The parties forming the new coalition in Latvia promise to focus on tirelessly fighting corruption, allocating more funding towards internal security, and introducing patient-focused state health insurance, as listed in the text of coalition partners cooperation memorandum LETA has been able to access.
It should be mentioned that the document may be corrected before it is signed.
The new government’s operations, according to the available document, are to be based on the principle of proportionality when it comes to representation of parties in the government and decision-making at meetings of the Cooperation Council, the principle of succession in improvement and continuation of reforms initiated by the previous government, as well as the principle of solidarity and responsibility for the PM and ministers approved by the Saeima.
The government’s jointly composed priorities will include promotion of solidarity and union of Latvia’s nation based on Latvian language, culture and unified historical memory.
Additionally, the memorandum project states that the government’s goal is improving the security of Latvia’s information space, implement a sustainable national return policy for the promotion of demography focused on the provision of meaningful services to children and parents with children in the focus to help prevent families raising children from ending up at risk of poverty.
The forming government also plans to continue providing support to Ukraine in its fight for freedom, as well as insist on maintaining a strict sanction policy against Russia and Belarus.
As for security, the memorandum projects mentions that the government’s goal is adopting a National Security Service by mid-2023, as well as increasing the defence budget and have it reach 3% of GDP by 2027. Politicians are also committed to increasing funding towards internal security and public order. The promise is to increase funding to no less than 2.5% of GDP in 2026, as well as develop a reliable crisis management and civil protection system and continue efforts to reinforce security on the state border.
The memorandum project also includes commitments like «continue supporting culture as one of the cornerstones of the national state; build on the basic principles of the rule of law and a democratic state; respect the division of state power; strengthen the rule of law and democratic values; combat corruption and improve investigative and judicial processes, as well as effectively enforce the verdicts of the Constitutional Court and other courts of law».
The government’s goal is finding common ground in various topics in order to improve the legal and social protection of all Latvian residents regardless of their gender, age or other social features, as well as promote quality and inclusive education in official language, continue reorganisation of the school network, present criteria for education institution in order to promote reduction of inequality within Latvia’s society.
To ensure dynamic development of sciences, universities and an internationally competitive high-value-added economy,
the government’s goal is increasing the state budget funding towards education and science and allocate funding equal to 1.5% of GDP towards research and development.
Latvia’s forming government also plans to adopt high management standards for state capital associations, consider possible merge of management of certain state capital associations, while keeping strategic assets and critical infrastructure under state control.
In certain cases, if it is necessary to attract capital or ensure development of companies, the government would be able to use financial tools that promote development of the national economy.
The plan also mentions promoting Riga’s growth as a metropolis in Nordic Europe, improve the city’s management model together with Pierīga municipalities, as well as invest into balanced development of surrounding regions to create an attractive and quality living and business environment.
There are also plans to create a balanced and business-friendly tax revenue distribution system between municipalities. This is intended to create new jobs.
The memorandum plan in its current redaction also details commitment to fighting grey economy through a tax regime that offers sustainable income in order to promote a person’s social insurance.
According to the memorandum’s text, the future government would make the Ministry of Economics as the institution responsible for the employment policy and Ministry of Welfare as the institution responsible for child support policy. Another ministry would be made responsible for the development of the information and communication technologies policy.
Political parties are committed to developing the government declaration and action plan following the signing of this memorandum. In those documents it is planned to outline the aforementioned and other priorities and tasks of the future government.