“Providus” Warns: New Amendments Expand Non-Transparent Civil Service Practices
The public policy center “Providus” warns that the Saeima’s amendments to the State Civil Service Law perpetuate and expand an already insufficiently transparent practice of appointing senior officials, where transfers and rotations often replace open competitions.
Analysis by “Providus” shows that since 2014, roughly half of all senior civil service appointments have been made through transfers or rotations rather than open competitions. Experts argue that this creates a risk that a formally lawful instrument becomes a parallel, less transparent path for selecting top officials.
The study found that state secretaries in several ministries – including Foreign Affairs, Interior, Finance, Welfare, and Justice – obtained their positions precisely through rotation or transfer. “Providus” notes that this practice reduces external competition, weakens selection transparency, and increases the risk of politicization.
The Saeima on Thursday passed amendments that in certain cases allow civil servants to be transferred to head-of-institution positions without an open competition, to ensure continuity. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (AS) supported the changes, stating that the current regulation is “stupid” and hinders government work, especially regarding the vacancy for the head of the State Chancellery.
However, “Providus” experts warn that the amendments only reinforce the existing closed system. They call for a comprehensive evaluation of the civil service system, defining which positions must be filled through competition, under what exceptions transfers are permissible, how such decisions should be publicly justified, how independent competence assessment should be ensured, and how the public can regularly access appointment data.
“Providus” believes Latvia must step out of its “comfort zone” and restructure the civil service to genuinely ensure stable, lawful, and efficient public administration regardless of political changes.
