On 16 February 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Vice President of the European Commission (EC), Věra Jourová, at the Munich Security Conference.
The two officials discussed EC plans concerning the strengthening of the rule of law and the fight against disinformation. Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed appreciation for the EC Vice President’s commitment to fighting disinformation and confirmed that Latvia will continue contributing actively to this field by sharing its experience. Foreign Minister Rinkēvičs noted that self-regulation by technology companies and online platforms cannot be considered effective; therefore, solutions should be sought to establish the responsibility of those companies in countering disinformation.
Edgars Rinkēvičs invited the European Commission Vice President to visit Latvia to get acquainted with the work accomplished by the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence and its future plans of tackling disinformation.
During the meeting with Věra Jourová, Edgars Rinkēvičs raised the issue of the case of the Latvian national, Kristīne Misāne. The Minister informed the EC Vice President about latest developments with regard to Kristīne Misāne and they discussed possible legal instruments to resolve her case.