Latvian Political Monitor

Day No. 83 in the prime minister's seat (THURSDAY, 24 Sept.) — DECISIONS IN THE SAEIMA, HEATING BILLS, LPV ⛽ 8 CENTS. NOT 20, BUT IT IS THE FIRST STEP The Saeima adopted an excise tax reduction for diesel fuel and petrol. From 1 October until the end of the year, the price should fall by about 8 cents per litre — if traders fully include the tax reduction in the price. The diesel excise tax has been reduced from 396 to 330 euros per 1,000 litres, and a rate of 490 euros has been set for petrol. I expect this reduction to be visible on the price lists at petrol stations, not just remain in the text of the law. Thanks to Finance Minister @MarisKucinskis for the quick preparation of the amendments. 🏠 GREATER SUPPORT FOR HEATING BILLS. From 1 November to 30 April, we are increasing the housing benefit for people with low incomes. The average benefit could rise from 149 to 174 euros per month, and the number of recipients to around 37,600 people. Those who already receive the benefit will not have to submit a new application — social services will make the recalculation automatically. 🌾 LATVIA WILL NOT BE A GATEWAY FOR RUSSIAN GRAIN. From now on, grain and other feed shipments from third countries will finally be able to be checked already at the border, including taking laboratory samples. Checks will be carried out by the PVD, and investigations by “BIOR”, because legislation has been amended and 💬 CLARITY ON LPV In an interview with the magazine “https://t.co/iaFoFNjZ5p” I said directly — a coalition with LPV is not my path. I am in favour of an open conversation with the public, even if I sometimes say more than is expected of the prime minister. This was a day when the Saeima adopted several decisions. Now the most important thing is that people feel the result in their everyday expenses.

Day No. 79 (FRIDAY 18 Sept) — The new European MFF budget in the Saeima, meeting with security services 🎾 I opened the best padel sports centre in Latvia and all Europe – “LNK Industries” have invested more than €10 million of private money to host a world-class championship in Latvia, attracting the 300 best top-level athletes from around the world. I will always support our own entrepreneurs. This will certainly give a big push to the development of padel sport in Latvia. 🏛️ In the Saeima I went to the European Affairs Committee I explained to the parliament deputies the government's position in the negotiations in the European Council with leaders and the Commission on the new EU 7-year budget: ➖ This budget will be more challenging than any previous one, because negotiations take place when the EU economy is stagnating, there is the impact of the war caused by Russia, support for Ukraine, the eve of major political changes, as well as the impact of the Hormuz conflict on inflation and energy ➖ The paying countries, especially Germany, see no possibility to pay what is asked, while the receiving ones this time absolutely do not back down from their needs – the EU Commission and António Costa will have a very difficult time reaching an agreement by the end of the year ➖ I pointed out that Latvia suffers at least €1 billion per year, or due to the threat from the eastern neighbour, GDP is 1.9 percentage points weaker than the EU average, while inflation is 3.7 percentage points higher than the EU average. That will be €7 billion in 7 years, and in parallel Latvia spends the most on direct defence, borrowing “SAFE” money, which creates an even greater debt burden, while our direct military purchases warm the economies of Spain, Germany, Sweden and Finland ➖ Latvia historically receives smaller direct payments for farmers in Europe – this unfairly arose many years ago due to incorrectly made calculations. I remind about this every time I meet ➖ The new EU budget envelope is completely different than before, because the EU very cunningly packs together cohesion and agricultural funding, leaving its redistribution to each member state. The problem-solving is shifted to the national levels of 27 countries, not a centralized agreement as before. That means we in Latvia will have to agree very seriously and responsibly on the correct allocation of these funds ➖ Latvia currently unofficially has a calculated larger EU funds budget than the previous envelope, but when recalculated in nominal prices, it turns out that the new one is smaller! A serious fight lies ahead to win a fair result for Latvia, especially considering how much we invest in strengthening the EU's external border and security 🕵️‍♂️ I met with MIDD, SAB and VDD about the security situation in the country ➖ The main conclusion – especially German, but also Polish, French and other countries' societies are little informed about Russian threats and hybrid attacks, thus not paying enough attention to national investments in defence and support for Ukraine ➖ The loud rhetoric is mainly intended for internal, not international, communication. In Latvia, on the other hand, there is an overly informed and sensitive society that perceives this common background with a certain level of anxiety ➖ This is also where this imbalance arises between European leaders' desire to mobilise their societies, which indirectly affects Latvian people, increasing concerns ➖ The Russians are certainly ready to carry out various provocations, and the services do not rule out such a possibility – at present the services have no more specifics, and the threat level remains as before Our greatest attention is focused on security measures during the elections, so we have asked, and the Germans have agreed to send us fighter jets to additionally watch over our airspace 💪🇱🇻

