Latvia spent €30.1 million from contingency fund in nine months
Latvia's state budget programme for unforeseen expenses saw €30.114 million used in the first nine months of 2026. The Ministry of Welfare received the most.
Latvia has used €30.114 million from its state budget programme "Funds for Unforeseen Circumstances" in the first nine months of this year. That is 34.1% of the amount originally planned in the budget, or 29.9% when the September reallocation of appropriations is taken into account. The figures were published by the Fiscal Discipline Council (FDC), the body that monitors the country's fiscal policy.
Spending by quarter
In the first quarter, €2.975 million was used from the fund, €6.239 million in the second and €20.9 million in the third. In total, 90 requests from government bodies were approved over nine months: 20 in the first quarter, 25 in the second and 45 in the third.
Who received the most
Most of the money went to three ministries: the Ministry of Welfare received €9.04 million (five requests), the Ministry of Health €6.405 million (three requests) and the Ministry of Agriculture €2.994 million (11 requests).
The Ministry of Transport was granted €2.368 million for 13 requests, the Ministry of Education and Science €1.915 million, the Ministry of Culture €1.914 million, the Ministry of Finance €1.747 million and the Ministry of the Interior €1.526 million. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was allocated €865,100, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development €252,400, the Ministry of Defence €236,900, the Ministry of Climate and Energy €49,300 and the Ministry of Justice €46,300.
The Cabinet of Ministers received €503,400 for its requests, the State Audit Office €168,400 and the Central Election Commission €83,000.
Budget size and purpose
The 2026 budget originally set aside €88.3 million for the programme, which is €21.4 million less than in 2025. In September, a decision was made to reallocate €12.3 million to it from the budget programmes of ministries and other central state institutions.
The funds are granted for events of special national importance, for unforeseen expenses related to preventing the consequences of disasters and natural calamities and compensating for resulting losses, and for other unforeseen cases. The relevant sectoral ministry submits the request.
