President urges parliament to complete unfinished work

Latvia’s 14th Saeima should complete several outstanding tasks before the next parliament’s first sitting on November 3, President Edgars Rinkēvičs said after meeting Speaker Daiga Mieriņa, LSM reported.

Four sittings remain, and Rinkēvičs said he would like the current parliament to finish several bills. He named the port reform as the first priority. The bill has passed its second reading and would abolish the existing governing boards of the Riga and Ventspils ports, placing oversight under port councils.

He also cited a bill on the management of the Latgale Embassy Gors, a concert hall. The Saeima backed it at its second reading in late September. The approved version would protect the concert hall’s real estate and provide for the Culture Ministry’s involvement in its management, but would not guarantee permanent state funding for its operations.

Rinkēvičs also listed a bill on the development of Latvia’s eastern territories, intended to strengthen security and economic resilience in the country’s eastern border region, and amendments to the Public Electronic Mass Media and Their Management Law. The amendments would strengthen the brands of Latvian Television and Latvian Radio.

Whether to complete the bills or leave them to the next Saeima is up to parliament, Rinkēvičs said. In his view, none of the issues is especially contentious or debatable. He urged lawmakers to consider carefully any proposals that could create financial consequences for the next Saeima and thanked Mieriņa for their cooperation.