The opening of a regional office of the Ministry of Economics in Jelgava has sparked mixed reactions. While some commend Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis (Union of Greens and Farmers, ZZS) for his initiative to “go to the people,” others sarcastically ask whether this is the latest trend in “cutting bureaucracy.” To better understand the idea, BNN spoke with political analyst and co-owner of the company Mediju tilts, Filips Rajevskis.
“Going out to meet the people is not a bad thing,” said Rajevskis. “Statistically speaking, ZZS ministers and representatives are quite active across the country — they are one of the more regionally engaged parties.”
Regarding the Jelgava outpost, Rajevskis noted that it would actually make sense for such a regional office to be mobile, rotating among Latvia’s industrial centres. “Start in Jelgava, then move to Liepāja, then Valmiera… Not just the minister, but also other ministry officials should step outside of Rīga and see what’s happening elsewhere. Latvia has had mobile Cabinet sessions before, and if we recall, Estonia’s then-president Kersti Kaljulaid even moved her administration to Narva for a month. So, this kind of regional engagement isn’t a bad idea — I actually think it’s very appropriate and necessary.”
Rajevskis added that such initiatives would also benefit the minister’s political colleagues, who should visit Latvia’s regions far more frequently.
While Valainis is “going to the people,” the opposition party United List (AP) is calling for the abolition of the Ministry of Climate and Energy (KEM), arguing that creating such a ministry and ministerial post was an expensive mistake. They point out ongoing overlaps between KEM, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM), and the Ministry of Economics.
Rajevskis emphasized that selling the creation of a new ministry to the Latvian public is a tough pitch. “On the one hand, there’s talk about cutting state expenditures; on the other, a new ministry was created. So, from the outset, this has been a controversial issue. Some of KEM’s functions could have remained with the Ministry of Economics, and others with VARAM. Alternatively, all these responsibilities could have been delegated to the Ministry of Economics, since energy and environmental issues are inherently tied to economic policy,” he explained. “The United List is clearly tapping into this public sentiment. When the previous government created KEM, there was never a clear, convincing explanation as to why it was needed.”
When asked whether the creation of KEM might have been driven by a need to increase the number of ministerial positions — to ensure all coalition partners received a “meaningful” post — Rajevskis replied that it’s hard to say now what the internal justifications were. “One narrative was about the importance of the European Green Deal and the role of energy within it — such as wind farms and similar initiatives. But the world is changing rapidly, and even the Green Deal is beginning to lose momentum. It seems that with KEM, we hopped on that train a bit too late.”
He also reminded that there was never real clarity on why the ministry was necessary. “New Unity [JV] already held a dominant position when the ministry was established — just as it does now. Whether they technically needed one more minister (the first KEM minister was JV’s Raimonds Čudars) is hard to say.”
When asked whether the European Green Deal will continue to gain traction or fade out, Rajevskis responded that it won’t disappear, but it will no longer be as aggressive or forceful as before.