The Ministry of Interior has prepared an information report to the government on the additional necessary funding for the ministry in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for one-off investments to strengthen the country's defence capabilities and internal security in relation to Russian military aggression against Ukraine and growing geopolitical risks.
The Ministry has proposed additional necessary funding of EUR 7,731,030 in 2023, EUR 9,042,850 in 2024 and EUR 8,562,474 in 2025.
Four sections need funding. Measures to strengthen the civil protection and disaster management system include the establishment of an operational management center for civil protection, the construction of a common national inventory of material reserves and daily resources for the home affairs sector, the establishment and maintenance of international and humanitarian aid capabilities.
Secondly, the strengthening of the administrative capacity of the State Security Service needs €5.8 million next year. Thirdly, approximately half a million euros are needed for the purchase of armaments for the performance of the functions of the State Police. Finally, a further half-million euro is needed to prevent cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and radio access measures.
Defense and home affairs areas are one of the priority sectors that should be financially strengthened, but budget revenues are limited, said Inna Šteinbuka, Chair of the Fiscal Discipline Council, on Latvian Radio April 19.
She said that the budget deficit could not be increased without specific justification, so the Council strongly recommends that each expenditure be assessed.
"Every increase in the budget needs to be very, very [thoroughly] assessed so that all our spending is very targeted. Its amounts cannot multiply and multiply all the time, we cannot borrow all the time because borrowing is increasingly expensive,” she said.
