Latvian Political Monitor

@KalninsK @PuukjisIN @lastguru_net @akberzins @Oslejs @airBaltic @Rigassatiksme_ Dear Kristaps! The source is my efforts to get to Frankfurt and London over the years. I even flew to London twice via Helsinki, because Finnair had a cheaper price than Ryannair, not to mention AirBalic, whose ticket cost 2x more.

In a short period of time, the second illegal cigarette factory has been closed. Not only illegal immigrants, but also organized crime have faced difficult times. I thank the Tax and Customs Police and State Police employees for their professional work, as a result of which this factory was discovered and its operations were stopped. The Tax and Customs Police, in cooperation with the State Police, has stopped full-cycle illegal cigarette production in an active phase. This is already the the second factory of this scale discovered in recent months. 18 people have been detained (citizens of Ukraine and Moldova), who have been subjected to a security measure – custody. By stopping the operation of this factory, damage of several million euros to the economic interests of Latvia and the European Union has been prevented. A criminal process has been initiated under Section 221, third part of the Criminal Law, and the pre-trial investigation continues.

Europe has industry, energy, defense industry, pharmaceuticals, financial sector, infrastructure and a huge internal market. Our problem is not a lack of ideas or capital. The problem is a fragmented capital market and insufficient ability of companies to scale up. In a Financial Times article “Europe, the secret outperformer,” European companies' cash flows and profits are analyzed, pointing to an interesting advantage: Europe's market is less dependent on a few tech giants. Europe's next big project must be a truly unified financial and capital market. European savings must fund the growth of European companies much more. A company starting in Riga, Tallinn, or Lisbon must be able to attract capital and grow across the European market, not move to the US to obtain the financing needed for growth. This is especially important for Latvia. Our capital market is still small, and bank loans dominate corporate financing. Broader access to all-European capital would mean more competition for financing Latvian companies, more investment, and better opportunities for our companies to grow beyond Latvia. A unified European market cannot be fully unified until we also have a much more unified European capital market.

Dombrava: “If someone uses great force against illegal immigrants, I won't be against it” https://t.co/LnXEJt5OPC

@JanisIkstens Show at least one prime minister's burned taxpayer euro related to the airline. If you don't know how to calculate, then you'd better keep your mouth shut.

Today, I expressed my condolences to the people of Ukraine following Russia’s barbaric attack on the Kyiv region. My heartfelt sympathy to the victims’ families and the wounded. Russia’s brutal terror knows no limits. Latvia stands with Ukraine. 🇱🇻🇺🇦

@MartasTante Not needed - except Valainis, who is already 2 times a week late with the TET/LMT report, where I want to cut his real proposal - somehow forgot to bring it. Will have to write a new resolution.

@Aigars1972 very precisely described - that is exactly what is being implemented right now. This has nothing to do with pre-elections. AB must be critically sorted out before them. Otherwise it would be yet another €100 million loan from the state with no real chance of recovery. Currently the state gives nothing

@NaurisVizulis @airBaltic The wet lease, to my great surprise, is 'bad' over the course of a year - one can sense what a 'good deal' Gauss struck under the then Ministry of Transport leadership.... When I saw this, I couldn't believe it.

@Nodusgordius @CSDD_LV @Apvienotais_ a submission has already been filed with the prosecutor's office