Day No. 76 in the prime minister's seat (Tuesday) – Cabinet meeting already with -1 minister 😏 I returned from Lapland, but the Cabinet of Ministers has become one minister smaller during this time. 🏛️ Cabinet meeting – getting more and more amusing. The approach of elections can already be felt in almost every coalition partnership. The first government meeting with -1 minister – Uzulnieks is replaced by Augulis, but since Valainis is on a business trip, Augulis actually represented as many as 3 ZZS ministries today. 😄 🌾🚂🇷🇺 grains and Latvian farmers' exports We adopted a decision to increase the railway infrastructure fee for 🇷🇺 grain cargo. Our priority – export of Latvian farmers' products and the competitiveness of our own entrepreneurs. 📏 60 m² of land and the absurdity of bureaucracy Today I learned about yet another bureaucratic nonsense. The state is disposing of 60 m² of land, for which the owner is paid approximately €23, because that is the value of the land. But to carry out this transaction: ➖️ an appraisal costs about €200–300; ➖️ land surveying – another €1000–2000; ➖️ additionally, surveyor costs come on top. This is total nonsense. I tasked the Minister of Justice, Mr. Smiltēns, to immediately look for a solution and remove this unnecessary bureaucracy in cases where such small plots of land are involved. 🚌 €9.8 million to intercity bus operators We adopted a decision to pay bus operators €9.8 million in debt for intercity bus services. This problem has been dragging on unresolved for more than the tenure of two transport ministers of the previous government. At the same time, I tasked the Minister of Transport to bring a long-term solution already in October. Companies must know under what rules to work and how to plan their business further – they cannot live in uncertainty every year. 🎙️ LDDK/LTRK prime ministerial debates @AlvisHermanis1 did not come to the debate. Pity, because this was the right place to defend your ideas and position. I specifically wanted to hear: ➖️ what his plan for Latvia's economic growth is; ➖️ how to attract more investment; ➖️ how to increase Latvia's exports. I also find interesting the publicly voiced reproaches to LDDK and @LTRK_uznemeji about labor migration. Here, however, one should rely on facts, not loud slogans. 📊 Looking at the data on the so-called "pseudo student" problem, it is concentrated in specific universities – and @RostovskisA Turība is not among them. Whereas @darbadeveji itself does not in any way promote illegal migration. Also, for example, the Karavela led by @AndrisBite employs third-country workers legally and in a relatively small volume – mainly because in Latvia there simply are not people willing to do such physically demanding work. 👉 Migration must be discussed seriously. But more importantly – based on data, facts, and the real situation, not statements.

