Long queues of trucks, much larger flows of migrants, and delayed fence construction work on the Latvian-Belarusian border – these are just some of the crises that hit the Latgale border area in 2023. This was followed by tighter border controls on roads, active military exercises, and the creation of additional Ukrainian outreach support points.
“The consequences of the war in Ukraine. This year we are experiencing it, the tensions, different hybrid attacks like at the border checkpoint Vientuļi,” said the Chairman of the Balvi Municipality Council, Sergejs Maksimovs (Latgale Party).
Several border points have now closed.
The optimization of the school network and the mandatory criterion for the number of pupils at the secondary school stage are also a concern this year and in the future in border counties. Failure to ensure the required number will force some schools to close or change their status. So far, talks with the Ministry of Education and Science have not brought results.
Several murders in Latgale also shook the entire country this year. In November the head of the company “Lūsēni” and deputy of Ludza municipality Council Andris Ļubka was killed in a parking lot of a shop in Rēzekne. The case of seven-year-old Justīne Reinikova has now resulted in the father and stepmother of the girl charged with murder.
This year's success story is about activities and projects in the cultural and tourism industries. A museum for WWI has been established in the municipality of Augšdaugava, bunkers have been restored in Stompaku bog, while the historic smithy is in operation again in Lūznava.
This year, among Latgale municipalities, Rēzekne City Council stood out the most, which has not reported liabilities for nearly EUR 14 million in the accounts for 2023. The work of the City Council has also been delayed due to the boycott by several councilors and refraining from taking decisions, so next year will also be more complicated and more challenging than elsewhere.
