Latvian Political Monitor

For those who ask - why Kulbergs doesn't do this and doesn't do that. Each coalition party in government has four ministers and it would be strange if Unity and ZZS would support decisions aimed at correcting their mistakes. The Cabinet of Ministers' agenda is regulated by the rules of procedure and with such a balance of power as it is, that's how it is.

@Maris_Zanders Orwell said that as a socialist about his own kind. Today this phrase is most often used by those who themselves lack this self-reflection.

Today together with the chairman of the council of @advokaturaLV Saulvedis Vārpiņš, I met with the relatives of the Latvian nationals missing in Nepal. 🇳🇵🇱🇻 Living in uncertainty about a loved one is extremely difficult. I consider it my personal duty to do everything possible so that these families do not have to fight alone with legal and practical issues during this time. We agreed that in cooperation with lawyers, specific legal support will be provided to the relatives. I also call on the heads of state institutions and private service providers to inform their employees and, as far as possible, help resolve the situations that have arisen. There are many of them, starting with mobile operator bills and other everyday payments to mortgage obligations and other processes that the missing person cannot currently handle themselves. More information is available on the homepage of the Ministry of Justice website: https://t.co/Oe3DIQSnR8 And above all we maintain hope that our people will be found and will return home. 🙏🏼

@B03091315B @pilsonis42 @AndrisKulbergs We need to go towards that, but with reason. Blaming @AndrisKulbergs for not being able to eliminate the feeding trough councils in 3 months is the same as asking him why you are not a dictator in Latvia. Only in that way would it be possible to do it in such a short time. Let's just be objective.

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. 🇱🇻🙏

🗣️ This morning was spent in an open conversation with journalist Guntars Gūtis. We talked about the Latvian judicial system, society's trust in the judiciary, and where in processes we can still give up on unnecessary administrative steps. We also discussed the high-profile court cases and why some cases drag on, the shortage of judges and generational change, as well as how to build better dialogue between courts, the bar, the prosecutor's office, and other institutions in the justice sector. ⚖️ A strong justice system is not just laws and court rulings. It is also the ability to talk to each other, hear problems, and jointly seek solutions. A longer conversation will soon be available in the newspaper “Diena” 🗞️

@hansa_lv Yes, even when the guy from CSDD was running two hospitals at the same time…

Terrible set for a hospital - plumbing and medications…

This smells really bad. How did the lady leave RS with clean papers? It was clear they would all be thrown out, because the RS council wasn't doing its job. She left on her own, clean CV, and the next council was already waiting to loaf around for perks. And they tell us simpletons that 2x2=5🙃 well, we'll see… https://t.co/tpAPsIfW2D

@normundsbergs Not so much bureaucracy, though also that. This directly and unequivocally increases the cost of construction itself. Which delights a certain business segment - architects and adjacent segments - various 'designers' and others similar. They are simply ecstatic if they manage to lobby it through.

I think a lot about the contradictions of our democracy. On one hand, freedom of speech and thought is a holy grail value. On the other, we watch as traitorous powers fill the information space. In my opinion, boundaries must be drawn if it concerns national security. These orcs cross them laughing. What to do? https://t.co/CURRcXzvGm

Simplified expropriation of real estate for public needs ✅ The government has supported the Ministry of Justice's proposal to abandon an unnecessary bureaucratic step in the voluntary expropriation of real estate for public needs. If a property is needed for the construction of a road, railway, or another publicly significant object and an agreement has been reached with the owner, after determining fair compensation, a separate Cabinet of Ministers decision will no longer be necessary. This means: 🔹 the process can be completed about a month faster; 🔹 the owner will receive fair compensation sooner; 🔹 government employees will not have to spend time on a procedure that no longer changes the decision in essence. In the implementation of "Rail Baltica" alone, such an additional government decision has so far been needed in more than 100 cases. Public administration must work efficiently. If a procedure does not provide real added value, it must be abandoned! It is important to add that nothing is taken from the owner without compensation, and their rights do not change. Compensation will also continue to be fair and correspond to the actual value of the property. If a previously performed property assessment has become outdated, the property will need to be re-assessed before the decision is made. ℹ️ Now the Saeima must decide on the amendments.

Profit is not brought only by the so-called universal service, well there postal delivery in far forests etc. But providing such a service is required by an EU directive. In any case, it must be subsidized by the state and it does so. In Estonia, for example, it affects about 5% of postal deliveries. Every year money must be given to the so-called delegated function. That in no way requires private or state ownership.

Some people here reproach me - you yourself were in the Saeima when the 'golden visas' were introduced, but now you play the big migration opponent. So I asked AI and look what it answered me. And that was still in times when the mass invasion of Muslims and other towelheads had not begun. https://t.co/2M8Eyzgorj

In today's world, there is no reason for the state to own a 'post'.

@MarisKaminskis I have only one guess. Somewhere, possibly, there exists some common pot, into which these constantly rotating specialists throw part of their astronomical salaries, feeding the necessary people with large spoons. I cannot see any other logic here…

@Astridamains @janastrogonova @juris_muris @J_Hermanis That is also true.