Citizens should take EP elections seriously in order to avoid voting potential populists into EU - Murniece

RIGA - Latvian citizens should take the upcoming European Parliament elections seriously in order to avoid voting potential populists into the EP, Saeima Chairwoman Inara Murniece (National Alliance) said while opening conference "Baltic EU Conversations 2019: Awaiting Political Change".

There are challenges that require international and European solutions, said Murniece. "In the global arena, a common voice is stronger than one," she stressed.

Latvia is currently working on bringing order to the financial sector - laws are drafted on combating money laundering and terrorist financing. However, these are cross-border problems and therefore need to be dealt with in cooperation with other member states of the European Union, said Murniece.

The Saeima speaker also said that this year marked 15 years since Latvia's accession to the EU, therefore Latvia is no longer a new member state, and now Latvia also plays an important role in setting the future priorities of Europe. Murniece also said that Latvia was a strong supporter of NATO.

The conference "Baltic EU Conversations 2019: Awaiting Political Change" is held at Saeima to discuss the developments in the Baltic countries and future development of the EU. The conference is organized by Saeima in cooperation with Latvian Institute of International Affairs and European Commission Representation in Latvia.