Latkovskis: Ban on Russian Grain Transit via Latvia May Prove Pointless
Latvian parliament member Ainars Latkovskis (New Unity) says restrictions on Russian grain transit are held up by parliamentary procedure and disagreements with the government. He doubts they would still have an effect, since Russia's harvest has already been gathered.
Ainars Latkovskis, a member of the Latvian parliament (Saeima) from the New Unity party (JV), said on the TV24 programme “Ziņu TOP” that the planned ban on Russian grain transit through Latvia could become pointless. In his account, it may be stalled by the legislative process, by earlier disagreements between parliament and the government, and by the fact that Russia's harvest this year has already been collected. The issue matters because transit through Latvia affects the sector's revenue and the state budget.
The earlier attempt
The Saeima had already passed a bill meant to regulate Russian grain transit through tariffs. The idea was that higher tariffs would make shipments via Latvia economically unattractive, while any grain still transported would bring extra money into the state budget.
Latkovskis admitted that everything looked good on paper. However, the government had said the Saeima could not write a specific 300% tariff rate into law itself, so the executive had to be given powers to set tariffs up to that level. When the executive began implementing the law, the tariff set was not 300% but 23%. The deputy said he hopes the executive will not play games this time or fool lawmakers.
A procedural obstacle
According to Latkovskis, by 18 November the Saeima had not yet set its agenda or formed the relevant committees. The Constitution and the Saeima's rules of procedure require government bills to be referred first to a specific committee. This could be the Budget and Finance (Taxation) Committee or the National Economy Committee, a matter for the Saeima Presidium to decide.
A bill can be considered in two readings, including under urgency procedure and even within a single sitting, but not without committee work and two committee meetings. “Well, there are no committees,” the deputy noted.
Economic impact
The Ministry of Transport estimates that a full ban could cost Latvia's sector 290 million euros. Latkovskis doubts the export of Russian grain can still be significantly affected, since the harvest in the neighbouring country is already in and most of the grain has probably been shipped. “It is sad to admit, but that is most likely how it is,” the deputy said.
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