Stamp dedicated to the Presidency issued today

On 6 January 2015, the public postal service provider Latvijas Pasts issued a stamp dedicated to the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It was presented at the Europe House premises where guests could be among the first to obtain the stamp and then use it to send a special postcard.

The very first postcard bearing the Presidency stamp and a special greeting from the Director of the Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Kristīne Pommere, travelled to 83-year-old Olga Raševica who lives near Kuldīga. She is one of the 40 ceramic artists who created the svilpaunieki (ceramic whistles) used as Presidency souvenirs. Despite her age, she made 100 whistling birds by hand as gifts for Presidency guests.

The Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts, Arnis Salnājs, also attended the event and presented the special Presidency stamp to Kristīne Pommere.

The stamp features the Presidency logo of a grinding stone which was designed by Gunārs Lūsis and symbolises the basis of European welfare - hard work and the ability to strive for shared values - by combining the traditional and the contemporary. The stamp was designed by Ģirts Grīva.

Issuing such stamps at the start of the Presidency has become a tradition for presiding countries over the last decade. The stamps usually feature the Presidency logo or a traditional symbol of the country.

A total of 200 000 stamps will be issued at a face value of € 0.64, which is the standard rate for a postcard sent within the EU. The stamps can be purchased at Latvijas Pasts post offices from 6 January.