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The Zatler’s Reform Party, the party ”Unity” and the national alliance ”All for Latvia!” – ”For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK” as well as independent members of the parliament: Jānis Junkurs, Klāvs Olšteins, Gunārs Rusiņš, Elīna Siliņa, Jānis Upenieks and Viktors Valainis have agreed to form the government, which shall implement the policy based on principles of economic growth, strict fiscal responsibility, sustainability and social solidarity as well as mutual cooperation among the sectors. The government’s priorities for the next three years are:
The action policy of the government will be directed toward implementation of Latvia’s Sustainable Development Strategy 2030 adopted by the Saeima and the European Union’s (EU) strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth "EU 2020".
In order to implement the government’s priorities, we commit ourselves to fulfil the following tasks:
I. Human Capital
Education and science
Our objective is talent promotional and competitive education available life-long to anyone and the acquisition of general education until the age of 18.
Ensuring completely publicly-funded pre-school education and care for children up to one year and a half of age according to the principle “Money Follows the Child Until the Pre-school Educational Establishment”.
Introducing of the state and local government guarantee system for the state-funded education financing model – “Money Follows the Child until School” by involving local governments in the model development process. Development of a cross-sectoral program for preservation of community schools by creating them into multifunctional community centres.
Providing of the pre-conditions for every child to acquire the skills required for life – official language, English language and at least one more language, diverse cultural experience, IT competence, skills of socialization and cooperation, skills that promote creativity, critical thinking, knowledge of finance and entrepreneurial capability as well as awareness of citizenship and civic duty. Complete implementation of inclusive education in schools.
Transferring of the responsibility of maintaining teacher qualification and quality standard to professional teacher organizations by involving social partners and the parties concerned to provide linkage with requirements of the labour market. Implementation of the appointment of the school principal for a specified time.
Drafting of pre-conditions for transition to mandatory secondary - general or vocational education. Drafting of pre-conditions for the start of the 1st grade for children from six years of age (anticipate maintaining 12 grade general secondary education) in cooperation with parents and teachers.
Ensuring the proportion of pupils acquiring vocational education programs on the secondary education level until 2014 to draw near a half of the total number of secondary pupils. Assessment of the implementation of a new cooperative model of vocational education by significantly increasing participation of professional organizations. Drafting and preparing a fundamentally new model of financing for higher education institutions until 2014 that would promote the highest possible accessibility of the higher education and objectively evaluable growth of its international competitiveness and fairness.
Prevention of the overlapping and fragmentation of higher education and scientific programs. State-funded fundamental science and research shall be centred on universities and regional universities, evaluating the possibility to integrate research institutes of the state and large university hospitals.
Transferring of the rights to develop the policy of the innovation field to the Ministry of Science and Education.
Ensuring the financing of doctoral studies and promotions completely from the state budget and the European Union funds. Ensuring that the proportion of doctoral students in the academic personnel is at least two-thirds. Implementation of a principle that any employee in academic position shall implement pedagogic work and research as well as the support to postdoctoral research.
Strategic investments in science according to a principle of priority by attracting the European Union funds to specific research (international), scientific and technology-intensive projects, which have proved to have a scientific potential and high-quality.
Strengthening of high-quality development for Latvian studies.
Welfare and demography
Setting the improvement of demographic situation as a priority by passing cross-sectoral political decisions. Development of types of support for the second, third and every next child, incl., fiscal stimulus and implementation of the principle of progressiveness. Development of a support program for treating infertile families.
Ensuring sustainability of the social security system. Revision of the social insurance services, int. al., by gradually increasing the retirement age and minimum social insurance length of service in the medium term, unburdening the state social insurance special budget from the uncharacteristic tasks. Gradually increase instalments in the 2nd pension level reaching 6% until 2015.
Development and proposition of the 3rd pension level package that stimulates accumulation, including employers’ co-payment. Evaluation of the opportunity to insure the 2nd pension level accumulated capital against loss. Evaluation of a model for inclusion of an additional level of the pension system that provides old-age support for the children brought up.
