The Latvian banking sector, which is trying to regain international trust after extensive reforms to the financial system, must now expect extra attention due to Russian sanctions and related issues, LTV investigative show De Facto reported November 6.
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The already high heat tariffs could also grow in municipalities using woodchips. From next year, the European Union will have to buy CO2 emissions allowances, reported the De Facto program of LTV on November 6. For district heating companies, this could mean additional costs of millions of euros, which will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the population in the form of an increase in tariffs.
There has been no visible progress in negotiations between the Latvian Ministry of Finance with colleagues from the U.S. Department of the Treasury regarding the withdrawal of some statements which were presented in the 2018 sanctions decision taken by the U.S. against ABLV bank, LTV's De Facto reports.
With the decision of this Saeima to postpone the examination of the draft law of the mandatory national defense service, the work on it has stopped for at least a month until the next parliament is established. The discussion may extend further, Latvian Television broadcast De Facto reported on October 23.
In March, the government eased the red tape on the construction of woodchip heating boiler houses and shifted €70 million of European Union (EU) fund money to that target, in order to allow district heating companies to reduce gas consumption. Economics Ministry hoped that most of the projects would be ready for this heating season, but no boiler houses have not been built yet, Latvian Television broadcast De Facto reported October 23.
As a result of the remuneration reform adopted last year, around three million euros have been allocated to wage increases for top state officials and politicians, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on October 18. However, clerk-level officials' salaries, which were the main target of the reform, have not been included in the budget.
In the middle of the summer, the government supported the Ministry of Defense (AM) 's proposal to form a joint venture with the telecoms company LMT owned partially by the Latvian State and partly by Sweden, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on October 9. The first attempt to address the Swedish side, however, was unsuccessful.
Though since April, amendments to the Citizenship Law have allowed for the waiving of Latvian citizenship to persons who have provided different kinds of support to aggressor states, Russian billionaire Pyotr Aven who has been included in the European Union sanctions lists since February, remains a Latvian citizen, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on September 25.
If all citizens were to be notified quickly in Latvia in the event of a crisis, it would take nearly two days, as proved recently by the alert exercise carried out by the Ministry of Defense. A quicker way has been worked on for eight years but not much has been achieved, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on September 18.
The State Revenue Service (VID) has fined the “Bolt” taxi-on-demand company EUR 1.4 million for non-payment of corporate income tax (UIN). This is the second time the Latvian authority penalizes the Estonian unicorn for tax evasion in Latvia, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on September 11.
Entrepreneurs have found ways to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus. Most of the reports received by the Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia (FID) involve moving goods across the border. Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on August 29 that entrepreneurs both cheat on commodity codes and indicate intermediary countries in transactions.
This summer, changes to the law took effect, depriving Russian and Belarusian companies of voting rights in Latvian companies. This prohibition also applies to “Latvijas Gāze” (LG), the subsidiary of which is responsible for the distribution of gas in Latvia. According to Latvian Television's investigative broadcast De Facto, the Russian company Gazprom has nevertheless participated in recent meetings of LG shareholders.
In anticipation of the next heating season, households have the least worry about gas supply. They will have enough of what is already in Latvia, albeit at a much higher price than in the previous heating season. But will there be enough gas for all other consumers, like enterprises? Latvian Television's De Facto, aired on June 19, aimed to probe the issue.
In the next heating season, which is forecast to be tough, support for all electricity users, will no longer apply. Instead, a targeted support system should be in place. However, according to Latvian Television's De Facto broadcast of June 5, the State does not really know who the people most in need are, and a system must be prepared in less than three months.
Preliminary figures show that in 2021, 725 people died from illnesses directly related to alcohol consumption, which is 200 more than in 2020 and nearly 100 more than in 2018 and 2019, the De Facto program of Latvian Television reported May 22. The broadcast looked at what is being planned for the future to prevent such trends.
Though the celebration of the so-called 'Victory Day' of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany were officially banned this year, various events in Rīga made it rather look like a week-long celebration. In Daugavpils, where the Russian-speaking population is in the majority, the day passed more peacefully, Latvian Television's De Facto broadcast aired May 15 reported.
The issue of the Victory monument where the controversial May 9 celebration takes place each year has been discussed for years in the society and among politicians. Now, with the war in Ukraine, the supporters of the dismantling of the monument are urging less talk and more action, Latvian Television's broadcast De Facto reported on April 10.
In February this year, a majority of Saeima deputies approved laws that transform the ports of Rīga and Ventspils into state-owned companies as part of extensive reforms of the opaque structures running them in recent decades, but opposition parties took the opportunity provided by the constitution to force the President to suspend promulgation of the law and try to hold a referendum.
European Union sanctions have been applied to several companies in Latvia owned by Russian businessmen, but there are concerns about possible evasion of the sanctions, Latvian Television's investigative broadcast De Facto reported on March 20.
Apart from billionaire Pyotr Aven, at least three more businessmen with links to Latvia were in Putin's audience on February 24 when Russia began the invasion of Ukraine, according to Latvian Television's investigative broadcast De Facto which aired March 6.