On Wednesday, March 27, the Saeima adopted the Defense Industry Law in its final reading, the purpose of which is to ensure the safety of the supply of goods and services necessary for the fulfillment of national defense tasks and international obligations of the National Armed Forces, as well as to promote the development of the defense industry.
With the rapid growth of the national defense industry, the Ministry of Defense concluded that the existing laws were not sufficient to fully support and develop this industry. The new law has clearer and more transparent provisions for defense industry representatives regarding security requirements, development support and investment attraction, as well as cooperation with the defense industry.
An important issue is the safety of the supply of products of this industry and their control, the authors of the law previously stated, indicating that procurement is intended to strictly determine the supply requirements. These requirements will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers. Also, the government will have to determine the conditions for establishing a strategic partnership, as well as the procedure for training employees in the defense industry.
More than eight thousand employees work in this industry, and it exports more than 80 percent of its products to other NATO member states, the Latvian Federation of Security and Defense Industries emphasized earlier. Licenses are increasingly being received directly by production companies that develop and manufacture products and their components specifically intended for military use, such as armaments, unmanned systems, combat equipment, communications and other fields, the authors of the new law emphasized.
The defense industry is businessmen and scientific institutions that carry out the development, production, repair or disposal of military or dual-use technologies or products, according to the adopted law.
In the final reading, the Saeima today also adopted the amendments to the Mobilization Law and the National Security Law related to this law.
Saeima Press Service
