On Wednesday, 28 September, Latvian Saeima’s Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee passed in the first reading the National Defence Service Law and other accompanying legislative drafts.
It is worth mentioning, however, that prior to the vote the legislative draft’s current redaction was heavily criticized by Saeima’s legal affairs expert.
The committee unanimously voted in the first reading. The majority of the committee’s members voted in favour of adding urgency to the legislative draft’s review. On Thursday, 29 September, the Saeima will review the law in the first reading. The submission term for proposals is two weeks.
Even before the vote representatives of multiple ministries outlined the need for improvements. Nevertheless, ministries did voice conceptual support for the proposed law. There were also deputies who mentioned flaws.
The head of the Legal Affairs Office Dina Meistere mentioned before the vote that she is aware there are urgent problems for the country to tackle quickly, but beneath each regulation of the proposed law is a human being and each section of the law applies to Latvian residents.
«If the parliament has no self-esteem, it has no self-esteem. I believe the Cabinet of Ministers should present the Saeima with a comprehensively developed legislative draft instead of sending ministers to meetings of the committee to explain what problems exist in a legislative draft submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers, which proposals can be submitted in addition, which amendments can be added and what else can be done. Excuse me, but I truly cannot wrap my head around this,» said Meistere.
«I don’t understand how we can afford to pass something so poorly prepared in such an important topic that covers all of the country’s interests.»
Deputies can push forward this legislative draft in any state they like, but it is unfinished – similarly to many other legislative drafts submitted in the recent past, and this is no excuse. «This is inexcusable, especially considering it’s a legislative draft submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers, not one submitted by Saeima deputies or a parliamentary committee,» added Meistere.
Opposition deputy and ex-Minister of Defence Raimonds Bergmanis also pointed out the many problems in the legislative draft. Meistere agreed that the questions he asked were justified and that the annotation in its current form has no answers.
«You can pass something under high urgency, but the attitude of passing now and then correcting is maddening. Lately we have seen nothing except for poorly developed legislative drafts submitted so that something would be submitted and passed to imitate work,» stressed Meistere.
If deputies are prepared to pass it under high urgency and tackle any problems after the fact, it means members of the parliament can act in such a way, Meistere said. She did, however, agree with what ministries said – about the need to add improvements – and invited members of the committee to listen.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the Law on National Defence Service and accompanying legislative drafts on 20 September, supporting the adoption of mandatory military service in the country.
The Law on National Defence Service provides the duty for all Latvian citizens – men aged 18 to 27 – the serve in the army. Women in the same age group will be provided with the right to volunteer for military service.
The first round of conscription is scheduled for January 2023. The Ministry of Defence will invite Latvian citizens aged 18 to 19 years to sign up for military service voluntarily. From mid-2023 onward Latvian citizens will be conscripted into mandatory service. Though voluntary option will remain open, if a shortage of conscripts is observed, it will be covered through mandatory conscription. Two conscription waves are planned – one in January and one in July.
Citizens wishing to enlist at a different time, but no later than by the age of 26 years, will be allowed to postpone their military service. No secondary postponement will be allowed for the same reason.
Enlistment of Latvian citizens living or studying abroad will be considered individually.
For citizens who have citizenship of some other country and who have served in the military or some civil service VAD will not be mandatory, but they will be able to enlist voluntarily.
The legislative draft suggests three options for conscripts – service in the National Armed Forces, service in the National Guard, and a state defence training programme for university students.
From 2024 onward, state civil service will be introduced as another alternative.
Representatives of religious organisations and other citizens undergoing spiritual training will be given the option to join National Defence Chaplain Service Training programme. State defence training programme will be provided to medical students as well.
Service in the National Defence Forces will last 11 months. In the first half-year trainees will be taught basic military skills and military speciality, whereas in the second half-year they will be attached to units of armed forces for the remainder of their service.
After 11 months of military service, citizens will be put in high alert reserve. After retirement from military service, university students will have the right to continue their studies in the same status they were in before conscription. Employers of employees relieved from work for the duration of military service will need to keep their employees’ spots available or offer employees similar jobs with similar conditions upon their return.
It is also planned that trainees who serve in National Armed Forces will be paid a monthly compensation of EUR 300. After the end of their service, citizens will be paid retirement compensation of EUR 1 100.
Conscripts will be provided with catering, uniforms, inventory necessary to carry out military service and living conditions in barracks.
State social insurance contributions will be paid for all conscripts in accordance with the Law on State Social Insurance. The size of compensation will be adapted in accordance with the economic situation in the country. The possibility of additional social guarantees is also considered.
To ensure registration and records of all citizens conscripted into military service, it is planned to form a new institution under the Ministry of Defence. Until it is formed, these duties will be entrusted to National Armed Forces. An inter-institutional work group will be formed to resolve the issue of existing national databases.
Latvia’s Ministry of Defence also agreed with the Ministry of Health regarding a conceptual solution for the creation of a more efficient health inspection system.
In the first conscription wave it is planned to enlist 1 000 citizens. In five years it is planned to gradually increase the number of conscripts, and
from 2028 onward it is planned to enlist 7 500 Latvian citizens every year if appropriate funding is provided.
The Ministry of Defence has done provisional estimates regarding the costs of National Defence Service. The main portion of the funding is planned to come from increase defence budget expenditures. The Cabinet of Ministers also conceptually supported increasing Latvia’s defence budget to 3% of GDP by 2027. The next Saeima will have to tackle this issue.
Aside from the National Defence Service legislative draft the Saeima’s Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee received ten other legislative drafts to review.