This week, Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis (ZZS) proposed a reduction in the number of ministries by merging some of them. Specifically, he suggested integrating the environmental functions of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) into the Ministry of Climate and Energy (KEM), and transferring the local government portfolio to the Ministry of the Interior (IeM). But how realistic are these plans, and is this more than just political rhetoric? BNN asked political analyst and co-owner of the media consultancy Mediju tilts, Filips Rajevskis.
According to Rajevskis, the idea of reducing the number of ministries — and therefore administrative costs — is not a bad one. He notes that the Climate and Energy Ministry (KEM) was created artificially not long ago, and this itself points to a need for greater efficiency. “Over the years, we’ve added yet another ministry with all the resulting bureaucracy and costs, and the public hasn’t been thrilled about it,” he says.
As for the idea of transferring local government affairs from VARAM to the Ministry of the Interior, Rajevskis questions whether that’s the best fit. “Maybe those functions could be assigned to the Ministry of Economics instead, because the local government portfolio is closely tied to economic issues,” he suggests. From a development perspective, it might make more sense to place this domain within the Economics Ministry. “I’m sure there’s some logic behind why Valainis wants it under the Interior Ministry, but from a policy standpoint, economics might make more sense.”
This is not the first time politicians have floated the idea of merging ministries, Rajevskis reminds. However, so far, nothing has ever come of it beyond talk.
Asked whether there’s any guarantee that this time might be different, the analyst says that such a move would significantly shift the balance within the cabinet. “It’s not something you can just decide on easily — there are serious political consequences, like changes to the number of ministers and their voting power.”
Could this proposal be a pre-election PR move from ZZS, given the upcoming municipal elections? Rajevskis doesn’t think so. “Valainis has been talking about public administration efficiency for quite some time, so I wouldn’t say this is something he just suddenly brought up now. He’s been consistent about this since becoming minister. I think he’s also voicing what’s being discussed in government backchannels.”
Meanwhile, the task force for reducing bureaucracy and administrative burden — the very one that’s supposed to implement reforms — hasn’t met once in the past month. Does this mean the group has run its course or that something else is at play? Rajevskis speculates that the group will likely reconvene only after the previously proposed 21 recommendations have been implemented. “Why come up with new proposals if the existing ones aren’t being acted upon?” he asks rhetorically.