POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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enforcement institutions of the both parties, in order the information exchange about planned
or committed criminal offences would be fast.
The Ministry of Interior has developed successful bilateral relations with several
countries, and various cooperation agreements have been already signed with the majority of
them. Similar agreements have been signed with 25 countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Lithuania,
Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Hungary, and other). 12 draft agreements have been elaborated (with
Russia, Greece, Columbia, Ecuador, Rumania, and others). 109
5.2. Return
5.2.1. Changes in the European Union Perspective
On 4 March 2010, Law "Amendments to the Education Law" provides the rights to
acquisition of education for a minor third-country national or a stateless person who has not a
legal basis to reside in the Republic of Latvia, the rights to acquire elementary education during
the period stated for voluntary return, or during the period for which expulsion has been
postponed, as well as during his or her detention.
The State Border Guard as the responsible institution for the adoption of the Directive
2008/115/EC, has prepared draft law "Amendments to the Immigration Law", which was
reviewed in the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on 21 December, 2010 and will be
submitted for review to Saeima in the nearest future. The Draft law will introduce new
regulations to improve the standards and procedures in the Republic of Latvia in relation to
return of third-country nationals:
1) further also the State Border Guard will be entitled to issue voluntary return decisions;
2) prohibition will be applied to persons to reside also in the territory of Member States of
the Schengen Agreement after application of the national entry ban;
3) during the procedure of appeal against return decisions or deportation orders, a thirdcountry
national will have the right to receive legal assistance provided by the state
according to cases and amounts stipulated in law;
4) it will be possible to cancel a return decision or a deportation order, if the circumstances
have changed which served as the basis for issuance of a relevant administrative deed.
The Law provides that a third-country national shall not be expelled to a country in
which the third-country national is endangered with persecution due to his or her race,
109 Sagatavo Latvijas un Portugāles sadarbības līgumu cīņai ar organizēto noziedzību (The Cooperation Agreement
between Latvia and Portugal for Fight against Organized Crime Prepared).//
http://www.iem.gov.lv/lat/aktualitates/informacija_medijiem/doc=18496 - [see: 25.11.2010]