Latvian Political Monitor

Rinkēvičs: Kulbergs' government still has some urgent matters to complete before the Saeima elections

The conflict of interest prevention framework is important — it must be clear and proportionate. We are advancing amendments to unambiguously stipulate: a member of a collegial institution may also vote on their own appointment to office. https://t.co/IDfllvPpoC https://t.co/V4ptSPF4TA

Thank you for the reasoned criticism. I agree that state money for housing construction should not be automatically allocated to all municipalities. Strict criteria are needed, such as the number of jobs and development plans, demand, residents' solvency, private investor interest, and the use of the existing housing stock. However, a vicious circle forms here. A company does not choose a county if there are no employees and suitable housing for them. Conversely, families do not move to a place where there is neither work nor a modern and financially affordable home. Therefore, jobs, housing, and infrastructure must be developed in an interconnected way, not always strictly sequentially. I also positively assess the goal of the PPP program and the work done by experts. My criticism is not a call to build apartments everywhere regardless of demand or to shift all risks onto the state. But if 13 municipalities withdraw from the second round of the program, that is a sufficiently serious signal to check whether its conditions, risk allocation, and expected rent correspond to the situation in the regions. The experience of Valmiera and Liepāja is valuable. At the same time, it should be used to create more precise filters and instruments suited to different municipalities, rather than to conclude that housing affordability should only be addressed after all other development has already taken place.

⚠️ Why did the news services of Latvian Radio and Latvian Television NOT operate in crisis mode during and after the storm? Just now, a SEPLP representative explained to Saeima deputies in a presentation that they had followed THE LETTER OF THE LAW - neither President Rinkēvičs, nor Prime Minister Kulbergs, nor the ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers had declared a state of emergency. Therefore, the radio and television program was not changed and adapted to the real crisis situation. While people were left without electricity, communications, and necessary information, public media continued their usual programming. For the bureaucracy, there was NO CRISIS SITUATION - so everything was fine on air as well! Fantastic state administration logic: we don't declare a state of emergency and then announce that there was no basis to work in crisis mode.

It didn't take long to see what @MaratQasem said in action: several Telegram channels republished identical text within hours, responding to Qasem's words with the label 'traitor' and attacks on him personally. Sometimes propaganda itself clearly demonstrates its mechanics.💀 https://t.co/cvTGAt8Axe https://t.co/Fq1hJOAuls

🤬MODEL LESSON OF BUREAUCRACY!

BNN Focus | Four years, three governments and old problems: how has Latvia reached the elections?

@AtlasDynam1cs That is clear. The law requires these migrants to pay significantly more than locals, but they successfully figure out how to 'withhold' this overpayment.

Latvia's priorities in the next EU multiannual budget are clear: greater funding for the eastern border regions, fairer direct payments to our farmers, sufficient funding for Rail Baltica, as well as European competitiveness and security. I specifically pushed the issue of special support for the eastern border at the European level back when I was head of government. A great deal of political work has been invested in it, and I expect it will not stop. Understanding has been achieved in Europe, now it must translate into real funding. Together with Saeima colleagues, we discussed these and other current issues with Ireland's ambassador to Latvia, Marsela Smith. Talks on the next EU budget will not be easy, so joint and active work will be needed in the Saeima's European Affairs Committee, in the government, and in negotiations with partners in Europe. We will continue this work. Photo: Ieva Ābele-Ozoliņa, Saeima

@noriello that is a problem :)

Business lobbies can endlessly invoke labor shortages, and their influence in Latvian politics is enormous — even the paths of advertised 'men of honor' and strict doers bend before this lobby. But in reality it is manipulation and false threats to society. Importing cheap labor is used as the cheapest roundabout way to avoid investing in automation, new equipment, and normal wages for local people. A company takes a cheap worker and gains quick profit today, but pushes all long-term bills onto the state and taxpayers in the future. We have a unique opportunity to look at real European data. Calculations by the Danish Ministry of Finance show that one immigrant from the non-Western (MENAPT) region causes on average about 14,200 euros in net losses to the state budget annually. In the Netherlands, a large 25-year study calculated that such immigration has cost public finances a total of about 400 billion euros. Social benefits, medicine, police, and infrastructure in the long term cost significantly more than these people can pay in taxes. Along with that come cultural and security risks. Our country's language space is already fragile, but immigrants from third countries do not learn Latvian — they demand communication in Russian or English in the service sector. Meanwhile, Sweden's and Germany's experience with rising crime and ghetto areas clearly shows how expensive such recklessness is. This whole false myth about immigration's 'positive contribution to the economy' is actually based on indicators of Western immigrants and those belonging to our culture — highly qualified Westerners do indeed create budget surpluses and integrate into society. But this must not be confused with low-skilled immigration from third countries, which brings only long-term losses and problems to the state. Our path is automation, efficiency, and normal wages for our own people, not importing cheap labor.