Interior minister upset about budget cut, will insist on increasing funding to EUR 600 million

RIGA - Interior Minister Sandis Girgens (KPV LV) is upset about a plan to cut the interior sector's budget by EUR 48 million in the next coming years and insists on raising it to EUR 600 million.

In an interview with the Morning Panorama program of Latvian Television this morning, Girgens said that the interior sector was unable to subsist on a budget of less than EUR 400 million as it was already short of equipment and wage funds.

"Apart from EU co-funding, the Interior Ministry's 2019 budget was close to EUR 402 million, but there will be a very sharp reduction in the next two years - by around EUR 48 million. The budget planned for 2021 will reach EUR 354 million. It would be necessary to achieve a budget increase to EUR 500 million or EUR 600 million," the minister said.

Compared the budgets of the Defense Ministry and the Interior Ministry, Girgens described the difference as unfair, stressing that in Latvia internal security is just as important as external security.

"In my view, the country's sovereignty depends on the strength of its external and internal security," the minister said.