The opposition party United List (AS) is calling for the liquidation of the Ministry of Climate and Energy (KEM).
AS deputies have submitted amendments to the Law on the Structure of the Cabinet of Ministers, proposing the closure of KEM. They argue this step would reduce bureaucracy and administrative burden, while freeing up additional resources to strengthen national defence.
Evaluating the ministry’s performance over nearly a year and a half, AS concludes that the creation of this ministerial position and the ministry itself has been a costly mistake, yielding no useful results.
AS also claims the ministry has not resolved the issue of overlapping responsibilities, as KEM, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM), and the Ministry of Economics (EM) continue to duplicate functions related to both climate and energy policy.
“KEM has become a symbol of how bureaucracy expands and spends without solving real problems. When the ministry was established, there was a clear promise that it would be done without additional costs. However, those promises have not been fulfilled – expenses have increased, governance is unclear, and the public lacks confidence in the ministry’s purpose,” said Edgars Tavars, head of the AS Saeima faction.
The current Minister for Climate and Energy is Kaspars Melnis (Union of Greens and Farmers – ZZS). The ministry began operating at the start of 2023, taking over energy policy (excluding oil product reserves) from the Ministry of Economics and climate policy from VARAM.