{{short description|Latvian politician and economist (born 1961)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Andris Ameriks | honorific_suffix = | image = Member of the European Parliament Andris Ameriks at the European Parliament.jpg | caption = | office = Member of the [[European Parliament]] | term_start = 2019 | term_end = 2024 | office1 = Deputy Mayor of [[Riga]] | term_start1 = 9 November 2010 | term_end1 = 17 December 2018 | predecessor1 = [[Ainārs Šlesers]] | successor1 = [[Oļegs Burovs]] | office2 = Member of the Speaker of the Saeima | term_start2 = 7 November 1995 | term_end2 = 1 November 1998 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|03|05|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Jūrmala]], [[Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic|Latvia]], [[Soviet Union]] | death_date = | death_place = | party = [[Honor to serve Riga]] (2012–2024) | other_party = | spouse = Ginta Amerika<ref>[http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/viedokli/632001-bagatakie_cilveki_latvija_patiesa_labuma_guveji Bagātākie cilvēki Latvijā, patiesā labuma guvēji] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112094725/http://www.tvnet.lv/zinas/viedokli/632001-bagatakie_cilveki_latvija_patiesa_labuma_guveji |date=2018-01-12 }} Toms Ostrovskis/TVNET, 2016. gada 31. oktobrī</ref> | education = }}
'''Andris Ameriks''' (born March 5, 1961, in [[Jūrmala]], [[Latvian SSR]]) is a [[Latvia]]n politician and [[economist]] who has been serving as a [[Member of the European Parliament]] since the [[2019 European Parliament election|2019 elections]]. He is a former [[deputy mayor]] of [[Riga]].
==Political career== ===Career in national politics=== During his youth, he was a former first secretary of the [[Komsomol|Communist Youth]] organization of the [[Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic|Latvian SSR]]. From 1993 to 1998 he was a member of the [[Saeima]], representing the [[National Harmony Party]] and later, [[Democratic Party "Saimnieks"]]. From 2001 he has been a member of the [[Riga City Council]], from 2010 till 2018 serving as the Deputy Chairman of Riga City Council, i.e. the deputy mayor of the Latvian capital.<ref>{{cite news |title=Riga Vice Mayor – Andris Ameriks |publisher=[[Baltic News Network]] |url=https://bnn-news.com/riga-vice-mayor-%E2%80%93-andris-ameriks-7905 |date=November 9, 2010 |access-date=March 23, 2012 |archive-date=December 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229171853/https://bnn-news.com/riga-vice-mayor-%E2%80%93-andris-ameriks-7905 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Ameriks is known to be getting a significant part of his income from investments in [[payday loan]] companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bnn-news.com/ameriks-received-nearly-200-000-euros-from-fast-loan-companies-in-interest-pay-162613 |title=Ameriks received nearly 200,000 euros from fast loan companies in interest pay |publisher=[[Baltic News Network]] |agency=[[LETA]] |date=March 22, 2017 |access-date=June 13, 2017 |archive-date=May 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517193324/http://bnn-news.com/ameriks-received-nearly-200-000-euros-from-fast-loan-companies-in-interest-pay-162613 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017 Ameriks received the largest income among the elected municipal officials in Latvia, reporting an income of 616,386 EUR and 35,250 USD, with most of it being interest payments from Mogo non-bank lender and from the sale of securities.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltic-course.com/eng2/analytics/?doc=139589 |title=Riga vice-mayor boasts largest income among Latvian municipal officials in 2017 |date=April 26, 2018 |publisher=[[The Baltic Course]] |access-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416073340/https://www.baltic-course.com/eng/analytics/?doc=139589 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Ameriks resigned as deputy mayor of Riga City Council on December 17, 2018, amid corruption allegations around [[Rīgas Satiksme]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/society/riga-deputy-mayor-quits-as-transport-company-scandal-grows.a303246/ |title=Rīga deputy mayor quits as transport company scandal grows |date=December 17, 2018 |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]] |access-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217153935/https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/society/riga-deputy-mayor-quits-as-transport-company-scandal-grows.a303246/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltic-course.com/eng2/legislation/?doc=145956 |title=Ameriks resigns as Riga vice mayor |date=December 17, 2018 |publisher=[[The Baltic Course]] |access-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416073444/https://www.baltic-course.com/eng/legislation/?doc=145956 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://bnn-news.com/andris-ameriks-steps-down-as-vice-mayor-of-riga-195173 |title=Andris Ameriks steps down as Vice-Mayor of Riga |date=December 17, 2018 |publisher=[[Baltic News Network]] |access-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217151506/https://bnn-news.com/andris-ameriks-steps-down-as-vice-mayor-of-riga-195173 |url-status=live }}</ref> On December 19, 2018, members from the Riga City Council opposition initiated an unsuccessful [[vote of no confidence]] against Ameriks as a board chairman for [[Freeport of Riga]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltic-course.com/eng2/transport/?doc=146034 |title=Ameriks survives vote of no-confidence to remain Freeport of Riga board chairman |date=December 19, 2018 |publisher=[[The Baltic Course]] |access-date=December 20, 2018 |archive-date=April 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416073223/https://www.baltic-course.com/eng/transport/?doc=146034 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Member of the European Parliament=== Ameriks has been a [[Member of the European Parliament]] since the [[2019 European Parliament election|2019 elections]]. He has since been serving on the [[Committee on Transport and Tourism]] and the [[Committee on Petitions]].
In addition to his committee assignments, Ameriks is part of the Parliament’s delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan, EU-Uzbekistan and EU-Tajikistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and for relations with Turkmenistan and Mongolia.<ref>[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197783/ANDRIS_AMERIKS/home Andris Ameriks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004204018/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197783/ANDRIS_AMERIKS/home |date=2019-10-04 }} [[European Parliament]].</ref> He is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Western Sahara.<ref>[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/files/organisation-and-rules/organisation/intergroups/list-of-members-western-sahara.pdf Intergroup on Western Sahara] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105134745/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/files/organisation-and-rules/organisation/intergroups/list-of-members-western-sahara.pdf |date=2022-11-05 }} [[European Parliament]].</ref>
== References == {{reflist}} {{Current EP Latvia}}{{EP Political Group S&D}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ameriks, Andris}} [[Category:1961 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Jūrmala]] [[Category:Politicians from Riga]] [[Category:National Harmony Party politicians]] [[Category:Democratic Party "Saimnieks" politicians]] [[Category:Latvia's First Party politicians]] [[Category:Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way politicians]] [[Category:Honor to serve Riga politicians]] [[Category:Deputies of the 5th Saeima]] [[Category:Deputies of the 6th Saeima]] [[Category:MEPs for Latvia 2019–2024]] [[Category:University of Latvia alumni]]
{{Latvia-politician-stub}}