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Cooperation Agreement
of the Political Party ”Unity”, the Zatler’s Reform Party, the National Alliance ”For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK” and
Independent Members of the Parliament Represented in the 11th Saeima and Forming the Cabinet of Ministers
To form the Cabinet of Ministers of the following composition:
Prime Minister – Valdis Dombrovskis, the “Unity”
Minister for Defence – Artis Pabriks, the “Unity”
Minister for Foreign Affairs – Edgars Rinkēvičs, the ZRP
Minister for Economics – Daniels Pavļuts, the ZRP
Minister for Finance – Andris Vilks, the “Unity”
Minister for the Interior – Rihards Kozlovskis, the ZRP
Minister for Education and Science – Roberts Ķīlis, the ZRP
Minister for Culture – Žaneta Jaunzeme-Grende, the NA
Minister for Welfare – Ilze Viņķele, the “Unity”
Minister for Transport – Aivis Ronis, the “Unity”, Independent members of the Parliament
Minister for Justice – Gaidis Bērziņš, the NA
Minister for Health – Ingrīda Circene, the “Unity”
Minister for Environment and Regional Development – Edmunds Sprūdžs, the ZRP
Minister for Agriculture – Laimdota Straujuma, the “Unity”
1. General Provisions
1.1 The cooperation partners shall comply with the common ethical standards - mutual respect, loyalty, companionship and decency. These standards shall govern not only the cooperation within the Cabinet of Ministers, but also the relations with the civic society, mass media and political opposition. The Cabinet of Ministers shall show a good example of unity in order to reduce the fragmentation of society and the gap between the authority and the public.
1.2 The cooperation partners shall undertake equal responsibility for justifying and explaining the decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers to the society in a comprehensive, open, rational and reasonable manner.
1.3 The transparency and provision of information and explanations about all the decisions made by the Cabinet of Ministers shall be a duty of every member of the Cabinet of Ministers.
1.4 Each cooperation partner shall assume responsibility for ensuring that the activities of its ministers comply with the highest ethical standards, as well as with the right-wing political ideals.
1.5 The cooperation partners forming the Cabinet of Ministers shall assume equal responsibility for performance results of the Cabinet of Ministers.
1.6 The Cabinet of Ministers shall ensure the principle of succession and continuation of the successful activities commenced and implementation of jointly approved reforms.
1.7 The cooperation partners forming the Cabinet of Ministers shall provide support to and promote the activities and initiatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, their colleagues and partners for the benefit of the Latvian State that have been set forth in the Declaration of the Intended Activities of the Cabinet of Ministers.
1.8 The duty of the politicians forming the Cabinet of Ministers – the Prime Minister and ministers – shall be the expression of a common position with regard to all foreign policy matters.
2. Provisions of Cooperation
2.1 In order to ensure cooperation and uniform activities, the political parties shall hold regular meetings of their representatives – meetings of the Cooperation Council, participated by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Saeima, representatives from each political party and the group of independent members of the Parliament. The meetings of the Cooperation Council shall consider matters within the competence of the Saeima or the Cabinet of Ministers or such matters whose consideration is requested by the Prime Minister or any of the cooperation partners provided that these matters have been available for consideration by the heads of the Coalition Factions forming the Government at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Decisions of the Cooperation Council shall be political, binding.
2.2 The meetings of the Cooperation Council shall be convened before Cabinet sittings and at least once a week.
2.3 The meetings of the Cooperation Council shall be chaired by the Prime Minister who shall also determine the agenda of such meetings or by an authorised person when the Prime Minister is absent.
2.4 Decision of the Cooperation Council meetings shall be made by a qualified majority voting – 4/5 of the votes of the members of the Parliament represented in the coalition. If decisions can’t be made because of disagreements between the cooperation partners, a working group shall be established by a decision of the Cooperation Council, involving authorized representatives of all cooperation partners to develop and submit for consideration to the Cooperation Council the solutions to dispute settlement. If no agreement can be reached, the Prime Minister shall be obliged to adopt a specific decision to resolve the controversial matter. The meetings of the Cooperation Council may decide on matters concerning amendments to the Satversme (Constitution), the laws relating to the state budget or budgetary rights, amendments to the Official Language Law and other laws governing the use of language, amendments to the Citizenship Law, as well as amendments to the laws related to the language of instruction in schools where the programs are implemented in the minority languages only according to the principle of unanimity of the parties and having regard of the Agreement signed between the ”Unity”, the ZRP and the NA on the formation of the rule of law coalition for reform as of October 10, 2011.
2.5 Cooperation partners shall take a note of the opinion of the Zatler’s Reform Party on the support to the President elected by the people and granting of the citizenship for children of non-citizens according to the registration procedure. The Zatler’s Reform Party’s support of the above-mentioned norms will not be considered to be a breach of the Cooperation Agreement.
2.6 Minutes shall be taken for meetings of the Cooperation Council. If written objections of any cooperation partner are received by the next meeting of the Cooperation Council, they shall be considered at the next meeting; in case of no objections – the minutes are considered to be approved. The decisions of the Cooperation Council, approved under the above-mentioned procedure, which are reflected in the minutes, shall be drafted as a separate document signed by the chairman of the respective meeting (Prime Minister or a person authorized by the Prime Minister) and authorized representatives of other cooperation partners.
2.7 Upon invitation by the Prime Minister or the cooperation partners, the meetings of the Cooperation Council may be participated by ministers, members of the Parliament and advisors to the Prime Minister and ministers in order to take part in consideration of specific agenda items in the advisory capacity.
