Constitutional Court hosts representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Latvia
Today, on May 8, the judges of the Constitutional Court met with representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Latvia (hereafter – the diplomatic corps). The meeting was organised in order to introduce the representatives of the diplomatic corps with the Constitutional Court and its competence as well as to provide information on topical constitutional law issues in Latvia.
The judges of the Constitutional Court and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Latvia. Photo: Toms Norde.
The President of the Constitutional Court Ineta Ziemele welcomed the representatives of the diplomatic corps at the Constitutional Court and expressed satisfaction that representatives of so many states had arrived. She emphasised the symbolism of the meeting by underscoring the meaning of the month of May in the history of Latvia.
In her speech Ineta Ziemele touched upon several important topics. She explained the significant role the Constitutional Court plays in consolidating the rule of law in Latvia. She emphasised the need to ensure an effective functioning of the mechanism of checks and balances between the branches of public power as one of the most important considerations with regard to the development of a state based on the rule of law. Ineta Ziemele stated that, from the perspective of an effective functioning of a state, it is important that all the branches of state power would adequately perform their functions without exceeding the limits of competences allocated to them and that they would all respect each other.
Ineta Ziemele underscored that a powerful and independent Constitutional Court is an important element within the framework of the development of Latvia as a democratic state based on the rule of law. The task of the Constitutional Court is to ensure a lawful balance between individual rights on the one hand and the interests and rights of the society on the other hand.
Among other things, Ineta Ziemele also explained that the role of the Constitutional Court is much broader than its functions that are regulated by law. Namely, along with exercising judicial functions, the Court fosters an active dialogue with courts on both the national and the international level, and it also engages in a targeted dialogue with the general public, by bringing topics of fundamental values of the state to the foreground.
During the second part of the meeting the judge of the Constitutional Court Daiga Rezevska informed the diplomatic corps about several legally complex cases that the Constitutional Court had examined during the previous year. In her speech she focused on the following cases: the case concerning the regulation of noise levels near racing tracks (no. 2017-02-03); the case concerning the procedure for carrying forward excess value added tax (no. 2017-12-01), the case concerning restrictions of electoral rights (no. 2017-25-01) and the case concerning the real estate tax rates in situations when the residence of a foreign citizen is declared at the property in question (no. 2017-28-0306).
Daiga Rezevska emphasised that the above-mentioned judgments and the findings contained therein clearly illustrate how the Constitutional Court, by analysing the compatibility of contested legal norms with the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, deals with the consequences of history, addresses the challenges of the present day and shapes the future in order to foster the development of Latvia as a democratic state based on the rule of law which places at its centre human beings and their mutual respect.
The event was attended by 30 diplomats of the diplomatic corps, as well as representative of the Foreign Investors’ Council in Latvia (FICIL).
Address by the President of the Constitutional Court Ineta Ziemele is available here.
Address by the judge of the Constitutional Court Daiga Rezevska is available here.