The Saeima - Dialogue with society

The Saeima
Dialogue with society

Prepared by: Public Relations Department
Jēkaba iela 11, Rīga, LV-1811 • Phone: 6708 7321 • E-mail: info@saeima.lv

The Saeima is an institution elected by
people; it adopts laws, approves the state
budget, supervises the work of the
government, and elects public officials

Involvement of society is more than
society’s participation in elections.
Everyone individually or via organisations
can participate in the legislative process
on a daily basis

Dialogue with society is an integral part
of the parliamentary work


Involvement in the work of the Saeima

•Submissions •Non-
and governmental
proposals organisations

•Open
parliament •Availability
of information


Submissions and proposals

 Individuals and organisations can file a submission with the Saeima
addressed to a specific public official or a structural unit of the Saeima. On
average, 6,000 individuals take advantage of this option annually

 The proportion of submissions containing initiatives for improving laws,
opinions on topical socio-political events, as well as specific proposals for
developing the national economy, is increasing

 The Saeima responds to these submissions within a month from the day the
submission is received

Submissions are an important source of information which MPs,
parliamentary groups and committees use in their daily work

Non-governmental
organisations
 On 30 March 2006, the Saeima adopted the declaration on cooperation
with NGOs; its aim was to facilitate the development of civil society in
Latvia and to improve cooperation between the parliament and NGOs

 NGOs evaluate legislative initiatives and submit proposals;
thus they influence the decisions made by the Saeima

 NGOs actively participate in the work of the Saeima committees

 A forum of the Saeima and NGOs is held once a year in order to assess
and develop the existing cooperation

Open parliament
Visitor and Guided tours Events
Information Centre


Visitor and Information Centre
 The Visitor and Information Centre was
established in 2009, and it provides information
and consultations to individuals on the
following issues:
 work of the parliament
 opportunities to meet officials of the
parliament
 opportunities to have a guided tour of the
main building of the Saeima
 filing and writing of submissions

 Information can be obtained in person, by
phone or by e-mail

 No pass is needed for entering the Centre

Registered visitors and callers
200
of the Centre, July – December 2011

150

100 Visitors
Callers

50

0
July August September October November December


Guided tours of the main building
of the Saeima
Everyone has a chance to have a It is possible to have a virtual
guided tour of the main building tour of the main building of
of the Saeima and to observe the Saeima via the website of
plenary sittings. The tour is free the parliament


Events
Members and employees of the Saeima are actively
involved in informative and educational events, as well
as social projects:
Job Shadow Day – after getting acquainted with the
work of the MPs, the students have declared that the Saeima
is one of the best places for shadowing
Open Door Day
Back to Your School
Museum Night
Youth Parliament
The Saeima and NGO forum and regular seminars on
topical issues in cooperation with NGOs
For a Well-Fed Latvia
School Bag
Earth Hour
Blood Donor Day
Various exhibitions are organised in the main building of
the Saeima on a regular basis


Availability of information

Everyone has a variety of ways to keep abreast of topical issues and to
acquire information on the work of the parliament

Open plenary Cooperation with Informative Communication
sittings and the mass media materials on the Internet
committee meetings


Plenary sittings
 Audio and video broadcasts are available at www.saeima.lv; plenary
sittings are also broadcast on Latvijas Radio 5

 An updated agenda of each plenary sitting and relevant parliamentary
documents are available on the Internet

 Results of the voting are
available to the public

 Everyone has a chance to be
present at a plenary sitting

 Transcripts and recordings
of plenary sittings are
available on the website of
the Saeima


Committee meetings
 The most active and lengthy discussions on draft laws take place at
committee meetings

 Agendas of the committee meetings are available in Latvian at
www.saeima.lv

 Committees invite NGOs
as experts during
discussions on various
issues

 Anyone can apply to
participate in committee
meetings


Cooperation with the mass media
 Support to journalists during their
work at the Saeima building
 Press conferences on topical
subjects
 Press releases on the following
issues:
– draft laws adopted by the
Saeima
– work of the committees and
subcommittees
– meetings of MPs with foreign
public officials, as well as their
visits abroad
– events taking place at the main
building of the Saeima

Informative materials
 Gazette of the Saeima of the
Republic of Latvia
 Fact sheets
 Presentations
 Pamphlets
 Books
 Video


Communication on the Internet is
used in order to:
 rapidly provide information on events taking place at the Saeima building
 provide unmediated two-way communication
 ensure more comfortable and personal communication
 ensure a link with the broadest range of society

www.saeima.lv


www.saeima.lv
The website of the Saeima is a vital
and regularly updated
communication instrument of the
parliament

The website contains information
on planned amendments to laws,
topical issues, and MPs; it also
offers a chance to view plenary
sittings online, learn about
opportunities to visit the main
building of the Saeima, etc.


How to contact the Saeima?
 By calling +371 6708 7321
weekdays: 8:30 – 17:00
 By sending a letter to Jēkaba iela 11, Rīga, LV-1811
 By sending an e-mail to info@saeima.lv
 By coming to the Visitor and
Information Centre
Riga, Jēkaba iela 16
(entrance from Trokšņu iela)
weekdays: 9:00 – 16:30


Thank you!


The Saeima - Dialogue with society

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