On Wednesday, 16 February, from 10:30 to 15:30, Riga Castle will become the venue for the international academic conference ‘100 years of Satversme’, organised by Latvian Academy of Science and Chancery of the President of Latvia. H. E. Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, has been invited to be the special guest and one of keynote speakers of the conference. Conference will be livestreamed on LSM.lv, Presidential Chancery webpage www.president.lv and President Levits’ social media pages.
In legal hierarchy of the Republic of Latvia, the constitution, Satversme, has the highest legal power. It defines the fundamental legal principles on which the Latvian State is built and also the essential elements of our nation’ s political philosophy. Adopted on 15 February 1922, Satversme is the only interwar constitution in the Baltics that remains in force today. Satversme is therefore a special constitution. Restored based on the principle of continuity of state, it is still in force despite the period of extended occupation.
German constitution has had a major impact of Latvian constitution. It is a view strongly supported by those who wrote Satversme and those who have researched it. That is why German President Frank Steinmeier has accepted President Levits’ invitation to be the special guest of the conference and deliver his keynote ‘For Democracy and Freedom in Europe – Lessons from our Common Constitutional Tradition’.
Speakers: President of Latvia Egils Levits, Professor Dr. iur. Jānis Lazdiņš (University of Latvia), Professor Dr. iur. Daiņus Žalims (Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania), Professor Dr. hab. Tomasz Pudłocki (Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland), Professor Dr. iur. Peeter Järvelaid (Tallinn University, Estonia), academician, Professor Dr. hist. Ēriks Jēkabsons, academician, Professor Dr. habil. sc. pol., Dr. iur. Tālavs Jundzis, Associated Professor Dr. iur. Irēna Kucina, corresponding member of the LAS, Professor Ph. D. (Cantab.) Ineta Ziemele, corresponding member of the LAS, Professor Dr. iur. Ringolds Balodis and Professor Dr. iur. Jānis Pleps.
Opening speeches by: President of Latvia Egils Levits, President of LAS, academician, Professor Dr. habil. chem. Ivars Kalviņš, chair of the conference steering committee, academician, Professor Dr. hist. Guntis Zemītis and Vice-President of the Constitutional Court Aldis Laviņš. Conference will be moderated by Professor, Dr. iur. Edvīns Danovskis. Closing remarks by corresponding member of LAS, Professor Dr. iur. Sanita Osipova.