Luxembourg to help Latvia clean up military sites

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European Union and NATO partner Luxembourg is to help Latvia reduce pollution and environmental damage at its military sites, the Defense Ministry said in a February 12 press release.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Brussels between Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks and Luxembourg government representative Henri Kox to co-finance environmental clean-up work at military sites in Latvia.

“The memorandum signed today not only reflects Latvia's and Luxembourg's shared understanding of the importance of environmental protection, but also contributes to the development of our military bases,” Pabriks said.

Luxembourg Ministry of Defense allocated funding will be used for the elimination of pollution of National Guard facilities in Stopinu region as well as other sites.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Luxembourg will provide EUR 1.2 million in financing to Latvia over the period 2020 to 2023, or EUR 300 000 annually.

"The implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding will also contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change and environmental degradation by reducing the environmental impact of the defense sector, which is a pressing issue in the European Union," the Defense Ministry said.

In 2017, Luxembourg provided EUR 3 million in funding to build a barracks for 450 soldiers at the Ādaži base, which houses the NATO enhanced forward presence battle group in Latvia. Construction of the barracks was completed in 2019.

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