LATVIA IN REVIEW - Latvian Institute

The new policy suggests a defense financing model that would help to reach 2 percent of gross
domestic product (GDP). Sārts said that financing for defense should be increased each year by
0.1 percent of GDP. The goal of 2 percent of GDP should be reached in 2020. Such a model
would require additional 15 million lats each year (EUR 21 mln).
"The current defense budget was appropriate for the crisis time, and we were able to do it thanks
to understanding of other NATO member states, but we should not expect that we will be able
to live on the account of others in the future. Therefore it is important to say before the NATO
Chicago summit that the crisis is over and we will return to 2 percent of GDP by 2020," said the
state secretary.
He also underscored that the money should be spent wisely.
"The world is not becoming calmer, it is becoming more complicated. Speaking about Europe's
stability and security, we should not exclude unexpected events," he said.
The State Defense Policy prepared by the Defense Ministry provides that the National Armed
Forces (NAF) should be able to ensure constant participation of 8 percent of its staff in
international operations.
Data suggest that Latvia's contribution in NATO is one of the weakest ones. For example, in the
coming four years Latvia is able to meet only one third of its NATO liabilities and Latvia's
defense budget against the gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the lowest in the alliance.
The policy has been planned for the term of the incumbent parliament, which is for the next
three years.
(EUR 1 = LVL 0.7028)
Parliament Sub-committee to Call for Broad Debate on Amendments to Citizenship Law
Baltic News Service
RĪGA, Apr 08, BNS - The sub-committee established under the Latvian parliamentary legal
committee to work on the amendments to the citizenship law will invite several ministries to a
debate on the still uncertain aspects of the new law concerning the citizenship and loyalty.
MP Ingmārs Čaklais, a member of the ruling Unity party chairing the sub-committee, told BNS
that the debate would be organized after Easter holidays and representatives of the Culture
Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Foreign Ministry would be invited
to participate in the discussion.
"The sub-committee has essentially approved part of the proposals but we need to finalize the
wording to ensure quality legislation. This will be our main task after April 16,” he said.
But there are other proposals on which the committee has failed to agree so far, including
whether the law should name specific third countries whose citizens of Latvian descent would be
entitled also to Latvian citizenship. This would apply to ethnic Latvians living in the countries
such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, etc.
It also is not clear how many other citizenships a Latvian citizen should be allowed to have,
Čaklais said.
After the amendments to the citizenship law are approved by the sub-committee, they will be
sent to the legal committee which will decide about putting the amendments between the
parliament for review in three readings.
The Latvian government earlier approved the draft amendments to the citizenship law prepared
by the Justice Ministry. The proposed amendments will make possible double citizenship --
Latvian citizens will also be able to have the citizenship of some EU, NATO and European Free
Trade Association (EFTA) member country. Double citizenship will also apply to children
entitled to natural-born citizenship of another country, if one or both parents are Latvian
citizens. Also, a child born to parents, who are Latvia’s non-citizens, will be able to become a
Latvian citizen, should at least one of the parents wished so.
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