Liquidation of Climate and Energy Ministry is only a matter of time - Vitenbergs

RIGA - Liquidation of the Climate and Energy Ministry is only a matter of time, Climate and Energy Minister Janis Vitenbergs (National Alliance) says in an interview with LETA.

In Vitenbergs' opinion, consideration should be given to establishing a Ministry of National Economy by merging several current institutions.

At the time the Climate and Energy Ministry was established, specific tasks were outlined to justify its necessity. "I believe this primarily concerns breaking away from Russia's energy supply network, reconciling interests of residents and businesses within the regulatory framework for the development of renewable energy projects, and mitigating security risks in energy supply," says Vitenbergs.

He believes that the functions currently performed by the ministry will not disappear, but their scope may change in the long term.

"I also cannot shake the feeling that the focus on the main issues, the very reasons the ministry was established, has somehow been lost, and the ministry is focusing on climate goals for 2050, even though we ourselves cannot predict what will happen tomorrow," says the minister.

Vitenbergs says that, during his term in office, he wants to bring the ministry "back down to earth" so that the ministry's support programs are based on the public interest, interests of local governments, and on security solutions that deal with infrastructure and the upcoming heating season.

He also points out that sooner or later, a single large, unified Ministry of National Economy will be established in Latvia through possibly merging the Climate and Energy Ministry, the Economics Ministry, and the Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry.

"Whether it would be based on the Climate and Energy Ministry or the Economics Ministry, I cannot say at this time, but that is where we have to go. In Estonia, too, there are several ministries working in a single building, and when I visited my colleagues there, I saw that whenever an issue needed to be resolved, a specialist from another ministry would be called in to provide all necessary support and answers promptly. And New Unity representatives have already stated that the Welfare Ministry should be merged with the Health Ministry. The changes need to be more far-reaching," Vitenbergs emphasizes.