Both Latvia’s Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks and Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins suggest gradually increasing the country’s defense budget to 2.5% of GDP. During the annual foreign affairs debates in the Saeima, Pabriks said that in addition to relying on Article 5 of NATO Treaty, Latvia should follow Finland’s example, develop its armed forces and…
On January 26, Riga City Council adopted the municipality’s new budget, outlining three priorities – social aid, wages and transport infrastructure. The meeting during which the city council reviewed the 2022 budget lasted for more than seven hours. More than five hours were spent discussing the municipal budget. Riga’s budget revenue is planned at EUR…
With increased threats to state security, it will be necessary to allocate an additional EUR 350 million towards defense, said Latvian Minister of Artis Pabriks. According to him, the Ministry of Defense has compiled of list of need it would like satisfied and plans the ministry would like to see executed more quickly. The minister…
Between October and December 2021 the amount of money owed by clients of Riga municipality’s JSC Rigas siltums for the heating energy supplied this season was slightly above EUR 15 million. Payments collected accounted for 82% of all issued heating service receipts, as reported by Rigas siltums representative Linda Rence. She said clients’ payment discipline…
Last year, Latvia’s state debt increased by EUR 2.8 billion or by 22.5%, reaching EUR 15.259 billion, according to data compiled by the State Treasury. At the end of 2021 Latvia’s state debt was EUR 15,258,909,000 and at the end of 2020 it was EUR 12,458,738,000. The state external debt was EUR 12.287 billion at…
Latvia’s Saeima has conceptually supported amendments submitted by deputies of several factions to the Animal Protection Law, providing for severely restricting fur farming from January 1, 2026. Law amendments provide for banning animal husbandry if the purpose of keeping animals is collecting their fur pelts. Saeima member Krista Baumane said during the debates that many…
Latvia’s President Egils Levits urges the Saeima to amend the law so that it is possible to cease providing state budget financing to political parties whose Saeima factions fall apart. Levits’ proposed legislative amendments provide for giving Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) the authority to make the decision to terminate payment of state budget…