At the conference “The role of constitutional courts in defining the common values that unite Europe” (held on 1 March), Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere emphasised the importance of the Latvian language as the only official state language in fostering a unified society, which serves as a guarantor of national security in the face of war and hybrid threats. The Minister of Justice also pointed out that the Constitutional Court set a high bar when assessing the circumstances of the case, in line with Latvia’s current situation and context, regarding the testing of Latvian language proficiency for Russian citizens who have been issued residence permits in Latvia.

Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere explains: “The Constitutional Court recognised that a fundamental duty of the state is to guarantee national security. The judgment placed particular emphasis on the current geopolitical situation, as well as Latvia's historical context. Latvia’s neighbouring state, the Russian Federation, which has been designated as a state that supports terrorism, continues to carry out aggressive military and hybrid activities against independent nations. And individuals who maintain ties of loyalty to such a state pose security risks to us as well, even if we are not direct victims of a military conflict.”

Inese Lībiņa-Egnere stressed that at a time when the very foundations of European values are being directly shaken by the bloody war waged by the Kremlin near our borders, we must remind ourselves what our shared European core values are.

“By standing firmly together for freedom, democracy—including defensive democracy—human rights, and the rule of law as our common values, we can remain united in Europe. It is the specific task of constitutional courts to stand guard over the rule of law, in order to integrate this international consciousness into the national legal system,” the Minister of Justice explains.