By-laws of the Committee for Control of Goods of Strategic Significance

Issued pursuant to
Section 12, Paragraph two of the Law
on the Circulation of Goods of Strategic Significance

I. General Provision

1. The Committee for Control of Goods of Strategic Significance (hereinafter - the Committee) is a collegial control body under the control of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

II. Functions and Tasks of the Committee

2. The Committee shall perform the functions and tasks specified in the Law on the Circulation of Goods of Strategic Significance, including:

2.1. prepare proposals in respect of the draft laws and regulations regarding the ensuring of the manufacture, storage, distribution, use, technical maintenance, export, import, transfer, and transit control of goods of strategic significance;

2.2. coordinate the possibilities for raising the qualification of the entities for the circulation of goods of strategic significance;

2.3. coordinate the provision of experience and assistance to foreign countries in order to improve their control systems of goods of strategic significance;

2.4. participate in seminars, conferences, and projects of export control authorities of the European Union Member States, member countries of international export control regimes, and other countries which promote the restriction of proliferation of chemical weapons, biological weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction.

III. Composition of the Committee

3. The personnel of the Committee shall be approved by the Cabinet upon proposal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The composition of the Committee shall include representatives from the following authorities:

3.1. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

3.2. the Ministry of Economics;

3.3. the Ministry of Finance;

3.4. the Ministry of Health;

3.5. the Ministry of Defence;

3.6. the State Environmental Service;

3.7. the State Police;

3.8. the State Security Service;

3.9. the Constitution Protection Bureau;

3.10. the State Revenue Service;

3.11. [7 December 2021];

3.12. the Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia;

3.13. Latvijas Banka.

[3 July 2018; 14 August 2018; 7 December 2021; 5 September 2023]

4. The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall be the chairperson of the Committee. The chairperson of the Committee shall appoint the first deputy of the chairperson of the Committee, the second deputy of the chairperson of the Committee, and the secretary of the Committee from amongst the members of the Committee.

IV. Organisation of the Work of Committee Meetings

5. The Committee meetings shall take place once a quarter. An extraordinary meeting of the Committee shall be convened by the chairperson of the Committee upon his or her initiative or upon request of three members of the Committee.

6. The Committee meetings shall be closed. Members of the Committee and invited experts shall participate in the meeting. Members of the Committee and experts shall be invited to the meeting in writing. Agenda of the respective meeting shall be indicated in the invitation.

7. Members of the Committee have the right to authorise another person in writing to substitute them in certain meetings. A person who is authorised to substitute a member of the Committee has voting rights for the time period laid down in the authorisation.

8. The chairperson of the Committee or a member of the Committee, informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance, may invite an expert to participate in the Committee meeting. The expert is not a member of the Committee.

9. The Committee has a quorum if at least half of members of the Committee or authorised persons who substitute them participate in the Committee meeting. A member of the Committee who represents a ministry or a State administration institution subordinate thereto has veto rights if the decision of the Committee is related to the competence of the respective ministry or State institution of direct administration and its justified objections are not taken into account.

10. The Committee shall take decisions by open vote. A decision of the Committee shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast if veto rights have not been exercised. In the event of a tied vote, the vote of the chairperson of the Committee shall be decisive. If veto rights have been exercised, the Committee shall submit the matter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs for taking the decision on further resolving of the matter.

11. The secretary of the Committee shall, within 10 working days after the Committee meeting, draw up and send the minutes of the Committee meeting to the members of the Committee and authorised persons substituting them. If objections or proposals have not been received within five working days after sending of the minutes, the minutes shall be deemed approved. If objections or proposals have been received within the prescribed time limit, they shall be examined in a repeat meeting of the Committee.

12. The chairperson of the Committee, his or her first and second deputy, and also the secretary of the Committee have the right to sign. The scope of the right to sign of deputies of the chairperson of the Committee and the secretary of the Committee shall be determined by the chairperson of the Committee by a separate authorisation.

V. Competence of Members of the Committee

13. The chairperson of the Committee shall:

13.1. chair the Committee meetings;

13.2. sign the documents drawn up by the Committee;

13.3. represent the Committee by cooperating with the entities for the circulation of goods of strategic significance.

14. The first deputy of the chairperson of the Committee shall fulfil the duties of the chairperson of the Committee during the absence of the chairperson of the Committee.

15. The second deputy of the chairperson of the Committee shall fulfil the duties of the chairperson of the Committee during the absence of the chairperson of the Committee and his or her first deputy.

16. The secretary of the Committee shall:

16.1. organise the work of the Committee meetings;

16.2. ensure exchange of information with members of the Committee on the issues within the competence of the Committee;

16.3. ensure the work of the Committee between the Committee meetings;

16.4. draw up and agree on draft minutes of the Committee meetings.

17. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall ensure the functions of the secretariat of the Committee and also international cooperation in the field of export control of goods of strategic significance.

18. A representative of the Ministry of Defence in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the competence of the Ministry of Defence laid down in laws and regulations.

19. A representative of the Ministry of Economics in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the State economic policy and for the compliance with the interests of merchants.

20. A representative of the Ministry of Finance in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the laws and regulations of Latvia, regulations of the European Union, and international agreements in the field of customs.

21. A representative of the Ministry of Health in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the laws and regulations of Latvia, regulations of the European Union, and international agreements in the field of trade in precursors.

22. A representative of the State Security Service in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the competence of the State Security Service laid down in laws and regulations and shall inform the Committee of potential threats to national security which are related to the circulation of goods of strategic significance.

[7 December 2021]

23. A representative of the State Police in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the laws and regulations of Latvia and regulations of the European Union in the field of circulation of the weapons, ammunition, pyrotechnics, and explosives included in the Common Military List of the European Union and also for the issuance of prior consent documents for the movement of weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

24. A representative of the State Revenue Service in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the laws and regulations in the field of customs.

25. A representative of the Constitution Protection Bureau in the Committee shall inform of the risk analysis of the export and transit of goods of strategic significance and of the end-users of goods which may be related to the weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery, or to international terrorism, and also of potential threats to national security in relation to the import, export, transfer, and transit of goods of strategic significance.

25.¹ A representative of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the laws and regulations of Latvia, regulations of the European Union, and international agreements in the field of prevention of money laundering.

[7 December 2021]

25.² A representative of Latvijas Banka in the Committee shall be responsible for the conformity of the decisions of the Committee with the requirements for the prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing and the requirements for international and national sanctions in respect of the financial market participants supervised by Latvijas Banka.

[5 September 2023]

VI. Closing Provision

26. Cabinet Regulation No. 701 of 16 October 2007, By-laws of the Committee for Control of Goods of Strategic Significance (Latvijas Vēstnesis, 2007, No. 169), is repealed.

Acting for the Prime Minister -
Minister for Finance E. Repše

Minister for Foreign Affairs M. Riekstiņš

Translation © 2024 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)