For information on what was discussed with the President: - Arctic Summit 2026 foreign policy news, EU MFF budget and Latvia's position - Stopping Russia's grain transit and prioritizing Latvian grain - AirBaltic Chapter 11 approval, receiving financing and attracting a strategic investor - RailBaltica progress on common Baltic positions in talks with Estonian and Lithuanian prime ministers

Day No. 80 in the prime minister's chair — 🇷🇺 grain transit and airBaltic Chapter 11 approval. Today two important things. 🌾 1. 🇷🇺 grain transit solution - The government - AS + NA + JV + ZZS - unanimously decided on a solution to restrict 🇷🇺 grain transit, providing for a +300% fee for the use of railway infrastructure. - This is also a response to 🇷🇺's unilateral doubling of the Russian railway tariff since June 1. - 🇱🇻 grain gets 100% priority for our farmers. - Latvian port capacity is freely available for 🇱🇻 grain, and it is already being actively exported through our ports. - The bill is being urgently submitted to the Saeima this Thursday. After its adoption and entry into force, LatRailNet, which sets railway infrastructure charges, will make the necessary changes to tariffs. That will take up to about 2 weeks. - The Ministry of Agriculture and @uldisaugulis have done the work, concluding a contract with 🇬🇧 DEFA for grain testing and laboratory use in cooperation with 🇺🇦. - The 🇺🇦 side has confirmed that Ukrainian specialists will arrive in Latvia as early as next week to help identify possibly stolen 🇺🇦 grain. - We have reached a common position with the 🇪🇪 and 🇱🇹 prime ministers on introducing uniform restrictions on 🇷🇺 grain. We are advancing the grain issue at the fastest possible pace. ✈️ 2. airBaltic Chapter 11 procedure - airBaltic's Chapter 11 procedure in a 🇺🇸 court has been accepted and has already received the judge's approval. This means airBaltic will be able to: 💶 access financing immediately; 🔧 start the restructuring process; 📑 review obligations to creditors. Work continues.

We had a great meeting with @Kyrylo_Budanov in Riga. Next step in co-operation in military, creating first military industry's 🇺🇦&🇱🇻 companies in Latvia, support in UKR grain export and control of 🇷🇺 grain being mixed with stolen 🇺🇦 grain from occupied areas, 🇱🇻 help in energy heat and electricity equipment for the winter season and a dinner to remeber in famous @Motormuzejs built by my father and his team of oldtimer club

Day No. 74 in the prime minister's seat = Safe elections; PVD will check grains; Skola2030 changes A very long Cabinet meeting with loaded issues. This time, the proposals submitted by ministers were of inadequate quality, but it was a choice to finally make a decision with longer discussions in the Cabinet. We adopted: 1. We will check 🇷🇺 grains in transit = we strengthened amendments to finally allow PVD to carry out checks. Thanks for such a quick reaction @uldisaugulis and @Zemkopibas_min for arranging the documents. Here, 🇺🇦 services and experts will help (we agreed with the 🇺🇦 prime minister) to identify stolen 🇺🇦 grains. The Ministry of Agriculture must sign a contract with the DEFRA laboratory like 🇱🇹, and implement immediate testing procedures. We are moving forward with the rest of the work. 2. We adopted amendments to SKOLA2030 to finally bring clarity for students, parents, teachers, and educational institutions. We reached an agreement. @IIndriksone is one of the TOP3 tasks. • Natural sciences, reading, and mathematics skills are declining sharply. The curve is rapidly downward. • In this school year, at least one test in each subject can be corrected. • We will abandon the mandatory weighting of summative assessments. From this school year. • Significant change – in 9th grade there will be a centralized exam in natural sciences. There will be no 20% threshold. It will not affect admission to 10th grade. • We are bringing back the French language exam as a centralized elective. From this school year. • The requirement for high school students to take at least one advanced-level exam is cancelled. It can be done voluntarily. • Threshold for exams. I also personally support keeping the 20% threshold. We leave this issue for the next government to assess. • The schedule of state tests for the 2026/2027 school year has been approved. 3. We adopted to move forward with amendments to universities to stop "pseudo" students that increase migrants. Migration control in universities. We listened to the Ministry of Education and Science, discussed. We listened to the Association of Private Universities. The system needs to be organized, but all sides must be heard. Approved to move forward to the Saeima. 4. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development @Edgars_T has done a huge job in 4 months coordinating the development of IT systems for the 15th Saeima elections. Now the systems have passed all tests and have been approved at the Cabinet meeting and handed over to the CVK for implementation. The mark for the done work will be given on election day.