2.8 The number of ministers and proportions agreed by the cooperation partners has been defined according to the number of members of Parliament of each cooperation partner in the Saeima. This proportion shall be changed if the actual number of members of Parliament supporting the Cabinet of Ministers differs from the total number of members of Parliament acting in the respective faction of the cooperation partner or if the number of members of Parliament acting in the faction has decreased.
2.9 The number of members of Parliament supporting the Cabinet of Ministers shall be determined according to voting in the Saeima on draft laws submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers if not otherwise decided at the meeting of the Cooperation Council.
2.10 Any cooperation partner may propose changes in the number and proportions of ministers but the final decision shall be passed by the Prime Minister.
3. Rights of the Factions of the Cooperation Partners and Independent Members of the Parliament of the Factions
3.1 Meet the Prime Minister not later than within 48 hours upon a written request by a cooperation partner.
3.2 Make a written proposal on a reduction of representation of a cooperation partner in the Cabinet of Ministers.
3.3 When the Prime Minister has made a motivated request for dismissal of a minister or when a minister retires by his/her own decision, or when the Saeima expresses non-confidence to a minister, the respective cooperation partner may nominate a new candidate for this post.
4. Duties of the Factions of the Cooperation Partners, their Members and Independent Members of the Parliament
4.1 Promote consideration of draft laws submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers in the Saeima committees and adoption in the Saiema.
4.2 Not to submit any draft laws to the Saeima without carrying out prior endorsement at the meetings of the Cooperation Council if the draft laws are related to the general state budget, special purpose budget or the budgetary rights, amendments to the Official Language Law and other laws governing the use of language and the amendments to the laws relating to the language of instruction in schools, which implement the programs in minority languages as well as not to support such draft laws submitted by the opposition.
4.3 Not to initiate and support requests or suggestions of any member of the Parliament for a non-confidence vote for the Cabinet of Ministers or any its members, as well as not to support extraordinary Saeima sittings initiated by the opposition if not otherwise decided by the Cooperation Council.
4.4 Withdraw from asking a question of the members of the Parliament to the Prime Minister or a minister except for occasions when no reply is received within 20 days upon a written inquiry.
4.5 Prior to discussing and adopting decisions at the meetings of the Cooperation Council withdraw from initiation of and from providing support to suggestions for a popular vote, calls to the President not to proclaim a law, calls to form any parliamentary investigation commission, as well as from providing support to signing of application for submitting a claim to the Constitutional Court.
4.6 Provide a written notice to other cooperation partners and the Prime Minister on intent to withdraw a minister at least a week prior to adoption of the final decision.
4.7 Provide a written notice to other cooperation partners and the Prime Minister on the intent to withdraw from the Cabinet of Ministers or not to support the state budget or budget amendments drafted by the Cabinet of Ministers at least a week prior to adoption of the final decision.
4.8 The duty of heads of the factions forming the Cabinet of Ministers shall be coordination of the schedule of business trips of the members of Parliament forming the Cabinet of Ministers and participating in the meetings of the Cooperation Council in order to ensure the necessary number of votes of the members of the Parliament of the at the Saeima sittings.
5. Rights and Duties of the Prime Minister
5.1 Under this Agreement the Prime Minister shall possess the following rights:
5.1.1 Include urgent matters in the agenda of the Coalition Council, submitting a written notice to heads of the Factions and independent members of the Parliament at least 8 hours in advance.
5.1.2 Publicly announce grounded warnings to individual ministers in case of their unsatisfactory professional performance.
5.1.3 Request resignation of any minister nominated by a cooperation partner not only due to their unsatisfactory professional and unethical performance but also in cases when the respective cooperation partner has failed to comply with its obligations under this Agreement or in cases when the activities of a respective minister have deliberately harmed the international reputation of the country.
5.2 Under this Agreement the Prime Minister shall possess the following duties:
5.2.1 Implement the decisions adopted by the Cooperation Council.
5.2.2 Ensure consideration of an additional matter at the meeting of the Cooperation Council before its inclusion in the agenda of a Cabinet sitting.
5.2.3 In cases when all the ministers delegated by a cooperation partner and being present at the Cabinet sitting vote against adoption of a particular decision, the Prime Minister shall convene a meeting of the
Cooperation Council for repeated coordination of opinions before re-consideration of the matter at a Cabinet sitting.
5.2.4 Inform the coalition partners about the Prime Minister’s intent to dismiss a minister, about intent to resign or any other changes in the Cabinet of Ministers at least 48 hours before legal formalisation of the decision; and to meet any of the cooperation partners upon his/her request.
5.2.5 Inform the ministers at least 24 hours prior on matters falling under the competence of a minister and which shall be considered at the meeting of the Cooperation Council unless it is not an agenda issue of the Cabinet of Ministers or the Saeima.
5.2.6 Ensure impartiality towards the cooperation partners and supervise their compliance with the provisions of this Agreement.
6. Final Provisions
6.1 The present Agreement shall be a public document; it shall be binding and considered only together with the Declaration of the Intended Activities of the Cabinet of Ministers.
7. Signatures
The Party”Unity”
The nominated Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis
Chairperson of the Board Solvita Āboltiņa
Chairman of the Saeima Faction Dzintars Zaķis
The Zatler’s Reform Party:
Chairman of the Board and the Saeima Faction Valdis Zatlers
Party”National Alliance”All for Latvia!” –”For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK””:
Co-chairman of the Party Gaidis Bērziņš
Co-chairman of the Party Raivis Dzintars
Chairman of the Saeima Faction Einārs Cilinskis
Independent members of the Parliament:
Jānis Junkurs
Klāvs Olšteins
Gunārs Rusiņš
Elīna Siliņa
Jānis Upenieks
Viktors Valainis
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