Latvian Political Monitor

Day No. 60 (TUESDAY) — cybersecurity, border, and order in state administration Tuesday started immediately with serious questions: 🛡️ Extraordinary meeting on cybersecurity ➖️ CSDD data security incident. I have already published a separate video about this, so I won't repeat it all. 🔗Links: [https://t.co/AXkr1kIlhC] 🏛️ Cabinet of Ministers meeting ➖️ VILKATIS — data on pushed-back border crossers shows that the operation is working. A migrant transporter was also detained at the time of committing the crime. ➖️ The second tunnel has been discovered on the border. For comparison — in Lithuania, a total of 7 tunnels have been discovered. This again shows with what methods they are trying to test and circumvent our border security. ➖️ We also advanced a draft law on the use of land for national defense needs, so that in acute and nationally important moments we could act quickly rather than get stuck in procedures. 👥 Prime Minister's office meeting and work planning ➖️ NGO Memorandum Council — the State Chancellery has prepared changes to the procedure. Payment for Council members for participation in meetings at the ministerial table will be abolished. I believe that participation in dialogue with the government cannot in itself become a paid position. ➖️ In the re-announced competition for the Director of the State Chancellery, where requirements were normalized and made more reasonable, 18 applications have already been received. In the previous competition there were only 6. That is already a good signal. I hope that among the candidates there will be capable people with the ambition not just to administer the system, but to help change it. 💪🇱🇻 I congratulate my office colleague and advisor @Bolevics on obtaining the honorary family status of 3 children – the birth of a daughter!!! We in Latvia need large, strong families. Health to the mother and children.

Russia's aggression and the international crimes it has committed must have consequences! We clearly confirmed this today in Tallinn together with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and Lithuanian Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė. 🇺🇦 On Ukraine's Independence Day, our message is especially important – the Ukrainian people have the right to decide for themselves about their freedom, their country, and their future. Our task is to ensure that Russia is held accountable for its crimes and that they do not go unpunished. We also discussed Belarus's instrumentalization of migration, which puts pressure on our region. Such attempts to use people to create political pressure are unacceptable. 🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹 And we must also be united on regional development issues – including the Rail Baltica project and the defense of our common interests in the European Union. United Baltic states are stronger – both in defending the rule of law, security, and the future of our region.

@BSmildzina The countries you mention were not occupied and looted for 50 years. Our compatriots, after joining the EU, went as cheap labour to Ireland and elsewhere.

This is important. Otherwise Latgale's court would have had a serious overload.

🧑🏼‍⚖️ Immigration-related cases will now be able to be distributed more evenly among courts throughout Latvia. ✅ The Saeima has adopted in the final reading amendments to the Immigration Law that will allow cases related to detained foreigners to be distributed more evenly among district courts throughout Latvia. Until now, these cases were largely concentrated in the Latgale District Court, creating a disproportionate additional burden. At the Saeima's out-of-town sitting in Latgale, we heard this problem very clearly from court representatives. We did not put this issue aside – we acted, and today the solution has been adopted. This means we will be able to use the capacity of the court system more wisely – if the volume of work increases significantly in one region, part of the cases can be redirected to courts where resources are available. This will help reduce the workload of one court and ensure more timely consideration of other cases as well. 💻 Importantly, the hearing of cases will be possible remotely using video conferencing, so transferring a case to another Latvian court will not require the physical transfer of the detained person to that court, and thus will not create expenses related to bringing the person to court. At the same time, court control, the grounds for detention, and the procedural guarantees of the person remain unchanged. Only the procedure for case distribution changes – so that the court system throughout Latvia can work more efficiently and resiliently. The court system must be sufficiently flexible to use resources where they are most needed at any given moment!

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.

And still hundreds of burned Christian churches around the world - in Canada alone the number is already approaching a hundred… https://t.co/lKQpBxXhsM

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.

@Uldis113 NATO and OECD countries

Starting today, the illegal immigrant interception operation 'VILKATIS' is being launched, involving border guard, police, armed forces, and service personnel. Purposeful cooperation between @janisdombrava and R.Melnis @AizsardzibasMin. The operation will be coordinated by the KVC (Crisis Management Centre) under my supervision. Together we must demonstrate that we can stop the hybrid attack of 🇷🇺 and 🇧🇾 migrants on our state border. The activities of migrant organisers will be purposefully combated - transport, asylum organisation, coordination. We will ask international allies to stop the global financing model of the network. We will regularly inform the public about progress, every Tuesday after the Cabinet of Ministers. We ask residents to be understanding when encountering greater presence of services and checks. Please do not worry if you see more intensive drone and transport presence in the border area and elsewhere. If you have questions or see suspicious activity - report to 112

We push back, only a small number get in.

Finally we start to really protect the border. Specific NGOs are grieving today and soon we will likely see statements about human rights violations in illegal migration restriction measures.