Latvian Political Monitor

This is simply beautiful and tells how arrogant and conceited pajoļi led CSDD… https://t.co/1Lcjso80MY

@CardinalisRavus And also a question—why the the heck should CSDD store payments for the last ​18 years?

Maybe you will finally talk with your own JV party leaders and learn all the info — whoever asks this question gets answers.... all the answers and explanation have already been provided. Start finally talking inside JV, otherwise it is unclear whether anyone at all controls the party for you, or everyone is going solo.

There must be a lesson and consequences. Irresponsibility and comfort in processes and meetings is the code of state administration. At all levels. That comfort must be eradicated. But not everywhere is like that, there are exceptions. But exceptions are now endemically leaving the state administration. Revolutionary rambling on social media, if supported, only facilitates that. It is a mirror problem.

Are CSDD leaders already quietly and shyly writing their resignations, or not? A similar incident at LVM, in my opinion, also ended without consequences for the guilty. Who needs these boards and councils if no one ever answers for anything?

@DievaSuns I want to see exactly the same thing👌 In any company, when leadership changes, the first months go by just to understand what the problems are. With public administration it is even more complicated. I agree that point 1 is too much. But it is being cut non-stop, I know, I am there.

I recommend watching the segment about RailBaltica; in September the government will have to make decisions about what to do next with the project https://t.co/9OWH11Zuic

Day No. 56 in the prime minister's chair – an eclipse in the sky, but the government needs more clarity 🌒☀️

🤝 Close cooperation between the state and local government so that decisions are practical and understandable to residents. With the chairman of Ropaži Municipality, Aivars Draudiņš, we discussed several topical issues: 🔹 The asylum seeker accommodation centre “Mucenieki” – clear and sustainable solutions are needed for the centre’s future operation, taking into account both the safety of residents and the interests of the municipality, as well as the state’s responsibility. 🔹 Orphan court reform – it is important to improve the work of orphan courts and strengthen the protection of children’s rights, clearly dividing responsibility between the state and local governments and reducing the administrative burden. 🔹 Cadastral value reform – it is necessary to ensure a fair, understandable and predictable cadastral assessment system so that changes do not create a disproportionate burden on residents and local governments.

Day No. 55 in the Prime Minister's seat. A dense day with real work in combating illegal immigration, controlling ministers' work, and evaluating the AirBaltic Strategic Plan. 🐺OPERATION 'VILKATIS' - In the morning, at a press conference we introduced the media to a new operation for the security of Latvia's eastern border. After five years of fighting illegal migrants, we are turning against the causes, not the consequences - using human resources and equipment more effectively. The Cabinet of Ministers today decided to establish a special working group, coordinating actions with Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and other countries in the region. If specific measures take place in a particular area, residents will be informed. Thanks for cooperation to the Interior and Defense ministers. We prove once again that only by working as a strong team can we achieve a result. Why the name 'VILKATIS'? Because it's Latvian and with strength. Strange interview @letanewslv - the questioning of PM candidates 'WHAT WAS THAT AT ALL?' - I want to ask what that really was??? It's good that politicians are made to report, but somehow there was totally a lack of even one question about the future, about what I plan to do... I still don't understand what they wanted to tell the viewer. https://t.co/kKbJUSOE97 📋 MINISTERS TOP3 WORKS PROGRESS - At the action discussion we reviewed the implementation of priority works. 7 priority measures completed, 26 activity results - from cooperation with Ukraine in the defense sector to reducing medicine prices and a decision on hospital network reorganization. In September, 9 more are planned to be completed. We have left a lot to the last moment, BUT positively, the ministers approach it with responsibility. The most important task for the ministers is to complete ALL works before the elections. I told the ministers - I am available if support is needed. There is little time. We must focus on priorities. That's why there is no more time for populism and topics that are not Cabinet-level issues. If the approach doesn't change - in the future I will include only Declaration issues in Cabinet meetings, because this government's term of office is limited. ✈️ AIRBALTIC - In the closed part of the government meeting, we heard the Transport Ministry's report on AirBaltic. A good plan for me means five specific things: private partners provide new financing, the state maintains significant participation, Riga remains the main base, no new state financing is needed, and a strategic investor is attracted. If these five conditions are met - that is a plan the market also believes in, not just one that looks good on paper. Is that how it is now? In any case, the company must be put back on 'solid feet'. The current problems are the result of ill-considered decisions made in previous years. After that followed many different questions that we discussed in both the open and closed parts of the meeting. I will share some of them. 🙋 NOT ALLOW VOLUNTEER WORK AT BUSINESSES? - We discussed such a proposal. In my opinion, absurd!!!! Young people want practice, are ready to work without remuneration - that's exactly how they gain experience. With such a regulation we exclude the possibility to do so, for example, helping to organize concerts, festivals or sports events, etc. Currently there is no generally regulated form of how a young person can gain experience in a company without an employment contract. But should volunteer work be banned altogether because of that? All that needs to be done to remove shadow economy risks is for SRS to develop a solution. 📜 PUBLIC BENEFIT ORGANIZATION LAW - This made me smile. One organization demands paid membership in a commission, the establishment of which is determined by the Saeima. The purpose of the law - to reduce the bureaucratic burden, simplifying the approval of commissions. FULLY SUPPORT. But SRS already has its own control mechanism. It is clear that SRS can decide independently. Also without a commission. 💻DIGITAL GOVERNANCE - In the government, together with Edgars Tavars and VARAM we continued improving Digital Services. We agreed in the Cabinet of Ministers on the European digital identity 'wallet' (EDIM) - a voluntary tool that will not fully replace identity documents, but will include e-address functionality. 🏗️We approved VARAM's initiative in procurement, the possibility to use ready-made, market-available solutions. This will allow trying out the rarely used 'design dialogue' procurement form. ⚠️'SILENE' AND 'VIENTUĻI' equipping feasibility - We heard Transport Minister Rihards Kozlovskis. The project is good, but I am concerned about the ICT costs that add up. The task - SM together with FM, IeM and VARAM to evaluate the costs.

