Latvian politician
Rihards Kols (born 16 December 1984) is a Latvian politician of the National Alliance who was elected member of the European Parliament in 2024.[1] He was a member of the Saeima since 2014, serving as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2018 to 2024.[2] During his tenure, Kols led the Saeima delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and represented the Saeima in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Kols serves in the Latvian National Guard. Previously Rihards Kols also served as Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma.
Education
Kols attended Riga State Gymnasium Nr. 2 and Riga Commerce Gymnasium. In 2008 he graduated with distinction from the Turiba university earning a professional bachelor's degree in law, specialising in civil rights.
He continued his Master's studies in 2009/2010 at the University of Westminster in London, where he received a master's degree in diplomacy with a specialisation in foreign affairs analytics.
Biography
In 2013, Kols joined the political party National Alliance "All for Latvia!" – "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK". In 2014 he was parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Culture and took part in the European elections while being seated as number 3 on the party list (was not elected).
12th Saeima
Kols was elected to the 12th Saeima in autumn 2014 from the Vidzeme constituency. After the government's approval, R. Kols became the first parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma. On 10 July 2015 Mrs. Straujuma signed an order to remove Kols from his post as Parliamentary Secretary due to the violation of the coalition agreement, as he had signed an opposition motion to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Saeima on the refugee issue.[3]
In the 12th Saeima he also served as a Member to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and was a Member of the European Affairs Committee. Kols chaired a working group that organised a discussion cycle in the Saeima on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. Kols also drafted the Diaspora law and headed the working group set up under the auspices of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the development of the Diaspora law. The bill was adopted on 6 November 2018.[4]
In 2018, in a call to Russia to respect human rights, Kols initiated the introduction of the so-called Magnitsky list in Latvia, which as an end-result prohibited the entry into Latvia to 49 persons related to the Sergei Magnitsky case.[5]
In 2018, Kols submitted amendments to the Law on Public Procurement, which prohibited offshore companies from participating in public procurement. The law was adopted on 26 April 2018.[6] Also in 2018, amendments to the Labor Law were developed and submitted to the Saeima, which would make it mandatory for employers to indicate the expected salary range in job advertisements. The law was adopted on 1 November 2018.
13th Saeima
For the 13th Saeima elections, Rihards Kols ran as the second number in the Riga constituency and the party's candidate for the position of the Foreign minister. After being elected to the Saeima, Kols became the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Was a candidate at the European parliament elections, but was not elected.
14th Saeima
Rihards Kols was elected to the 14th Saeima in autumn 2022, where he served as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Taking part in a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE PA) as the Head of the delegation of the Saeima, he publicly expressed his displeasure of the presence of Russian representatives at the session, stating that Austria has allowed Russian representatives, who are on the European Union sanctions list to participate. In his speech, Mr. Kols elaborated that the participation of Russian delegates in this OSCE session was an embarrassment and contradicted the OSCE's postulated principles and values. Mr.Kols ended his speech with quoting the famous response of Ukrainian border guards to Russia's warship, which was about to attack Snake Island, "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."[7] Kols remarks drew widespread resonance not only in Latvia, but all around the world, also receiving thanks and appreciation from top Ukrainian officials. It was widely reported upon by the world's leading media - BBC news, CNN, the Huffington Post, Telegraph Magazine and others.
European Parliament
In the 2024 European parliament elections in Latvia, Rihards Kols was elected as Member of the European Parliament.
Kols joined the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and works as a member in the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and European Parliament Committee on International Trade, and as a substitute member in the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.[8] Kols is also part of the European Parliament delegation to the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee and a substitute member in the European Parliament delegation for relations with the United States and the delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean.[8]
References