🇷🇺 NO TO RUSSIAN GRAIN – NO. I am pleased that the Saeima has broad support for economic restrictions on Russia. I see this as a clear mandate from the Saeima for the government to continue the work already begun. And we will continue. Decisively. Not with loud slogans, but with real actions. We will not look for excuses why something cannot be done. We will not hide behind endless approvals and waiting for others to decide in our place. Latvia itself has the tools, and they must be used. Our goal is clear – to maximally restrict the transit of Russian grain and prevent Latvia's infrastructure from helping the aggressor state's economy earn money and finance the war against 🇺🇦. Of course, one cannot help but notice the approaching elections. 😉 Suddenly the loudest fighters against Russian grain transit and seekers of 'bloody grain' are also among those who, for the past three years, while in power, could have acted themselves. Back then – excuses, hesitation, and arguments why not. Now – loud calls for the government to act. We in the government have already been acting since August. On Tuesday, a draft amendment prepared for the Cabinet of Ministers will be brought. The only difference – we will not talk, but act. 🇱🇻🤝🇺🇦

Day No. 72 in the prime minister's chair (Monday) — 🇷🇺 NO to grain; STOP to migration 🌾 NO TO RUSSIAN GRAIN The government is unanimous and determined — we will use all available tools to stop the flow of Russian grain through Latvia. ➖️ We will repeatedly increase tariffs/rail infrastructure fees for 🇷🇺 grain transport. They must be high enough to significantly cool the desire to bring Russian grain through Latvia. (our actions are limited by the need for coordination with the EU) ➖️ We are closely coordinating with 🇱🇹 Lithuania, 🇪🇪 Estonia and 🇺🇦 Ukraine to make it effective ➖️ Today I am in contact with the Baltic prime ministers to reach a unified position. ➖️ This is a joint government decision. Tomorrow we will move the matter to the Cabinet of Ministers. ➖️ We expect experts from 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 🇬🇧 the UK soon to jointly begin inspections of grain cargoes. Stolen grain from Ukraine will not pass through our ports! Specific tasks for ministries: 🚛 Ministry of Transport — prepare the relevant government decision and assess the possibility of reducing domestic freight tariffs for Latvian farmers during harvest. 🌾 Ministry of Agriculture — ensure grain inspections. 🌍 Ministry of Foreign Affairs — reach a unified Baltic position on this matter. 👮 Ministry of the Interior — if stolen Ukrainian grain is found, services must act immediately - action plan. ⚓ For Kozlovskis and Augulis — ensure that Latvian ports give priority to accepting 🇱🇻 Latvian grain. 🏥 HOSPITAL NETWORK REFORM We discussed this issue repeatedly in government. ➖️ The government has already made its decision. ZZS's demand to change it is not supportable. ➖️ We will discuss specific implementation details of the reform separately. ➖️ The matter was considered in a long and detailed meeting. A break was taken, an agreement was reached — at that time it was symbolically confirmed by the joint selfie of Valainis and Hosams. ➖️ The harsh State Audit Office report on the hospital network was available to all and served as one of the bases for the Cabinet's decision. ➖️ This reform is one of the priority works the health minister has done. 🎓 EDUCATION — CHANGES MUST BE THOUGHTFUL If asked about education reforms — my position is clear: there will be no rushed changes. ➖️ This week we will consider the matter in the Cabinet of Ministers. ➖️ Rules must be clear for students, parents, and teachers alike. ➖️ Indriksone has prepared the work and done her homework, but we must reach a compromise that suits teachers, students, and schools. ➖️ I will definitely include this work in her TOP 3 list of accomplishments if all coalition partners agree ➖️ Children must be given the opportunity to correct grades. We can all make mistakes, and everyone should have a chance to correct their error. 🧪 Science exam — I support it. Latvia needs many more specialists and workers in these sectors. From the next school year we support its introduction. ➖️ Reforms are needed, but they cannot be introduced at the beginning of the school year just because elections are approaching. ➖️ The assessment system also needs improvement, but it must be done thoughtfully and in a timely manner. 🛑 MIGRATION My position — much stricter order is needed on migration. ➖️ The report is planned to be considered by the government on 22 September. ➖️ The Ministry of the Interior must do its homework this week so the document can be properly considered by the government. 🙏 NEPAL DISASTER At the end of the day — a prayer service at Riga Cathedral for the Latvian residents affected by the Nepal disaster. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones. 🇱🇻🙏

