Declaration of the Intended Activities of the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš

The Declaration of the Intended Activities of the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš is a multi-sectoral document of Latvia. Its main objective is the alignment of the financial system, the strengthening of national security and the rule of law, the implementation of the administrative-territorial reform, the improvement of the quality and accessibility of the health care system and the education system, the removal of the mandatory procurement component, the increase of the economic competitiveness, productivity and investment, and the improvement of the demographic situation.
Among others, it provides for a unified and positive image of Latvia as a place for exporting companies; reduce administrative barriers to exports of Latvian goods and services; strengthen the State Environmental Service to reduce environmental infringements; develop the National Energy and Climate Plan 2030, by providing rational and effective climate targets and continuing to reduce GHG emissions; introduce a modern circular economy, incl. we will adopt a new waste management plan to promote waste recycling and recovery, we will introduce a deposit system; reduce air pollution; support the preservation of natural diversity; implement a policy of subterranean depths and mineral resources stimulating their economically sound and sustainable use, including peat, sapropel and other subterranean resources; develop proposals for the European Union's agricultural policy after 2020 to promote the transition to a fair aid payment system, eliminating discrimination against farmers in the new Member States, as well as increasing the competitiveness of Latvian farmers in the European Union, incl. increasing the capacity of the NGO sector in Latvia; develop legislative proposals and implement educational measures to ensure the use of land as a resource for agricultural production, by avoiding any reduction in the amount of agricultural land; ensure that the European Union and state aid payments for agricultural producers are channelled to the production of agricultural products, incl. by structuring the European Union’s aid policy, increasing direct payments for the first hectares; set the ceiling for direct payments and investments per farm; promote the development of competitive and sustainable food business; consider the possibility of reducing VAT on fresh meat, fish, eggs and dairy products; implement the internal market protection measures to defend the Latvian producers, as well as to improve the regulatory framework by introducing the principles of green public procurement in pubic procurements and procurements of local government institutions, thereby enhancing competitiveness of Latvian products; take the measures to ensure that the Latvian agricultural land stays in the hands of local agricultural producers, by leasing the agricultural land, which is in the possession of the State or local governments, primarily to local agricultural producers; ensure a sustainable agricultural policy, we will contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions in agricultural activity without any reductions in production; ensure the efficiency and volume of organic farming production through green public procurement, increasing the availability of organic food in schools and pre-school educational establishments; improve the regulatory framework to encourage the creation and development of cooperatives for farmers, foresters, fishers and producers, and strengthen the merger of the second-tier co-operatives; improve the regulatory framework for the structural fund programmes in the field of agriculture and fisheries by implementing systematic support for a wide variety of farms (including crop farming, market gardening, horticulture and young farmers), with a view to primarily earn more income from each hectare of agricultural land; assess the possibility of increasing support for small farms, particularly by promoting the variety of agricultural products; support the allocation of funds from the general state budget to carry out the statistical inventory of forests, taking into account its role in the economy as a whole at national level; support the use of the financial resources of the European Union, national and public forest operators to improve forest infrastructure, increase the economic value of forests and reduce the impact of climate change; develop a new and improve the current regulatory framework for the use of products of the agricultural and forestry sectors in pharmacy, construction, energy and other sectors, by developing the bio-economy and providing higher value added for available resources; and support the use of local energy resources to ensure energy independence and security, to create additional jobs and economic benefits in regions.