If the energy price situation changes significantly, the government will decide on improvements to the system of support for the inhabitants, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said in an interview with TV3, on Wednesday, August 10.
Yesterday, on August 9, the government made decisions on the implementation of support measures to help residents overcome the next heating season, which will be held because of the very high increase in energy resource prices. The value of the support measures is estimated at EUR 430 million.
The Prime Minister admitted that he is still worried about how the country will get through this winter season, as Russia continues to fight and, accordingly, the pressure on energy prices continues.
Prime Minsiter hopes that government’s allocated support to inhabitants will be sufficient. However, «if the situation doesn’t change, it is possible we will add changes in the support system.»
Currently, due to inflation, there is a significant increase in the state budget revenue, which roundly covers the costs of the support package, Kariņš admitted.
He noted that the world markets are experiencing a shock caused by the war, but he thinks that by the next heating season the situation will normalize and prices will stabilize, similar to what is currently seen with oil prices.
«However, there is no reason to expect everything to become cheap overnight»
The Prime Minister said that at the government level, it is being considered whether and what could be changed in the regulation to stimulate the insulation of multi-apartment buildings. He mentions that there could be changes in the decision making about the insulation of the houses, namely that 50% of the house’s residents’ signatures should be collected not for warming the house, but only if they want to stop the proposed warming process. The politician admitted that there are still many aspects of analysis in this matter.
The Prime Minister hopes that high heating prices will also force residents to think more about the insulation of houses.