Latvian government at extraordinary meeting on Friday to discuss allocation of financing to priority measures

RIGA - The Cabinet of Ministers will convene an extraordinary meeting on Friday to discuss allocation of additional funds to priority measures, the State Chancellery reported.

The government will hear the Finance Ministry's informative report on the fiscal space measures and expenditure for priority measures in the 2020 budget and budget framework for 2020-2022.

This report was on the agenda at the government meeting last week, September 6, but it was not discussed at the request of Justice Minister Janis Bordans (New Conservative Party).

The Finance Ministry has estimated that the fiscal space in 2020 budget amounts to EUR 178.1 million. Of that, EUR 152.6 million will be allocated for priority measures of ministers, and EUR 25.5 million for priority measures of independent institutions.

In 2020 budget, additional EUR 50 million will be earmarked for medics' wages, EUR 8 million for priorities of the Education and Science Ministry, and EUR 23 million to ensure the promised increase of teachers' wages.

EUR 32 million will be allocated for raising the differentiated non-taxable minimum income, additional EUR 18.9 million will be used for priorities of the Interior Ministry, and EUR 13 million for priorities of the Culture Ministry.

Public media will receive additional EUR 6.3 million, the new political parties financing model will get EUR 5 million, and EUR 10 million will be earmarked for measures aimed at combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The Transport Ministry's priorities will be granted EUR 9.4 million, while EUR 1.1 million will be allocated for implementation of the territorial reform, and EUR 3 million for implementation of Foreign Ministry's priorities.