I have discussed the issue of grain transportation with Ukraine's Prime Minister Serhij Koreckis and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine's services have information about grain illegally taken out of Ukraine by Russia, which is planned to be exported through the Baltics in large volumes in the near future. We must immediately use this to strengthen Latvia's transit control system. We have agreed that Ukrainian food processing and safety experts will come to Latvia, and Ukrainian special services will also be involved. Ukraine, in cooperation with the United Kingdom, has created a database and solution for verifying grain origin. No one knows their grain's origin, producers, documents and possible illegal export routes better than Ukraine's institutions. We do not need to reinvent what Ukraine already knows and does best. At the same time, the interests of Latvian farmers must be strongly defended. This year's harvest must finally get a respite after three very hard years. Although there are currently no concerns about Latvia's port capacity, Latvian farmers' products must have priority access to our railways and ports. Therefore I have instructed the port administrations and state company "Latvijas dzelzceļš" to ensure that agricultural products of Latvian origin, including grain, receive logistics priority. https://t.co/xYSIsrcqlS

The idle ones have managed to call this an 'illegal visit'. Hats off to @AndrisKulbergs for managing to visit all this in a day. https://t.co/MYBOcmLAzz

Day No. 53 in the prime minister's chair (Friday, Aug 7) – unofficial visit to Liepāja, Grobiņa, Nīca 😊 I visited entrepreneurs, manufacturers, farmers, municipal deputies, market ladies, residents, the crazy Liepāja folk ⚙️ RK Metal – Grobiņa A modern metalworking company with around 200 employees producing high-level metal structures, equipment, and specialized solutions for export. Here the problem of labor costs was again very clearly voiced. 🤒 From the entrepreneurs' point of view, a big problem is the abuse of the sick leave system and how much of the sick period is covered by the employer. ⏱ The second topic – 100% surcharge for overtime and complex bureaucracy to introduce more flexible solutions in the company. By comparison, we also talked about 🇸🇪Sweden, where in some cases the overtime surcharge model is more flexible. A welder's salary in Latvia has already approached the level I once saw in 🇳🇱 the Netherlands, having worked 13 years in the equipment manufacturing industry. This shows very well how serious the skilled labor problem has become in Latvia. ❤️ RŪRE Care Home This was a very personal visit for me. RŪRE once allowed my cousin Mārtiņš Lauva to live out his last days with dignity and helped fulfill his final wishes. That is why I know the value of mobile hospice services not from documents but personally. And I am seriously concerned that the Ministry of Health's ill-considered planning and conditions could jeopardize a system that Latvia could rightly be proud of in recent years. RŪRE has simultaneously taken on a huge risk by developing five regional healthcare centers in Kurzeme in a short time. The problem is again the same – delayed state planning, extremely short deadlines and bureaucracy. As a result, there is a risk of not using millions of euros of 🇪🇺EU funding. 🏗 Liepāja SEZ – industrial park on the former 'Metalurgs' territory We talked about: ➖️ industrial territory development; ➖️ military industry opportunities; ➖️ new production plants; ➖️ labor availability. In Liepāja unemployment is historically very low – around 4%, with only about 1,737 unemployed people. That's good, but it creates another problem for entrepreneurs – there is no one to hire. There is a particular shortage of technical specialists. Here the weakness of our education system in STEM subjects – mathematics, physics, engineering – is strongly felt. 🏠 The second problem – the lack of housing stock. Even if a company finds a specialist in another Latvian city, the person often has nowhere normal to live in Liepāja. Among development projects – also YOKOHAMA's plan to create a tire plant in addition to the existing alloy wheel production. 📦 CALJAN – from Liepāja to the whole world This is one of the companies Latvia should truly be proud of. CALJAN produces high-level logistics and small-parcel conveyor systems for global clients such as: Amazon, FedEx, UPS, DPD, DHL, Walmart and others. 🌍 About 30,000 units have already been delivered worldwide. And the most impressive thing – the company has relocated its: ➖️ R&D; ➖️ engineering; ➖️ production; ➖️ head office from 🇸🇪 Sweden to Liepāja. This is exactly the Latvian economic model I want to see more of – not cheap labor, but knowledge, engineering, technology and global exports. 👷 CALJAN employs around 410 people. But they too can no longer find enough workers in Latvia. About 40 people are already being hired through a 🇱🇹Lithuanian labor leasing company – including engineers, programmers and electricians from 🇮🇳 India and the Philippines. And the money for labor intermediation goes to Lithuanian companies, not stays in Latvia. 