Continuing of the paid temporary community work at local governments as well as development of possibilities of voluntary work.
Improvement of administration and the social service guarantee system by drafting pre-conditions for effective, transparent and customer-oriented social care, int. al., competent and appropriate social care for each group of clients.
Implementation of a reform of the social assistance system by gradually changing from passive or relief social assistance to active or system concerned with motivating the client and helping to improve the current situation in order to with limited resources provide the greatest value-added possible for the client and the community as such.
Health
Improvement of finance system and gradual increase in overall health care funding by linking personalized tax-paying in the State budget with planned health care services.
Drafting and passing of a regulatory enactment for a health care organization, which will set the responsibilities and rights of state and private health care institutions and service providers and responsibility and rights of local governments.
Provision of a human resource development program in medicine to keep professionals from going abroad.
Implementation of e-health care services, int. al., e-patient cards (evaluation of a possibility of using planned identification cards) which make the health care planning, coordination and the data security effective and ease the reception of services for the patient.
Provision for equal health care service quality and equal remuneration for equal service irrespective of service provider.
Provision of health care service availability evenly in the whole country.
Ensuring efficient use of the budget by expanding the availability of outpatient services, extend the hours of outpatient hospitals in cooperation with the social service providers. Expanding of possibilities to receive emergency medical assistance at family doctor’s practice thereby reducing the costs of the emergency medical assistance.
Definition of state financed services and paid services providing the residents with clear and understandable information about procedure for receiving services and the payment.
Strengthening of the teamwork of family doctors’, expansion of cooperation between family doctor and patient, promotion of active participation in maintaining health. Expansion of patient’s right to choose the place of the reception of the service.
Promoting of the healthy lifestyle and nutrition in the society as well as renewal of the health education as a separate subject. Provision of a healthy environment in cooperation with local governments and NGOs.
Improving of the use of the European Union funding in health care, improvement
of physicians’ qualification and infrastructure as well as investing in human
resources.
Reduction of the influence of the pharmacy industry and the wholesalers on the
medicine turnover, letting the patient chose less expensive medicine.
Continuing the cooperation of the Baltic States in the field of medicine ensuring cooperation of borderland EMA services in cases of transplantation, diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases as well as cooperation in the field of medical education.
II. Innovative and Effective Economy
Macroeconomic stability and the state budget
Implementation of a responsible and sustainable macroeconomic policy. Successful conclusion of the program for stabilization of the Latvian economy by decreasing budget deficit in 2012 under 3% of GDP and meeting the criteria for accession of Latvia to the Eurozone in 2014.
Development of the Law on Fiscal Discipline and amendments to the
Constitution, ensuring anti-cycle fiscal policy and state income and expenditure
balance within the framework of the economic cycle.
Ensuring re-orientation of the state budget toward achievement of specific results
set forth in the development plan documents not indefinite financing of the
functions.
Implementation of a full cycle medium-term budget planning with a period that conforms with the medium-term planning period and is based on priorities of
the long-term national development policy.
Development of an independent fiscal council of professionals of public finance
and economics, which shall provide opinions on macroeconomic aspects of
budget planning.
During discussion on the European Union multi-annual budget for 2014-2020 we shall stand for levelling of economic and social situation as the main task of the cohesion policy.
Taxes and combating the shadow economy
Maintaining relatively low tax burden - approximately 1/3 of GDP.
Reduction of the labour force tax (indicatively by 8 percentage points), at the same time not increasing the total tax burden. Creation of mechanisms to compensate potential decrease in income in the state and local government budgets. Assessment of the possible compensation of 1/3 of total reduction amounts by transferring the tax burden to consumption and property, while 2/3 – at the expense of reduction of the shadow economy.
Creation of incentives for local governments to create an attractive business environment in their territory and to attract investment.
Ensuring better tax collection by implementing the Plan of Combating the Shadow Economy and promoting fair competition. Continuing of the reform of the State Revenue Service, making it a customer-oriented institution.
