Nieuws-items bij Latvia
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13-06Dijsselbloem positief over Letland bij euro
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13-06Zorgen in Kamer over Letland bij eurozone
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07-06EU draagt cultuurhoofdsteden Riga en Umeå voor voor Melina Mercouri prijs (en)
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06-06Ierse premier op bezoek in Litouwen, Letland en Finland (en)
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05-06Commissie geeft groen licht voor toetreding Letland tot euro, Raad beslist in juli (en)
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05-06Letland is welkom bij de eurozone
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05-06Persconferentie over toetreding Letland tot eurozone (en)
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05-06Vragen en antwoorden over EC-rapport toetreden Letland Eurozone (en)
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05-06Commission concludes that Latvia is ready to adopt euro in 2014
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04-06Plan om Letse controle op visserij te verbeteren (en)
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03-06Deze week: Top EU-Rusland, mogelijke Letse toetreding eurozone en Schengen (en)
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03-06Partijen die tegen toetreding eurozone zijn scoren goed bij verkiezingen in Letland (en)
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16-05Commissie positief over financiën Letland, maar waarschuwt voor nieuwe uitgaven (en)
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13-0562% Letten tegen lidmaatschap eurozone (en)
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13-05Letland op koers voor lidmaatschap eurozone (en)
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06-03Letland vraagt formeel om toetreding eurozone (en)
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05-03Letland vraagt rapport aan Commissie over toetreding eurozone (en)
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04-03Letland wil euro invoeren
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26-02Letland wil zich in 2014 bij euro aansluiten en voldoet ruim aan eisen (en)
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26-02Vertegenwoordigers Letland: niet wachten tot einde eurocrisis voor toetreding eurozone
Latvian turmoil will not affect government, MEPs say - Hoofdinhoud
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Latvian government will not be affected by the decision of the country's president to dissolve the parliament for having refused to allow a corruption probe into the dealings of one of its members, two MEPs told this website.
"The government will remain in position, it is not affected by this. As for the IMF and EU requirements, we are in conformity with everything and the credit ratings are going up," said Inese Vaidere, an MEP from the ruling centre-right Civic Union.
Calling the Latvian president's move "historic" and "statesman-worthy", Vaidere argued that the national legislature can only back electoral and party financing reforms when confronted with a crisis such as the current one.
It is the first time in the history of independent Latvia that the president has used his power to dissolve the parliament, elected only seven months ago. The decision needs to be confirmed in a referendum likely to take place in July.
Meanwhile, presidential elections are due on 4 June prompting some critics to say that President Valdis Zatlers' motives are purely electoral to get himself re-elected again.
Ainars Slesers, the MP targeted by the prosecutors' anti-corruption probe, on Monday said he would not step down and claimed the move was aimed at giving Zatlers, a surgeon and independent candidate, the platform for his own political party.
However, if the referendum turns negative, even if re-elected, Zatlers would have to step down.
"This gives another chance for the electorate to see who's who. A lot of people don't consider corruption and oligarchs controlling policy-making such a big problem. But it is. Investments are slower, red tape is more cumbersome and this needs to change," says Krisjanis Karins, an MEP from the right-wing New Era party, also part of the coalition government.
As for the impact on the economy, both MEPs felt confident that there would not be any immediate negative consequences from the political turmoil.
"What can affect our country are any major economic developments in Portugal, Ireland and Greece - which would be a shock for Europe as a whole," Vaidere said.
Latvia has been on an EU-IMF lifeline of €7.5 billion since late 2008, with the IMF agreeing to disburse €121.3 million just two days before President Valdis Zatlers' decision to dissolve the parliament.
"Strong policy actions (...) have helped restore confidence, contributed to economic recovery, and enabled significant progress toward Latvia's goal of euro adoption," the IMF said in a press release.
Latvia had to stomach painful budgetary cuts following the financial and economic crisis. It was the hardest hit country in the EU. The economy contracted by over 10 percent and the unemployment rate topped 20 percent.
"We need a law on fiscal discipline to oblige all next governments to respect the three percent deficit threshold, so as to prevent situations like in 2008, when we suddenly discovered we were on the brink of bankruptcy," Vaidere stressed.
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