On 28 October, President of Latvia Egils Levits took part in conference ‘Cornerstones of Latvia's national development’ where he presented the priorities that the new government should address in the next four years.
National security and foreign policy were the first priority outlined by President Levits. Latvia should continue to raise defence spending and strengthen the interior sector, he said. It is also important to prepare Latvia for efficient civilian defence, which might require a new crisis management centre. As regards to foreign policy, Egils Levits urged the next government to seize opportunities presented by ‘gravity centre of European decision-making shifting to East’ and Latvia’s opinion being heavily relied on in making decisions. According to President, Latvia has received additional attention due to competence shown during European Union (EU) level discussions on specific EU matters.
Stronger national identity was another priority identified by President of Latvia. Egils Levits said that Latvia should pay particular attention to problems with Latvian language teachers and students by providing bonuses and scholarships for them.
Competitiveness was outlined by President Levits next. Latvia should revise its energy consumption patterns and boost exports.
Smart digitalisation was another priority indicated by Egils Levits. Digitalisation should be in balance with technical needs personal autonomy and freedoms also in digital domain.
Egils Levits believes that the next government should also focus on general education. Latvia needs to improve general knowledge of graduates both in the field of sciences and Latvian, said President. Government must continue school network reforms and find ways to raise teachers’ pay. Upskilling of teachers must also be continued. ‘The new government should assess the success of the skills-based learning and suggest ways to improve it,’ Egils Levits said.
Higher education and research was the next government priority mentioned by Egils Levits. ‘Latvia’s growth and continuity depends on that – our people are our greatest asset,’ President Levits said. Latvia should also increase funding for research and science, including the baseline allocation.
President of Latvia Egils Levits also suggested to base the economy on local population instead of more open migration policy. Skilled labour and productivity gains are therefore crucial. ‘Our strength is not in attracting migrant workers, we need to boost productivity,’ Egils Levits said. Labour mobility is more suited to other sectors, such as science, where added value is greater.
Egils Levits noted that the next government will also have to address issues with social policy.
Public governance was the last of priorities highlighted by President of Latvia. There are several policy areas that lack political leadership – Green Deal and energy, digital transformation, higher education and research, demographics, families and children, information space, communication and crisis management. According to Egils Levits, Latvia must consider two and three political levels with deputy ministers (with or without voting rights) in some line ministries, as well as simplified cross-ministry department collaboration.