Active combating of tax evasion by giving increased attention to combating of ”envelope” wages, illegal employment, the VAT fraud and smuggling, while observing the principle of proportionality with regard to applicable penalties and evaluation of improvements in normative acts to promote tax payment.
From 2012, start initial declaration of residents’ property status. Introduction of general income declaration and principle of legal presumption with regard to the origin of the individuals’ capital. Increasing control over the compatibility of spending of natural persons with their legal income.
Improvement of the public procurement procedure, providing advantages for those who honestly pay all taxes.
Financial sector
Development of a full spectrum development financial institution by centralizing the implementation of support programs and concentrating resources, creation of a professional supervision mechanism in cooperation with the private sector.
Development and implementation of the capital market development policy, providing Latvian companies with alternative funding opportunities for sustainable development.
Creation of a single debtors’ register and a unified system for assessment and supervision of credit risks.
Industrial (sector) policy and innovations
In a dialogue with business organizations, government institutions and other interested parties, development and implementation of a modern industrial policy where the state provides support to the whole sector in the form of public good with a clearly defined deadline.
Provision of the government support to sectors with competitive enterprises and high development and export potential and substantial contribution to the growth of value added.
More active and effective establishment of clusters and competence centres, development of a regulatory framework to promote activities of industrial parks in cooperation with business organizations.
Creation of a single Latvian innovation platform (fund), based on the principle of innovation vouchers, ensuring close cooperation between entrepreneurs, universities and scientists.
Business environment and investment
Development of the most competitive business environment in the Baltics by applying the world’s best practice. Implementation of further reforms to enhance economic productivity on the basis of the areas included in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). Assessment of the results of work of the government and public administration according to progress in the indicators included in the GCI and conclusions of the National Competitiveness Assessment.
Ensuring the implementation of the principles of good governance and sustainability in capital companies with state and local government shares and introduction of strict requirements for disclosure of information concerning the activities of state and local government companies.
Assessment of the possibility to completely or partially privatize the shares in the state-owned and local government enterprises, except for the strategic assets set forth in the law, incl., their quotations in the stock exchange.
Simplification of the construction permit procedures by adopting the necessary amendments to the normative acts regulating construction.
Continuous implementation of the support program for small and medium-sized companies by applying the principles included in the Small Business Act for Europe in all stages of decision-making.
Improvement of the state asset management according to experts’ analysis about the best practice by separating the development and implementation of sectoral policy from management of state-owned capital companies and property by concentrating the management of state-owned capital companies in a professionally managed institution outside the line ministries.
Creation of a proactive mechanism to coordinate the foreign investment attraction, involving state and local government institutions. Implementation of an efficient and unified foreign economic policy. Defending the foreign economic interests in traditional partner countries and new export markets, support to the representation of the interests of the Latvian companies and promotion of Latvia’s image and recognition.
Employment
Transferring the development of the employment policy to the Ministry of Economics to ensure closer links of the employment policy with economy needs and the labour market demand. More active involvement of employer’s organizations and sectoral association in drafting of the employment policy.
Introduction of incentives in a form of social contributions or corporate income tax relief for entrepreneurs who hire the long-term unemployed and the youth without prior work experience.
Development of the action plan for promotion of general employment, which would contribute to individual’s maximum stay in the labour market as well as professional and regional mobility.
Energy for a competitive economy
Implementation of an energy policy that focuses on increasing the national competitiveness. Development of competitiveness in the electricity and gas market. Introduction of the EU’s Third Energy Package.
Strengthening of Latvia’s energy independence by diversifying energy supply sources, by promoting the development of a single European energy market and developing the interconnections with other EU Member States.
Implementation of a solidar position of the Baltic States regarding the energy issues, preparation of a project for a liquefied gas (LNG) terminal in Latvia.
