emphasised by Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 22 September, when she met with Huang Yong, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Latvia, on his introductory visit to the Saeima.

On Tuesday, 22 September, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, met with Aidan Kirwan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ireland. The Deputy Speaker highlighted the large number of Latvian nationals living and working in Ireland, and the importance of maintaining contacts between them and their homeland. Lībiņa-Egnere expressed her gratitude to the Irish ambassador for his contribution in addressing issues of vital importance for Latvian citizens, and voiced hope that the active dialogue would continue.

On Friday, 18 September, following an extended and strenuous debate, the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima adopted the national position on the granting of sanctuary to asylum seekers, thus demonstrating constructive involvement and spirit of solidarity in contributing to the resolution of the state of emergency in Europe, said Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the Committee.

Families caring for children with disabilities, as well as people with group I disabilities will receive the status of the protected user and therefore pay less for electricity. This is envisioned in the amendments to the Electricity Market Law which the Saeima adopted in the final reading on Thursday, 17 September. 

Amendments to the Population Register Law, which the Saeima approved in the first reading on Thursday, 17 September, anticipate that as of 2017 a new type of personal identification number will be issued that will not include the birth-date.