Press releases

Āboltiņa: The state budget for 2012 is the way to financial independence
The state budget for 2012 is aimed at strengthening the national financial system. Currently we are closing the international loan programme, thus we expect that the budget for 2013 will be fully dedicated to growth and financial independence. These were the main points highlighted by Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 6 December, when she accepted the briefcase with the draft budget from the Minister for Finance.“In recent years, consolidation has become a buzzword; it is a strong and positively charged word which means strengthening in Latin,” said the Speaker.
On Tuesday, 29 November, the Legal Affairs Committee approved the idea to amend the Civil Law with the aim to introduce a new regulation on the legal capacity of persons.
On Thursday, 1 December, the Saeima in the final reading adopted the law on asset declaration, which requires natural persons to declare their assets.
On Thursday, 1 December, the Saeima in the final reading adopted amendments to the Criminal Law abolishing the death penalty from Latvia’s criminal justice system.
On 5 and 6 December, members of the Saeima will visit Brussels and defend Latvia’s interests regarding the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU. The Latvian delegation will insist on altering the unequal distribution of direct payments to farmers and will object to proposed cuts in the cohesion funding available to Latvia.
On Friday, 25 November, at its 30th Session the Baltic Assembly (BA) adopted a Resolution in which the parliamentarians of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia call for developing a fair Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) and for no reduction of cohesion funds which would decrease opportunities to even regional development programmes and would endanger successfully launched investment programmes.
On Friday, 25 November, during the 30th Session of the Baltic Assembly held in Tallinn, Estonia, the Final Document was adopted stating that the priority for cooperation next year among parliamentarians of the Baltic States will be the enhancement of integration and stability of financial markets of the Baltic and Nordic countries. 
Speakers of the Latvian and the Lithuanian parliaments discuss current issues in bilateral relations
Today, 25 November, Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Āboltiņa met with her Lithuanian counterpart Irena Degutienė in Tallinn. During the meeting both agreed that regardless of certain differences of opinion between Latvia and Lithuania, mutual cooperation is essential.
Speaker of the Saeima Āboltiņa addresses Baltic parlamentarians in Tallinn
“Baltic cooperation is just as relevant now as it was 20 years ago,” said Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima in her address to the Baltic Assembly (BA) in Tallinn on Friday, 25 November. This year marks the 20th anniversary of founding the Baltic parliamentary cooperation body.
On Wednesday, 22 November, the Minister for Defence Artis Pabriks and members of the Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee of the Saeima agreed that Latvia is interested in continuing cooperation with NATO in policing Baltic airspace; therefore, it is necessary to request NATO to continue this policing after 2014, when the current agreement expires.
Sestdien, 20.aprīlī