President Egils Levits meets with Justices of the Constitutional Court

17.09.2019.

Today, on 16 September, President Egils Levits visited to Constitutional Court to take part in the opening of the book “The Satversme of the Republic of Latvia. Findings by the Constitutional Court” and discuss with the Justices relevant developments in the constitutional law in Latvia.

During the opening of the book “The Satversme of the Republic of Latvia. Findings by the Constitutional Court”, President of the Constitutional Court Ineta Ziemele underscored that the Constitutional Court had a special place in the constitutional system of Latvia. The Constitutional Court not only reviews compliance of legal norms with the Satversme of the Republic of Latvia but, currently, also develops dialogue with other national constitutional institutions, society, and mass media. President Egils Levits, during the discussion with Ineta Ziemele and Justices of the Constitutional Court supported the need to reinforce the independence of the Constitutional Court both in financial and administrative terms. Independence of the Constitutional Court is required to guarantee that functions entrusted to it are performed in compliance with the principle of a state governed by the rule of law.

In conclusion, President of the Constitutional Court Ineta Ziemele informed the President about the Constitutional Court’s plans in connection with the upcoming 100^th anniversary of the Satversme in 2022, she also invited the President to attend the solemn court hearing to open the court’s year on 10 January 2020, as well as the international conference organised in co-operation with the Court of Justice of the European Union, which will be held on 21-22 March 2020.

About the book “The Satversme of the Republic of Latvia. Findings by the Constitutional Court”

The book is the outcome of collaboration between the Constitutional Court and the official publisher “Latvijas Vēstnesis” and artist Dita Pence. The collection includes the text of the Satversme of the Republic of Latvia and more than 400 findings presented in judgements by the Constitutional Court, it was published by the publishing house  “Latvijas Vēstnesis.”

Vice-president of the Constitutional Court Sanita Osipova emphasised that the Constitutional Court, for more than 20 years, had been explaining the meaning of norms included in the Satversme. The Satversme is the most important and valuable creation by the people of Latvia. The Constitutional Court’s mission is to “embody” it, to make the Satversme close to and vibrant throughout the Latvian civil society, so that everyone would know and understand what the fundamental law of this country says.

The book contains magnificent drawings from the school students’ drawing and essay competitions organised by the Constitutional Court – “My Satversme” and “My Fundamental Rights in the Satversme”.

The volume has been created with the aim of brining the national basic law closer to people, to draw attention to the findings revealed by the Constitutional Court, reflecting the fundamental values of a democratic state governed by the rule of law, to reinforce civic awareness and culture, to facilitate the internal freedom of every Latvian inhabitant.