🏛 Meeting at Liepāja City Council @liepaja With the city leadership we discussed: ➖️ The Local Government Financial Equalization Fund; ➖️ Liepāja's development; ➖️ The Port Law and its further progress. ✈️ NORSAF – green aviation fuel project A very ambitious idea – producing future synthetic aviation fuel in Liepāja using green hydrogen. 🇪🇺 In the coming years, aviation will face increasingly strict requirements for sustainable aviation fuel blending – in 2030, 2035, 2040 and beyond. At the moment, however, the technology is still extremely expensive. 💶 Approximate: ➖️ new fuel – €7,000/t; ➖️ traditional Jet Fuel – around €1,500/t; ➖️ before the Hormuz crisis – around €600–800/t. This shows how huge a technological and economic leap is still needed. 🥒 Liepāja Market I'll be honest – I liked it more than Rīga Central Market. 😄 Cozier, more Latvian, and with a feeling that there are more local producers. In the shopping basket: 🍞 very good bread baked in Liepāja; 🍗 Rubeņi smoked chicken; 🥒 lightly salted cucumbers; 🍄 and, of course, chanterelles – because I have no time to go to the forest myself. ☹️ 📺 In between, also an interview with Liepāja TV. - about MP compensation 🏭 Liepāja Papīrs An impressive Latvian-level plant specializing in printing adhesive labels. 👷 Around 120 employees. The company invests very actively in modern production equipment and automation. Not because they don't want people, but because there simply aren't any. Training a new specialist takes up to two years. Hence, the labor shortage effectively forces companies to invest in technologies that allow them to produce more with fewer workers. 📦 Due to the Hormuz Strait conflict, the company has purchased about twice as much paper stock to ensure continuity of production. This in turn means more money frozen in the warehouse and pressure on production costs. 🖨 FORTIUS – printing house A smaller local printing and labeling company. And such companies are also very necessary – almost every city needs its own local printer that can quickly serve small and individual orders. 🥛 Kazdanga company “Baltu Piens” Two enterprising women joined forces, mortgaged their properties and used ALTUM financing to buy a farm. This story is also personally close to me, because my wife's parents live in Kazdanga. But the numbers raise very serious questions. 💶 The loan principal has been repaid about €50,000, but €39,713 has already been paid in interest. The interest rate – almost 9%. Moreover, to review the loan repayment schedule, ALTUM requires an additional fixed payment of 0.5% of the remaining amount. Then my question is simple: Is ALTUM's task not to be a state development financial institution that helps companies grow? If state funding conditions weaken a company more than help it develop, something is wrong with the system. Moreover, the new farm managers still need to invest about €459,000 in treatment facilities that the previous owners had not fixed. 🏎 Garage 1965 – Latvian rally history museum For all petrolheads – a must-see! 🔥 A very enjoyable museum. In Liepāja not only 'the wind is born' – there are very deep roots of Latvian rally and motorcycle sport. 👥 Meeting with Liepāja residents at the Latvian Society House 👥 Meeting with residents in Nīca 🧀 Nīca cheese and ZS “Skrodis” Again the seasonal labor problem. Vegetable and berry growers need people for specific seasonal work, but existing rules make attracting labor extremely complicated and expensive. Entrepreneurs point out that the set €1,700 salary threshold for attracting foreign labor for this type of work is too high and, given current agricultural product prices, makes production costs uncompetitive. And the reality in the countryside is harsh – local people often cannot be found even for such pay. Young people simply don't come to cut cabbage or pick berries. 🧀 But the cheese – seriously – one of the best I've tasted in Latvia. 🌅 End of the day – Red Sun Buffet Beach Bar Meeting with the owner, who has run a family business on the Liepāja seaside for 17 seasons, working both summer and winter. Here, too, the reality of the Latvian labor market is very clearly visible. 🇺🇦 Ukrainian families work at the company, engaging in work across several generations. They serve clients in Latvian, but the Ukrainian women have also introduced their own delicious traditions to the menu. 🎶 And every evening – live music with high-level musicians. What did I take from these two regional days? 🇱🇻 In Latvia we have fantastic entrepreneurs, farmers and manufacturers. They invest. Take risks. Export. Invent. Build factories. Take over markets. Create jobs. But at almost every stop I heard the same words: ⚠️ bureaucracy; ⚠️ labor shortage; ⚠️ tax and labor costs; ⚠️ slow state decisions; ⚠️ ill-considered regulation; ⚠️ difficulties obtaining financing; ⚠️ officials' fear of taking responsibility. The state's task should not be to train entrepreneurs in an obstacle course. The state's task is to create an environment where a person ready to risk, invest and create jobs can do so. For me, such visits are far more valuable than dozens of presentations in Rīga. Because only in a factory, in a field, in a warehouse, on a farm or at an entrepreneur's table can you understand what actually works in Latvia and what urgently needs fixing. @Apvienotais_

