Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has submitted to the country’s parliament, the Saeima, amendments that would freeze the wages of top management in state-owned enterprises (SOE), LETA reports. Under the proposal, the wages of top executives at state and municipal companies would be frozen until the end of 2026. Rinkevics stressed that the remuneration of top…
Latvia has built four surveillance towers on the country’s border with Belarus, Baltic News Network reports. The state real estate company, Valsts Nekustamie Ipasumi (VNI), said that the towers, located on the Daugava River section of the border, would enable monitoring the border more effectively. VNI plans to build altogether six towers on the border….
Latvia’s opposition United List will not try to topple the current coalition government for now, Edgars Tavars, chairman of the party’s parliamentary group, said, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Tavars noted that Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government had a “slight advantage” of votes in the parliament, the Saeima. Tavars said that United…
The number of job vacancies in Latvia was 23,900 in the second quarter of 2024, which was 1,400 (5.6%) fewer than in the same period of 2023, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LETA reports. The number of vacancies amounted to 12,800 in the private sector (down 10.7%) and to 11,100 in…
The coordinator of the Rail Baltica railway project, RB Rail, will start talks with private investors on financing the project’s implementation in Latvia at the end of 2024, LSM reports. Latvia’s Ministry of Transport presented a report on the project to the public expenditure and audit committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima. Latvia has…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments that ban vehicles registered in Belarus from Latvia, LETA reports. 77 MPs voted in favour of the amendments, while 9 voted against, LSM reported. Under the legislation, Belarusian vehicles need to be reregistered in Latvia or taken out of the country by 31 October…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, has signed a three-year wet lease agreement with Germany’s Lufthansa Group, LETA reports. Under the agreement, airBaltic will begin operating Lufthansa Group flights with up to 21 Airbus A220-300 aircraft in summer 2025. Previously, airBaltic has signed leasing agreements with Lufthansa Group companies, including SWISS and Discover Airlines. Meanwhile, media…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has rejected proposed amendments that would have introduced criminal liability for prohibited agreements in public procurement, LETA reports. Prosecutor General Juris Stukans said that the Prosecution Office (LRP) would continue trying to convince MPs of the need for such legislation to prevent corruption and facilitate criminal investigations. The Corruption Prevention…
Latvia’s state debt will remain below 50% of GDP in the coming years, Kaspars Abolins, head of the Latvian State Treasury, assured, LETA reports. Currently, the state debt stands at slightly over EUR 18bn, which is around 44% of GDP and one of the lowest in the EU, Abolins noted. The State Treasury expects the…