To reach at least a 40% share of renewable energy resources in final energy consumption, addressing the energy issues related to provision of heating and electricity production, in transport sector and in the area of energy efficiency. By liquidating the quota system, creation of an economically grounded and flexible system, providing the necessary state support and encouraging the use of domestic energy resources and least possible impact on electricity tariffs.
Support to production of dissipated energy and involvement of households, incl., introduction of smart networks. Provision of greater access of renewable energy sources to the energy market – greater use of domestic resources.
Simplification of the procedures required to obtain electricity connection and reduction of bureaucracy in distribution networks. Provision of accessible services to entrepreneurs and reduction of power supply interruptions.
Support to increasing the energy efficiency of housing, state and local - government buildings using the funding of the EU Structural Funds, the Climate Change Instrument and the state budget.
Transport, infrastructure and communications
Development of a strategic national transport plan for a sustainable, multi-modal and integrated transport system by applying modern, coordinated with private sector, national economy stimulating and environment-friendly solutions. Effective use of opportunities provided by the funding of the EU funds and TEN-T for development of transport infrastructure.
Development and implementation of a strategy to ensure quality of roads, incl., improvement of standards for road construction and supervision of road construction.
Investments in increasing the mobility of the rural population by improving the road and rail infrastructure and management. Provision of residents with high-quality and accessible public transport services by organizing coordinated transport timetables and preventing duplication of state support for competing means of transport on the same routes.
Better use of the strategic advantages of railroad thus promoting an increase in transportation of railroad freight and passengers. Development of a transparent payment and financial support system of the railroad infrastructure, provision of free competition in freight transportation.
Together with other Baltic States, work to attract funding for planning, designing and implementation of "Rail Baltic 2" project.
Increasing the throughput capacity at land border crossing points in cooperation with neighbouring countries.
Development of the large ports of Latvia as mutually complementing logistics centres and an integral part of the Europe - Asia transit routes, incl., within the framework of the EU’s TEN-T network. Improvement of the supervision and efficiency of ports’ activities by reducing influence of the political parties and promoting independence and professionalism of administration.
Development of the "Rīga" airport as a cost-effective flight –centre of Eurasia by promoting increased capacity of passenger and freight flow. Stabilization of the financial situation of the national airline "AirBaltic", restoration of its profitability and work on attracting the investor to ensure further development of the company.
Provisison of development of the electronic communications sector and availability of broadband telecommunications infrastructure in all territory of Latvia. Promotion of attainment of goals of the "Digital Agenda for Europe" to ensure the competitiveness of Latvia’s economy.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Implementation of a fundamentally new – cross-sectoral rural development policy and drafting of a long-term rural development strategy.
Protection of interests of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food industries during the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy reforms as well as during the implementation of policies of other sectors. Provision of implementation of the activities of the new planning period of the Common Fisheries Policy in Latvia.
Active work towards ensuring a level playing field for Latvian farmers with other EU Member States in terms of support payments after 2013.
Promoting of the consumption of food products produced in Latvia as well as production of import substituting products. Ensuring the availability of national support basically, promoting economic efficiency and productivity.
Promoting of access to credit resources and state guarantees for agricultural sector to implement the EU funded projects and acquisition of agricultural land.
Differentiation of support for both agricultural production and preservation of orderly rural environment by promoting agricultural production.
Support to cooperation between small and medium-sized companies in agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector.
Ensuring competitiveness of the forestry sector and preservation of forest capital, promoting of more active use of wood and more active processing by creating a long-term investment-friendly regulatory environment and by developing development-supportive scientific resources.
Support to elaboration of development or restructuring solutions for small farmsteads. Development and implementation of a plan for creation of non-agricultural jobs in rural areas.
Defending of the allocation of such international fishing quotas, which comply with Latvia’s interests.
Investments to improve the infrastructure of rural areas, improving of quality and access to public services in countryside.
III. Effective Territory Management, Environment and Preservation of Natural Capital
Support to development of the regions with diversified economy, varied services and good accessibility.
