Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica (born 30 June 1978) is a

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

n politician of the

Unity Unity is the state of being as one (either literally or figuratively). It may also refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpoo ...

party. Since 2022, she has been a Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament of Latvia.

Early life and education

In 2004, after having obtained her first academic degree in social work, Kalniņa-Lukaševica obtained her master's degree at the Faculty of Economics and Management of the

University of Latvia University of Latvia (, shortened ''LU'') is a public research university located in Riga, Latvia. The university was established in 1919. History The University of Latvia, initially named as the Higher School of Latvia () was founded on Se ...

. She holds a Doctoral degree (PhD) in Management Science with a focus on public administration from the Faculty of Economics and Management of the University of Latvia (2013). Kalniņa-Lukaševica speaks Latvian, English, German and Russian languages.

Early career

Kalniņa-Lukaševica started her professional career in 1998 at the City Council of

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and is sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach and is the ...

. Between 2003 and 2008 she worked for the Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government, first, as Deputy Director of Local Government Development and Reform Department and then as Deputy State Secretary.

Political career

In 2011, Kalniņa-Lukaševica was elected to the Parliament (Saeima) of Latvia, where she chaired the Committee on European Affairs (2011-2014) and the Subcommittee on Innovation and Research. She also served as a member of the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee. She played an active role during Latvia's accession process to the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

(OECD). In November 2014, Kalniņa-Lukaševica was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

of the Republic of Latvia, under the leadership of minister

Edgars Rinkēvičs Edgars Rinkēvičs (born 21 September 1973) is a Latvian public official and politician serving as the 11th and current president of Latvia since July 2023. He previously served as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia), minister of foreign af ...

. As Parliamentary Secretary, she ensured communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Latvian Parliament (Saeima) and

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

. She represented the government of Latvia at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings of Development Ministers and at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings of Trade Ministers. Since 2017, she chaired the Consultative Board for Development Cooperation Policy of Latvia. While Latvia held the rotating

presidency of the Council of the European Union The presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Parliament. It rotates among the member state ...

in 2015, represented the Council at the European Parliament's plenary sessions. In 2022, Kalniņa-Lukaševica became a Deputy Speaker and a Member of Parliament of Latvia. In parliament, she is again a part of a Committee of Foreign Affairs and a Committee of European Affairs. In addition to her committee assignments, she has been chairing the Latvian delegation to the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

since 2023. On the Assembly, she has been chairing the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (since 2024) and a member of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (since 2023). She also authored a 2025 report on resilience against

foreign electoral intervention Foreign electoral interventions (FEI) are attempts by a government to influence the elections of another country. Common methods include backing a preferred party or candidate, harming the electoral chances of another party or candidate, elevati ...

.Fostering societal resilience to counter foreign interference operations

, press release of 5 March 2025.

Other activities

Kalniņa-Lukaševica is also known for her civic activities. She is a member of the board of a non-profit organization “European Movement–Latvia” and of the board of trustees of the Brussels based think tank

Friends of Europe ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

. She is also 2017 European Young Leader in the Friends of Europe (EYL40) programme, and 2014 Munich Young Leader in the

Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference (MSC), formerly Munich Conference on Security Policy, is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Germany, since 1963. Over the past four decades the Munich Security Con ...

and

Körber Foundation The Körber Foundation (German: ''Körber-Stiftung'') is a nonprofit organization, established in 1959 by German businessman Kurt A. Körber. Its operational work is organised into seven subject areas: ‘Age and Demography’, ‘Education’, ...

joint programme.

Recognition

In 2016, Kalniņa-Lukaševica received an award of the Cabinet of Ministers for a significant contribution to ensuring Latvia’s successful accession to the OECD.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalnina-Lukasevica, Zanda 1978 births Living people Politicians from Riga Reform Party (Latvia) politicians New Unity politicians Deputies of the 11th Saeima Deputies of the 14th Saeima University of Latvia alumni