Day No. 52 in the prime minister's chair – Zemgale farmers 🇱🇻. I couldn't post this video sooner because, unfortunately, someone stepped on the leg of our family's youngest member and broke it ☹️. This time the post will be longer because I saw and heard a LOT. Entrepreneurs, farmers, family farms, producers, municipalities, and people who create jobs and Latvia's economy every day. And again one conclusion repeated almost everywhere: Latvia does not lack enterprising people. Too often we are hindered by bureaucracy, labour shortages, and rules that force entrepreneurs to fight not for development but against the state. 🌱 ASNS pea protein factory in Staļģene. This is a very important project for Latvian agriculture. From one 🇱🇻-grown yellow pea, several high-value products can be created – protein isolate, other protein products, starch, and fibre. This is exactly what we need: not simply exporting peas, grains, or other raw materials, but processing them right here in Latvia and exporting a product with much greater added value. 💶 The project has invested 132 million euros: ➖️ €53.6 million – @AltumLV loan under the Large Investment Loan Programme; ➖️ €40 million financing from @RietumuDelfin bank. ♻️ Moreover, it is planned to use practically the entire pea. Even process water rich in organic substances will be used for biogas production, and the biogas for pea drying. 👷 Approximately 100 new jobs are planned. ASNS is an excellent example of how traditional agriculture combines with technology, science, and global food market trends. We need such factories all over Latvia! 🏭 Production is planned to start in the first quarter of 2027. But there is a fly in the ointment – ALTUM and ministry bureaucracy nearly killed the project and delayed its opening by at least 2–3 years. This is a serious public administration ailment – so that no one is responsible for decisions, such a mountain of papers, requirements, and approvals is generated that it is almost impossible to lift in normal business. This must be changed urgently. 🌾 LPKS LATRAPS – Eleja. @LATRAPS unites more than 1,220 members and is the largest Latvian farmers' cooperative and one of the most significant in the Baltics. 🇱🇻 It is a 100% Latvian farmer-owned company. The cooperative provides: ➖️ grain acceptance; ➖️ initial processing; ➖️ storage; ➖️ logistics; ➖️ sales to more than 30 countries worldwide. In my opinion, LATRAPS has all the potential to enter the 🇱🇹 Lithuanian and 🇪🇪 Estonian markets much more aggressively. Otherwise, Estonians and Lithuanians come to us, but we go to them too rarely. 🌾 Grain delivery point. The visit coincided with the peak of harvest. Weather has helped farmers this time – grain moisture in places is only around 14%, so it is possible to do without additional drying. 