Continuing of the adjustment and optimization of administratively territorial structure to complete the administrative-territorial reform. Creation of an effective system to strengthen local governments, to increase their competence and capacity by supporting the development of strong regional centres.
Assessment and transfer of those public administration functions to local governments and planning regions, which they are able to implement more effectively and cost efficiently as well as promoting of the cooperation among local governments during implementation of administrative functions by using the funding of the EU structural funds.
Support to and extension of support programs for national polycentric development in the EU funds planning period for 2014–2020.
Investments to increase the mobility of rural population by developing the road and rail infrastructure and planning of efficient road and rail network.
Ensuring the introduction of "one stop" agency principle in provision of public and local government services. Using the opportunities provided by information technologies will ensure that residents and entrepreneurs will not have to apply to several institutions and/or service centres to receive a particular service. Increased funding for local governments, especially from the EU funds in the areas where joint state and local government projects are implemented with a view to improve service delivery and introduction of e-services.
Assessment of results of the administrative-territorial reform of local governments and formulation of proposals for necessary improvements.
Development of a regulatory framework to ensure rational and efficient use of land and protection.
Introduction of a special medium-term development instrument in compliance with the adopted development strategy and program for the Latgale region to overcome long-term negative economic, social and demographic trends in the Latgale region thus ensuring economic development and investment attraction.
Continuing of implementation of the projects in the area of energy efficiency and water management, as well as promoting of development of an efficient waste management system.
Protection of biodiversity of Latvia by ensuring unified management of specially protected natural areas.
Promoting of development of an effective waste management system.
Ensuring of such sustainable forest management, which increases the attraction of carbon dioxide to fulfil Latvia’s commitments regarding reduction of climate change.
IV. Administration
Public administration
Continuing of optimization of the number and structure of public institutions. Development of a small, effective, motivated and result-oriented public administration by implementing a motivating, performance-oriented remuneration system for employees of the public sector to ensure more effective and transparent use of resources and to reduce administrative burden.
Consolidation of the institutions responsible for implementing the EU funds for the next planning period.
Implementing of the results of the function audit performed in the public administration by eliminating the duplication of functions. Abandonment of the functions, which are not characteristic to the public sector by delegating a part of the functions to the private sector and non-governmental organizations by controlling the service quality and availability.
Substantial reduction of administrative burden for entrepreneurs and residents. Introduction of "one stop" agency principle in provision of administrative services.
Ensuring an efficient and result-oriented human resource management system. Ensuring that civil servants, heads of institutions, apolitical members of the boards and councils of state and local government institutions and other high officials are appointed to the post on the basis of professionalism and good reputation.
Development of public administration. At least 2/3 of state and local government services shall be provided electronically.
Organization of rational management of ICT tools used in public administration and infrastructure management, incl., ensuring that the principles of shared use are observed as well as the use of open, internationally recognized standards to design the national information system and e-government solutions and in expected contact with users and other information systems.
Defining of cross-sectoral objectives, budget programmes and results to consolidate the efforts of different ministries and subordinated institutions to meet the objectives which are important to the society.
Drafting and coordination of the implementation of the National Development Plan of Latvia shall be transferred under the supervision of the Prime Minister, retaining general supervision as the competence of the Saeima.
Increasing the opportunities for residents to participate in the development and assessment of public services by using outsourcing or by delegating administrative tasks where appropriate, on the basis of effectiveness and economic efficiency considerations.
Ensuring regular and timely consultations with social and cooperation partners of the government, NGOs and other parties concerned on the implementation of the laws and policies.
Justice
Reduction of the role of money in politics, incl., gradually making the government funding the major source of income of political parties.
Continuing of corruption eradication also by implementing preventive measures to reduce the risk of corruption in the country. Ensuring non-affectability of professional activities of judicial authorities, investigation institutions and the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau.
Restructuring and optimization of the general jurisdiction and administrative court system by equalizing the court load in the regions of Latvia, while reducing the number of instances of appeal to certain types of cases.
