EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation

According to a statement to the media released by the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry, the draft law was supported by the Justice Ministry, the State Chancellery and the Cross-Sectoral Coordination Center. Still, the State Chancellery informed LETA that it did not approve the bill and was standing by its objections. The State Chancellery insists on the necessity to thoroughly assess the bill’s legal aspects and risks, as well as proportionality.

Meanwhile, the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments argues that the draft legislation does not provide a reasoning behind the Riga City Council’s dissolution and evidence of the city council’s violations, the ministry’s representatives said.

Representatives of the Justice Ministry said at Tuesday’s meeting that systematic violations have been found on the part of the Riga City Council while the position of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments and the Association of Latvia’s Large Cities cannot be considered impartial as these organizations receive annual subsidies from the city council.

“The wording of the bill therefore was not agreed at the meeting, as the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments and the Association of Latvia’s Large Cities still do not agree that the Riga City Council’s actions have been unlawful and inconsistent with the local residents’ interests, or that the violations have been identified and recorded in the bill’s annotation,” the Environmental Protection and Regional Development Ministry concluded.

The ministry will now update the wording of the bill, taking into consideration the proposals offered during the meeting, and will submit the draft law to the government on January 21.

As reported, Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Gerhards (National Alliance) has submitted to the government a bill to dissolve the Riga City Council.

The bill has been based on a number of violations in the work of the local government, including in supervision of its companies. The Environment Protection and Regional Development Ministry has assessed the responsibility of the Riga City Council in the criminal case on Rigas Satiksme municipal transport company and also other violations, inaccuracies and inactivity in the work of the local government.