New Government Completes Only Three of 61 Priority Tasks in First Month

Latvia's new government has fully completed only three of its 61 priority tasks in the first month of work, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (AS) told journalists after a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Kulbergs said he was not satisfied with the small number of completed tasks but stressed that ministries have already created the groundwork for implementing the remaining ones. He noted that it is impossible to complete all tasks within one month and that ministers have been instructed to focus on priorities rather than routine issues. The pace of work was also affected by an unexpected cyberattack on AS "Latvijas valsts meži".

Achievements

The government highlighted significant progress in strengthening Latvia-Ukraine cooperation on drone defense, improving civil protection regulations for compensation of damages from military incidents, expanding support for large families, and preparing digital solutions for the 15th Saeima elections. A conceptual framework for supporting Latgale and the eastern border region has also been developed.

In family policy, the eligibility for the Latvian Honorary Family Certificate has been extended: large families can now use it until the youngest child reaches adulthood or turns 24 if they continue education or serve in national defense. For elections, the government has enabled electronic submission of candidate lists, an electronic voter registry, and an electronic vote counting system.

In public procurement, e-catalog transaction data has been made publicly available to increase transparency. In energy, amendments to the Electricity Market Law were adopted to regulate wind farm operation and decommissioning, and Latvia's initial position on EU energy policy post-2030 was approved. In construction, a "zero cycle" regulation was introduced to allow phased building, and in trade, a plan to reduce administrative burden was approved.

Macroeconomic and fiscal forecasts for the next four years were prepared by the end of June, and the Finance Ministry has been tasked with submitting budget policy proposals in July to achieve a balanced general government budget by 2030 and reduce administration costs. The government also discussed hospital network reorganization to clearer define levels of care.

Next Steps

Kulbergs refrained from evaluating individual ministers but acknowledged that faster work is possible. He noted that the new government had to address previously unresolved issues with significant fiscal impact and that ministers needed time to familiarize themselves with their portfolios. The government will review progress on the priorities again after one month.