Reduction of administrative burden for submission of cases at courts by providing the courts with greater freedom of action to choose procedural means. Addressing of the issues of availability and systematization of case-law.
Implementation of the measures to strengthen legal protection of investors.
Provision of full transition to new insolvency regulation, promoting of more rapid conclusion of insolvency procedures.
Development of a high-quality legal framework for alternative methods of dispute settlement.
Continuous modernization of the civil law, incl., contractual law by developing the legal framework for shared ownership and mortgage crediting.
Development and implementation of a modern administrative penalty policy.
Development of the criminal penalty policy that reduces recurrence of crime and commensurates the crime with punishment. Implementing of simultaneous reforms of the staff of penitentiary institutions and infrastructure as well as legal framework.
Creating of an effective mechanism for protection of intellectual property, incl., copyright.
Public safety
Development of a long-term security and law enforcement policy. Creating of an effective model to ensure the public order in the country.
Combating of crimes, which affect economic and legal processes in the country, shall be a priority. Strict control over immigration from third countries thus reducing illegal immigration.
Implementation of a single crime prevention program in the country.
Development of a high-quality educational system of security and law enforcement institutions to train the staff and to improve professional qualification.
Creation of a single, integrated system for management of security structures to ensure effective administration of resources and the ability to respond to emergency situations by effectively using all national resources and resources which are available as a result of international cooperation.
V. Cultural space
Culture and preservation of cultural heritage
Ensuring the preservation of diverse cultural heritage of Latvia, promoting of its full use, accessibility and active movement.
Ensuring the preparation and conduct of the XXV Latvian Song Festival and the XV Dance Festival.
Strengthening of the continuity of the Song and Dance Celebration tradition by restoring the earmarked grants for wages of the heads of amateur collectives and by reforming the allocation system in close cooperation with NGOs of the culture sector.
Gradual restoration of the State Culture Capital Foundation (SCCF) funds. Assessing of the possibility to ensure the independence of the SCCF by restoring the SCCF’s funding system.
Continuing of modernization of a unified library information system, promoting of availability of e-services in libraries in cooperation with local governments.
Finalization of the construction of the Latvian National Library by developing it as a modern world-class cultural and knowledge centre.
Promoting of availability of professional art in the regions and districts of Latvia.
Provision of digitalization of cultural content and resources (national documentary heritage, cinema, museums, libraries), preservation and creation of new digital products, e-services.
Promoting of the sponsorship and social responsibility traditions in Latvia. Improving of the regulatory framework that would promote maintenance and improvement of the cultural environment of Latvia, including cultural monuments.
Promoting of the transposition of the creative potential of the culture sector to national economy, development of cultural and creative industries.
Development of the state program for development of multifunctional cultural centres of the regions and districts.
National identity
Strengthening of the civic education and participation as a basis of a developed civic society. Promoting of preservation and spread of the Latvian language – the basis of national identity – strengthening of the Latvian culture space, support to particularity of minority cultures.
Ensuring the popularization and increasing the prestige of the Latvian language as national treasure, intellectual heritage and language of democratic participation.
Promoting of preservation of originality of culture and language of the regions, strengthening the identity of regions as a part of common national identity. Support to richness of dialects of the Latvian language, strengthening of the Latgalian language as a historical variant of the Latvian language.
Cohesive society and public media
Promoting of the integration process, informing the society about the opportunities of naturalization and increasing of the quality of the naturalization process.
Development of high-quality, professional and independent single public media.
Development of a politically independent National Council for Electronic Media.
Development of a legislative framework for regulation of press and mass media to strengthen editorial independence of the media and ensuring the public’s right-to-know the media owners.
VI. Latvia in the world
Foreign affairs
Consistent implementation of the principal task of the government’s foreign policy – to guarantee national security, ensure economic stability and growth as well as to promote well-being of the people.
Use of Latvia’s membership in the European Union and NATO as the key instruments for implementation of this important task and ensuring realization of Latvia’s interests in the context of bilateral, regional and global political challenges.