We are strengthening cooperation between the state and municipalities! 🤝 Today with @lps_lv we agreed on further work on four issues important to municipalities and residents. 🏠 1. Social correction system and Safe House for Children and Young People ⚖️ 2. Reform of the operation of municipal administrative commissions 🛡️ 3. Timely reduction of risks for children and young people 🏡 4. Improvement of the cadastral valuation system 💬 State and municipal cooperation must be aimed at a concrete result – a safer environment for children, a clearer system for municipalities and modern solutions for residents. More: https://t.co/xfJW6pZYpn

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_

@aiga_balode This time the talk was specifically about remote work, but I completely agree with you - also in in-person work at least 30% of civil servants are completely superfluous and their only job is to imitate the necessity of their own existence, and that needs to change.

Day No. 51 in the prime minister's seat 🗓️ - NGO Day in the Cabinet of Ministers 🤝 Meeting with President @edgarsrinkevics - we discussed current national security issues and what's happening in the Cabinet and the coalition. 💰 Deputy compensation. Again a question that demands responsibility, not excuses. I believe manipulations with compensation will always exist. That is not a reason not to oversee them. Control and transparency must be strengthened. Deputies' salaries are adequate, so compensation must be really justified and verifiable, not interpretable. Such an approach exists throughout the democratic world, and the compensation system itself is normal practice. ✍️ The other topic - J. Dombrava's letter to Spain. I have already discussed this situation with the Minister of the Interior. The letter initiated by Italy and Denmark, signed by 22 EU member states, addressed to the EU leadership, was a clear and unambiguous gesture on behalf of the state. I signed it on Saturday. 🇱🇻 Latvia is represented in foreign affairs by three officials: the President, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. No matter how fast everything is happening in the world now, it is important to follow specific guidelines. 🏛️ The meeting with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) at the Cabinet of Ministers, which I initiated, showed one thing: clearly, NO ONE FOLLOWS UP ON USEFULNESS. 🧩 Why did I say the prepared presentations are SHIT? Because they did not give the full picture of the situation. The data are fragmentary, fragmented. Even the responsible ministries cannot obtain a full picture within a month. The collected data give NO (!!!) overview of where the state's tax money goes. ❓Reports, documents, calculations, and audits are already being made. The papers are clean, but does anyone check whether it matches state priorities? Are the measures taken useful? Did the budget funding reach the goal? Where do audits and their reports end up? Which official draws CONCLUSIONS? The goal is one - a strong and independent NGO sector that is not bureaucratic or formal, that does not simply absorb funds but works for the good of people and the state. Such NGOs will always have my support. 🤍 Being strong first means being independent. One behind which stand members, supporters, communities. It is not good if the state is the only source of income and provider of the NGO's existence. That weakens NGOs, not strengthens. 🙄A very interesting nuance - I also got a sexism accusation from a representative of “Sievietei paveicās”. For that I allow myself to ask a question to the head of the Civil Union. It turns out that you cannot talk to women about the use of the state budget. 🤷‍♂️ 📋 Next steps, where I expect a result in a month: 1️⃣ All ministries to identify what is granted to NGOs: amount of funding, recipients, legal basis, specific goal. 2️⃣ The Ministry of Finance, when reviewing budget expenditures, must separately evaluate expenditures related to NGO funding, their justification, effectiveness, and alignment with state priorities. 3️⃣ The Ministry of Culture together with the Ministry of Finance must develop clear, transparent principles for allocating NGO funding. 4️⃣ The Ministry of Finance must develop proposals for improving the NGO funding system and increasing private sector participation, including tax instruments that would motivate people and companies to support NGOs. Wherever there is public money, asking about its use is normal. ⚠️ It is alarming if elementary questions about the use of funds are called signs of authoritarianism or even fascism. Maybe that is why some politicians tried to use this discussion about NGOs for their own ends. 📰 Afternoon interview with POLITICO, a broad conversation with @politico journalist Max Griera. We discussed both security issues and the proximity of the upcoming elections, my plans for the prime minister's post, and much more. I will share the interview soon. 🎙️ 💭 At the end of the day, I want to emphasize once again that responsibility is not loud words. It is daily work with details that others do not want to see. That is why I will continue to ask: where does the money go and who is responsible for it.

@PeterisJur We have turned into a great power of documents, opinions and writing off, but the person has disappeared in all of it. And then a citizen with their problem receives ten such documents, although in reality all their issue could possibly be resolved in a 20-minute conversation with a live civil servant.