Tomorrow, August 11, the closed part of the government meeting will consider a draft order on co-financing for SIA 'Airline Company Liepāja'. The Liepāja airport, in addition to its own revenues, is already currently funded by the Liepāja municipality, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (AiM) and the Ministry of Transport (SM). Could @AndrisKulbergs and Defense Minister R. Melnis provide clarification: - How much additional funding is planned to be reallocated to Liepāja airport from the defense budget? - Can Ventspils airport, ports, military mobility transport infrastructure objects (e.g., Jēkabpils bridge), as well as border-area media and associations also count on similar support? - Is this decision also related to the recent Friday 'working visit' to Liepāja? There is no doubt that a sustainable financing model for Liepāja airport must be found. At the same time, dispel concerns that this is not a continuation of the model of supporting one's own, but that defense resources are available to all Latvian regions and for strengthening defense resilience.
Budget: Posts and News mentioning Apvienotais saraksts
Political posts and news in Budget that mention Apvienotais saraksts, from monitored Latvian public sources.
No, Žaklīna, in this case it's not about my modest personality. It's about the fact that prime ministers and governments change, but the shameless theft of state resources continues. And clinical arrogance just the same. Now let's see - @AndrisKulbergs will be brave enough to confess or, in the 'best' traditions, will start bending and finding culprits outside - @ivchix, journalists, foreign agents, spies, and tooth fairies.
From@Zaklina2022@OttoOzols @AndrisKulbergs You yourself, Mārtiņ, have self-control problems. :)) Finally one politician is not detached from the people. What then, Leitāns is some sacred cow who cannot be addressed personally? Or is the prime minister from a special caste for us. Especially sic networks.
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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
From@AndrisKulbergsDay 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_
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From@tv24_lvWhat cannot be funded with European money at all, and what must be funded compulsorily? On TV24's programme #NaudasCena, @KristopansVilis, Member of the European Parliament, “Patriots for Europe” group (LPV), Prime Minister (1998-1999), Ivars Godmanis, financier, Prime Minister (1990-1993; 2007-2009), and @MarisKucinskis, Saeima deputy (AS), candidate for 15th Saeima deputy seat, Prime Minister (2016-2019), discuss. The project “Naudas cena” is financed by the Media Support Fund from Latvian state budget funds. AS “TV Latvija” is responsible for the content of the programme “Naudas cena”. #SIF_MAF2026 #tv24_lv
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This indicates possible self-control problems of @AndrisKulbergs, inability to distinguish public communication from private emotions, and difficulty understanding that it is not only about the specific journalist. It is about the ability to be proper towards the taxpayer-funded budget and the ability to answer for one's actions and expenditures.
From@heremit@OttoOzols @AndrisKulbergs "Why avoid" could be a combination of attitude towards the specific journalist + "drunk tweet". You can ask the same, but maybe you yourself tell the answer to the basic question in your summary.
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From@maijaroze_@AndrisKulbergs It turns out, the VK Innovation Laboratory costs us €1M a year for 5 (!) employees. Here's where you can save a whole million! And the labor market will also benefit if these 5 people can apply their design thinking to developing new products or services in the private sector :)
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It seems it's come to the point that the state should create something like a financial inquisition and then go through all these strange-named NGOs' strange 'projects.' I would even be ready to work in such a thing. https://t.co/lDOGSJJ6EM
From@JanisLiepinsHey. Look, those who allocated the money, there are specific signatures there, right!? Listen, where hundreds of thousands of money are wasted!! And no one will get anything for it? #pratinnacmajas @AndrisKulbergs @E_Stendzenieks https://t.co/IAvT7XOuVt
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From@maijaroze_@AndrisKulbergs It turns out, the VK Innovation Laboratory costs us €1M per year for 5 (!) employees. Here's where you can save a whole million! And the labor market will only benefit if these 5 people can apply their design thinking to developing new products or services in the private sector :)
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@katrinailjinska questions and remarks instead. But Andris Kulbergs' scolding about sexism only shows how sick part of the NGOs are. Funding should be stopped and granted only to the extent of private donations, that would put everything in its place.
From@AndrisKulbergs@BaibaStrautmane I can already say this clearly = they cannot be independent industry organizations if they receive state funding for a long time. Period. I have already spoken about this before. This issue needs to be resolved.
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@witch_chief @MrMRDB @AndrisKulbergs NA is represented in the European Parliament by one of the most influential politicians – Roberts Zīle. So we need to make all of Europe do it. Then there is no question – not giving money to Lithuania and burdening Latvian border residents. Not to mention cargo.
