Latvia: membership application and partnership, 13 October 1995

The committee adopted the report by Elisabeth SCHROEDTER (Greens/EFA, D) which said that Latvia had made enormous efforts to close the gap with the first group of candidate countries. However the country needed to make improvements to its legal and administrative systems and to step up the fight against corruption. It needed to integrate the "still considerable number of non-citizens", although the committee felt that current legislation - such as the new ID cards that only give details of citizenship instead of ethnicity - might improve matters. There was also support for a gradual broadening of the right to vote in local elections. Lastly, the committee welcomed Latvia's strong economic growth, while nevertheless stressing the importance of complying with EU environmental standards. �