Rihards Kols

Kols, born in Riga,^[3] 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.

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).

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.^[4]

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.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.^[7] 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.

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.

R. Kols, as a member of the 13th Saeima and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, established a joint cooperation platform for the Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Baltic, Visegrád, NATO and EU parliaments, regular communication and coordination of political priorities.^[8] He also established and led cooperation groups with the United States and Great Britain, as well as participated in the establishment of the cooperation group of deputies of the International Crimean Platform, later elected as its chairman.^[9]

Together with parliamentarians and Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of other countries, he actively stood up against authoritarian regimes, constantly responding to the migrant crisis organized by Lukashenko on the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland^[10] and the forced landing of Ryanair flight 4978 in Minsk on 23 March 2021.^[11] Under his leadership, the reaction of the Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the European and US parliaments was achieved, which also affects the EU's action and security support.

Kols, along with his European and US allies, opposed the Nord Stream 2 project^[12] and strongly criticized the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to restore Russia's voting rights. He also actively represented Ukraine's interests in international organizations that promote diplomatic, military, and humanitarian support.

Under Kols' leadership, several legislative initiatives were proposed and implemented during the 13th Saeima. One of the most important steps was the liquidation of the temporary residence permit sales program,^[13][14] which had previously raised concerns about potential threats to national security. Under Kols' leadership, the Saeima decided not to join the UN Global Compact on Migration.^[15][16] The practical implementation of the Diaspora Law was also promoted, facilitating the recognition of regulated professions^[17] and allowing Latvian citizens living abroad to declare an additional place of residence,^[18] thus strengthening their ties with their homeland.

In the field of foreign policy, the Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Kols, was actively involved in defending Latvia's interests in the international arena. One of the most important successes was ensuring the rights of Latvian citizens after Brexit.^[19] An audit of the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian treaties was also conducted,^[20] which paved the legal way for the demolition of the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders in Pārdaugava.^[21] The Commission consistently advocated for the international isolation of Russia and Belarus, providing political support to the opposition, civil society and dissidents of these countries.

In response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine, Kols pushed for the strengthening of sanctions and facilitated the supply of weapons to Ukraine.^[22] Under his leadership, Latvia recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism^[23] and condemned Russia's aggression in Ukraine as a targeted genocide against the Ukrainian people.^[24] An important step was also taken in restoring historical justice - the Saeima recognized the Crimean Tatar^[25] and Armenian genocides.^[26]

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, Kols elaborated that the participation of Russian delegates in this OSCE session was an embarrassment and contradicted the OSCE's postulated principles and values. 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."^[27]

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.^[28] 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.^[28]