Latvian Political Monitor

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.

@normundsbergs There is already something in stock now. Soon we will meet and discuss options what to buy more or some other solution. Approximately 12 million needed. Useful thing for the economy. On top of economic losses over 200 million, not to mention social, this is a no brainer.

On TikTok, they're telling at length how bad the Waterfront project is. I agree, Andris! But… it's a project accepted by the Riga municipality, and the municipality is currently led by the mayor from Progresīvie. So maybe you should also do something—fight, cancel the permits, and don't build the infrastructure…

Dear @Ryanair, Ryanair rented a ballroom to announce two aircraft and Riga as this year’s “winner”. It seems their scratch cards have finally made their way from the cabin to the strategy department. But their own announcement makes the point better than we could. Riga has “won” this year’s round. Tallinn and Vilnius have won previous ones – and their reward this winter is a 25% capacity cut. That exposes the paradox at the heart of Ryanair’s proposal: long-term investment cannot be re-auctioned every year. A commitment that has to be won again each season – at an ever lower price – is not much of a commitment. The Baltics need reliable, long-term connectivity, not an annual auction to see who is prepared to offer the cheapest landing. That is a difficult model to call a long-term connectivity strategy. https://t.co/aOZJYQOxlB

Regarding the governance of state-owned companies... it must be fundamentally changed in the next government. All state-owned companies must be placed under the Latvian Development Fund, where there would be professional management and the earned money would be reinvested and earn, rather than be consumed in maintaining the state apparatus. Investments would earn with interest. The shares of this LV Development Fund would be listed on the stock exchange and would obtain the necessary capital for energy projects, regional construction, strengthening the border, infrastructure projects such as roads and railways, etc.

There is no place for Russia's war economy in Latvia. 🚫 Also, the transit of Russian and Belarusian grain must not continue to bring profit to the aggressor states. The amendments to the law adopted by the Saeima today will allow to significantly increase the railway infrastructure fee and make this transit more expensive until Russian ports in Latvia are no longer economically advantageous. This is a legally grounded and practically feasible step towards the complete cessation of transit. At the same time, in cooperation with Ukraine, the United Kingdom and France, a mechanism for determining the origin of grain is being developed. If grain stolen in the occupied territories of Ukraine is found in cargo, it will be evidence of a serious Russian crime. We have an obligation to use all legal instruments so that Latvia does not become a transit corridor for financing Russia's war. 🇱🇻🇺🇦 Video: TV24 Ziņu TOP | 17.09.2026

Please show where this government spent 30 million € for AB? There was no such thing. The road transport issue needs to be resolved, it's yet another messed-up soup, which was mixed and built with a cartelized event by T.Linkaitis. He kicked it forward and did not solve it; PRO Briškens, Švinka tried but did not fix it. Kozlovskim has been tasked to bring a long-term solution by mid-October.

Answer about RailBaltica development

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.

Logically structured explanation about AB & C11👌

This morning at 7:00 I gave an interview to @LRZinas while being in Lapland at the Arctic Summit, an EU leaders' event. It surprises me that instead of the Latvian public learning about the decisions we are making to strengthen security against Russian threats, my 1:1 discussions with German Chancellor Merz about the EU's new 7-year budget, about the common agreement of Baltic leaders to solve the RailBaltica issue, about Iceland's EU referendum or the general EU position in the Arctic in the fight for natural resources and the new northern sea transport corridor... all that journalists are interested in is Uzulnieks being caught drunk, whether ministers use drugs, and why I hold a glass of beer at a basketball game... I believe you can do better 😉

@LatvianBeckham @Gundars_Abolins It will be... everything must be ready

@Ulddi It is denied. The deadline has not yet arrived, there is no delay. And after determining Chapter 11 status, no one can do that anymore.

@IvoSavics Of course, all options were legally reviewed. Everything is in accordance with the laws and the interests of AB and Latvia. Aircraft leasing agreements are with various international financiers, so Latvia's TAP was pointless in this case.

My statement on airBaltic Today, airBaltic is initiating financial restructuring in a US court under Chapter 11. This time we are not buying a few more months of life support for the airline. We are beginning to solve problems at their core. It must be admitted that negotiations with bondholders were not progressing. Several investors, who had bought the bonds on the exchange at about 70 percent of their nominal value, were more reliant on airBaltic's liquidation and recovery of pledged assets rather than on restructuring the company. Another loan of up to 257 million euros at an annual rate of 25% was offered. That could provide the company with money for the near term, but would not solve either the previously accumulated debt or the problem of aircraft lease obligations. Therefore, I did not accept this offer as a long-term solution. Chapter 11 is a US court-supervised financial restructuring that allows airBaltic to continue flying while restructuring debts and lease agreements and attracting the financing needed for operations. Simply put, it is a protective shield that gives the company time and legal protection against creditor claims, allowing management to implement a full restructuring plan. This does not yet mean that all of airBaltic's problems are solved. But this is one of the best currently possible solutions to ensure the company's viability and give it the chance to stand on its own feet. For the process, airBaltic has received commitments from financiers to provide 350 million euros in new financing at a 12% rate. International financial market participants such as banks Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and private financiers Hayfin Capital Management, Oaktree Capital, and Strategic Value Partners have expressed readiness to finance. This is a significant and positive signal of trust. At the same time, I have instructed the Ministry of Transport to declassify restricted government documents related to airBaltic, so that the public finally has full information about the decisions made within the company, the use of state money, and the consequences of those decisions. The most important news for passengers is that airBaltic continues operations, the planes continue flying, and purchased tickets remain valid. This is not yet the finish and not a victory statement. But a process that addresses airBaltic's problems at their core has finally begun.

@Gaumigais_joks I think that concrete pouring should be stopped, but instead people should be motivated. With a fishing rod, not a benefit.