“Tax evasion and tax fraud undermine the tax base and make honest citizens and businesses pay the taxes avoided by frauds. Tax fraud affects the economy and finances of every country, and it is a problem for the entire European Union. As a result of tax fraud and tax evasion, every year the EU loses at least EUR 200 billion, which is half of the EU’s budget,” said Raimonds Vējonis, President of the Baltic Assembly, on Friday, 27 September, as he opened the parliamentary seminar of the Baltic Assembly and the Benelux Parliament on Coordinated Strategy to Improve the Fight Against VAT Fraud in the European Union held in the main building of the Saeima.

On Thursday, 26 September, the Saeima supported in the first reading amendments to the Diplomatic and Consular Service Law which were drafted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and which envisage that only persons with no other citizenship than Latvian can be diplomats.

On Wednesday, 25 September, the Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee of the Saeima examined the government’s annual report on issuing temporary residence permits to foreign investors and decided that provisions for issuing temporary residence permits to foreigners investing in capital companies need to be changed.

During Open Door Day held on Monday, 23 September, visitors of the Saeima showed great interest in the unprecedented opportunity to send a postcard bearing a postage seal of the Saeima to any place in Latvia.

On Tuesday, 10 September, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland, who is in Latvia on a state visit. During the meeting, the Speaker pointed out that relations between Finland and Latvia were formed several centuries before our statehood was established in our present territories. She added that as neighbours, we share the Baltic Sea, as well as similarities in our history, ideology and culture.

On Tuesday, 10 September, the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee of the Saeima expressed conceptual support for a new draft law which sets forth rules on how a public entity must manage its capital shares and capital companies. 

For the third year, within the framework of the International Parliamentary Scholarship programme, two students from Germany are doing an internship at the Saeima. Until 27 September, the youths will have an opportunity to get acquainted with the work of the members of parliament, parliamentary groups and committees. They will also attend lectures at the University of Latvia.

It is important to strengthen the sense of belonging to Western policies and values among the Eastern neighbours of the European Union; therefore, an active dialogue with countries across the Eastern border of the EU should be continued, stated Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Friday, 16 August, when addressing Nordic and Baltic colleagues at the annual meeting of the parliamentary speakers of the Nordic Countries and Baltic States (NB8).