🚜 Farm “Paugurīši”. Again I saw a beautiful model of Latvian agriculture – a father and son running the farm together. Very similar to the Riekstiņi and Amatnieki farms met in Latgale: the father has enormous practical experience, the son has modern agronomist knowledge and a fresh perspective. I saw the harvest process and we talked about the real problems of farmers. ⚠️ One of them – the European Commission's emergency funding distribution to mitigate the consequences of the Middle East crisis. Latvia has been granted one of the lowest support levels in Europe. 🇱🇻 Latvian farmers are allocated only about €10/ha, while in the so-called “old” 🇪🇺 countries support reaches €15–30/ha. I need to see and hear this myself so that at the October and December European Council meetings I can speak not theoretically but with concrete examples from Latvian countryside. 🌾 Jura Lazdiņš's farm “Lazdiņi”. Juris Lazdiņš is the chairman of the board of the association “Zemnieku saeima”, and the conversation was very specific. 💸 Mineral fertilizer prices have increased by 30–60% compared to last year. One of the significant reasons is the 🇪🇺 CBAM – the carbon border adjustment mechanism, which also affects imported mineral fertilizers. Additional costs already reach up to €157/t. At the same time: ➖️ grain prices on exchanges remain low; ➖️ fertilizers are becoming more expensive; ➖️ fuel is rising; ➖️ new levies are coming; ➖️ environmental requirements are growing; ➖️ fertilisation is being restricted. Meanwhile, farmers outside the 🇪🇺 use cheaper raw materials, fuel, and fertilisers. If we continue to unilaterally raise European farmers' production costs, we will squeeze our own agriculture out of the market. Under this scenario, several base crops in Latvia will simply no longer be profitable to grow. ❗Main farmer problems I take with me to work: ➖️ we must fight for fairer payments for Latvian farmers in the 🇪🇺; ➖️ CBAM's impact on mineral fertilisers must not make 🇪🇺 farmers uncompetitive; ➖️ part-time work regulations and minimum social contributions greatly hinder seasonal work; ➖️ the simplified tax regime for seasonal field workers must be expanded – legal work must be simpler, not more complicated. The Cabinet issue is stuck – it will have to be moved; ➖️ in public food procurement, we must not reach a situation where the only criterion is the lowest price and the local producer is squeezed out; ➖️ the planned increase in railway freight tariffs by about 25% threatens to shift even more grain transport to roads; ➖️ the requirement for diesel fuel to contain at least 6.5% biodiesel or advanced biofuel also in winter increases costs and raises concerns about agricultural machinery. Regional visits continue @Apvienotais_

@TasPatsAtis @GirtsRungainis In that discussion there was also @UldisBikis, whose company Latvijas Finieris is an excellent example that Latvian wood receives high added value when exported. Happy about their work!

Over the decades I have had to lead all sorts of group discussions, including those where it is discussed how greedy we are in forestry. Meanwhile, statistics show forest quality and area are growing. Where are such narratives produced? @GirtsRungainis is extremely on point in his opinion 👍 https://t.co/Sa3gf42oWE