From@witch_chief@Chapis @MrMRDB @AndrisKulbergs live by the prism of primitivism, where human balance is replaced by expediency?
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There was just a protest that was supported by Palestinian citizens. They're going to take away NGO money😅 Yes, it will be gone through whom to give and not to give. The councils should already slowly group up, reserve, and call Palestinians for a similar event, because this will be reduced pretty soon. No question! https://t.co/zRxOOa5O4M
From@AndrisKulbergsAmusing how @Progresivie calls out @ZZS_ for placing their people in positions without a competition, but meanwhile they themselves just on 16 FEB in the railway tariff office LatRailNet with 20❗️ employees (where 2x are board members) quietly without a competition (at least I can't find one) extend the positions of 3x council members for 5 years. Why on earth does a small state company with 20 employees need 3x generously paid council members at all? For example 🇪🇪 such a function is under one roof - Competition Board with 59 employees and no council, performing both the Competition Council, and SPRK (regulator), and LatRailNet functions, which in Latvia together employ 243 employees and 3x sets of councils. This will be the first = No1. Liquidate the councils of any subsidiary capital company (totally pointless creation). No2. audit all redundant councils and inflated capital companies, which we @Apvienotais_ will do in government. https://t.co/Efbv0LcKLe
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From@SirupsP@AndrisKulbergs Andri. This needs to be stopped. Those salaries, all of that... it's absurd. It needs to be stopped. And with such a funding model... It's a fraud. 😡🤬 Show the list of all salary recipients in the studio! https://t.co/iyIz3itLyb
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25 states challenge in court the customs tariffs imposed by the Trump administration
From@Chapis@Mikipele6 @atis_svinka @AndrisKulbergs If the whole society were fully informed about the waste of money through six-figure studies and all the 'redesigns', people at Gogol Street near the Ministry of Transport would be standing with pitchforks. https://t.co/VhXYeGWvTn
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@Mikipele6 @atis_svinka @AndrisKulbergs If the whole society were fully informed about the waste of money through six-figure studies and all the 'redesigns', people at Gogol Street near the Ministry of Transport would be standing with pitchforks. https://t.co/VhXYeGWvTn
From@Mikipele6@Chapis @atis_svinka @AndrisKulbergs Of course. And most importantly, so that the representatives of Russian Railways (RŽD) in Latvia and their cooperation partners would have everything about this our military/strategic project and its problems completely clear and freely available.
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And there will also be additional funding for regional hospitals! It is very much needed. https://t.co/CbDxof1GeC
From@H_AbuMeriThanks to government colleagues and Prime Minister @AndrisKulbergs for today's support for the decision on hospital network reorganization. These are long-awaited changes that are important for our people in Latvia! 👉🏻 https://t.co/lezFxkwQa6 https://t.co/yjQJosZowd
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@AndrisKulbergs and @jemberga must continue what was started. Soon, those being shut down, out of envy, will point to others that they previously stayed silent about in solidarity. All according to the book: https://t.co/GxrCb4zPXb
From@JazepsBaskoFeeders are like the filthy train cars and broken windows. As soon as there is one feeder, it is a moral justification and encouragement for another, and then soon the next. There are two social justice equilibria of feeders. One — when everything is one feeder and getting to the warm spots is settled in an honest, political struggle and is maintained by honest silence about the places managed by competitors. The other equilibrium — when all are shut down. Because no new one can be introduced, as they say, socially justly. When closing a feeder, the main thing is not to listen to arguments that describe what holy work the feeder does. Obviously, every spot has provided itself with a couple of such. It is much better to use the cunning of the deprived activists, when they quickly crawl to the nearest known sugar pile — well, so that too, most likely, must be shut down — as well as their envy, when they report on competitors' feeders that have remained unshut. But if a bit more seriously, the right-wing objection to feeders is not that the feeder does the wrong things, but that the feeder justifies the next ones. Right-wing politics offers to step out of the eternal struggle of interest groups in the political arena for the most just redistribution. Make your actually non-governmental organizations, collect money and do miracles at your own and self-attracted donors' money. Only then can it be determined whether there is a real demand in society for good deeds together with the payment of your idleness.
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Politicians clash in TV24 pre-election debates
Stendzenieks is being removed from the elections for a petty and tendentious interpretation of the law, while the faces of all those JV, PRO, AS, ZZS, NA politicians who are personally responsible for the theft of billions of state money in Rail Baltica and elsewhere, and who would deserve the harshest criminal charges, are now visible on the walls of Riga houses and on magazine covers. If only their faces belonged in prison windows. A rotten state and rotten media that accept and condone it.