Participation in the process of development of the EU action policies, at the same time defending our national interests, common foreign policy of the EU and an in-depth integration process of the EU.
Setting the medium-term and long-term national priorities (2014-2020) in each of the areas of the EU activity by setting the Latvia’s energy and economic independence interests as the most important foreign policy priorities of Latvia.
Preparation for Latvia’s presidency of the EU in 2015 by formulating the political priorities of the presidency, by establishing the necessary institutional and logistical support structure as an investment to increase Latvia’s competitiveness in the future as well as the creation of an effective mechanism for coordination of the EU policy under the guidance of the Prime Minister.
Strengthening of the bilateral cooperation with those presiding countries of the EU, which will manage the work of the EU Council before Latvia’s presidency.
Support to further integration of the EU and political as well as economic unity. Support to the EU enlargement, involving new Member States, which meet the accession criteria.
Stand for economic and social cohesion as the most important objective of the EU cohesion policy reform and for equalization of direct agricultural payments among the EU Member States.
In-depth bilateral cooperation with Estonia and Lithuania to achieve the objectives set forth in international documents and more successful defending of common interests in the EU and other international organizations.
Continued strengthening of political, economic and cultural integration with the Nordic countries. Extending of cooperation with Germany and Poland as the most important countries of the European Union and NATO in the Baltic Sea region.
Strengthening of the strategic partnership with the USA in the area of security and economic policy.
Stand for broader representation of Latvia in the most important structures of the UNO as well as promotion of Latvia’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Promoting of the EU and NATO cooperation with Russia compliant with Latvia’s interests. Continuing of the European value-based dialogue with Russia across the spectrum of bilateral relations based on mutual respect and equality.
Promoting of national competitiveness and sustainable development, implementation of effective and common foreign economic policy under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Defending of foreign economic interests in traditional partner countries as well as active support to Latvia’s enterprises in new export markets by developing closer relations with new leaders of economic development in the regions of Asia and Latin America.
Implementing of the objectives of the EU development cooperation commensurate with our capabilities and expertise in specific regions.
Defence
Consistent implementation of the principal task of the national defence policy – to develop professional and effective National Armed Forces (NAF) according to priorities set forth in the NATO’s and Latvia’s defence planning documents.
Increasing the crisis management capacity, stabilization of the structure of educational system and strategic partnership with the countries of the alliance, including country’s participation in international military operations and participation in the development of the Common European Security and Defence Policy.
Gradual restoration of the funding for defence in line with Latvia’s international commitments by ensuring transparent use of the funding for further modernization of defence infrastructure.
Support to Latvia’s participation in NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan.
Strengthening of the cooperation of the Baltic countries in the area of defence by legally strengthening joint procurements and developing the Baltic Team Development Project.
Development of the Home Guard as a reserve service with an independent Youth Guard movement.
Latvia’s image and relationship with compatriots
Promoting of the international recognition of Latvia’s image: Latvia – a safe, ecologically clean country, which has successfully implemented the national economy and political reforms; Latvia – an international tourism destination. Latvia – a solidar EU country open to new ideas; Latvia – a trustworthy partner for Euro-Atlantic cooperation.
Strengthening of the links of the Latvian citizens living abroad with the homeland and promotion of development of a global network of Latvian nationals in cooperation with the Latvian organizations worldwide to strengthen Latvian identity and promote their return to homeland.
Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis
Minister for Defence Artis Pabriks
Minister for Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs
Minister for Economics Daniels Pavļuts
Minister for Finance Andris Vilks
Minister for the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis
Minister for Education and Science Roberts Ķīlis
Minister for Culture Žaneta Jaunzeme-Grende
Minister for Welfare Ilze Viņķele
Minister for Transport Aivis Ronis
Minister for Justice Gaidis Bērziņš
Minister for Health Ingrīda Circene
Minister for Environment Protection
and Regional Development Edmunds Sprūdžs
Minister for Agriculture Laimdota Straujuma
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