6 September, 2022
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the representatives of Latvia as a member and an alternate member of the Board of the European Union (EU) Agency for Fundamental Rights for the next five years.
Artūrs Kučs, Judge of the Constitutional Court, has been approved as a member of the Board of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and Dace Šulmane, Adviser to the Secretariat of the Judicial Council, has been approved as an alternate member of the Board.
The evaluation of nominees was carried out by the Ministry of Justice working group, which was established to coordinate the nomination process of representatives in international institutions.
The adviser to the Secretariat of the Judicial Council, Doctor of Law Dace Šulmane has for many years been contributing to strengthening of human rights and civil society – she has worked in the Naturalization Administration and in the Secretariat of the Special Tasks Minister for Social Integration Affairs, and she is the head of the Riga German Culture Society. Dace Šulmane has been working at the Supreme Court since 2016.
About the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights – FRA
The Agency as an independent institution was established in 2007, its headquarters is located in Vienna.
It advises and provides support to the institutions of the European Union and the governments and institutions of the member states on fundamental rights issues regarding discrimination, access to judicial institutions, racism and xenophobia, data protection, victims' rights and children's rights and other issues.
Each member state appoints one independent person to the Board of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. At the same time, according to the Regulation, each member of the Board can be represented by an alternate member.
In 2022, Council Regulation (EU) 2022/555 amending Regulation (EC) No 168/2007 establishing a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights was adopted. Consequently, since 2022, serious improvements have been made in strengthening the Agency's functions and operating model.
More about the Agency see here.
About Latvia’s representatives in the Agency
2007-2012 Board member Ilze Brands-Kehre, alternate member – Mārtiņš Mits
2012-2017 Board member Anete Erdmane, alternate member – Solvita Olsena
2017-2022 Board member Mārtiņš Paparinskis, alternate member – Dace Mita