The Latvian Civic Alliance (LPA) is concerned about a proposal submitted by the Greens and Farmers Union (ZZS) to the Saeima to abolish the Society Integration Foundation (SIF). In the view of the organisation, this proposal can be seen as an attempt to weaken civil society, participation and an independent media environment, Latvian Radio reported on 10 November.
The LPA noted that the past weeks have witnessed several events that have sparked public debate – the Saeima’s decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, plans to change the governance model of public media, decisions limiting participation in Saeima committees, as well as attempts to discredit NGOs and denigrate the role of civil society.
LPA Director Kristīne Zonberga stressed that this undermines the foundations of democracy and the voice of the public in decision-making. She pointed out that the SIF is the main state instrument administering programmes for civil society, the diaspora, the media, support for Ukrainians, families and young people.
Zonberga explained that SIF supports more than 420,000 food parcels for the poor each year, a programme for large families, media, community and cohesion initiatives, and practical support for Ukraine.
The LPA considers that the abolition of the SIF would have the opposite effect of reducing bureaucracy by increasing administrative burdens and costs. Zonberga noted that currently several national and EU programmes are merged into one fund, ensuring centralised monitoring, transparency and administrative competence.
The LPA calls on the Saeima to reject this proposal and to preserve the SIF as “an important pillar of democracy in Latvia”.
The coalition partners New Unity (JV) and Progressives do not support the abolition of the SIF.
Edmunds Jurēvics, head of the JV faction in the Saeima, told LETA that the ZZS proposal is dangerous populism and is directed against Latvian civil society. The JV will categorically not support it.
“Unfortunately, ZZS has imagined to compete in a kind of ‘populist bidding’ with other political forces, but I would urge them to restrain themselves and withdraw such proposals,” Jurēvics said.
Andris Šuvajevs, head of the Progressives’ parliamentary faction, also stressed that the ZZS proposal is a targeted attack on civil society. He also recalled that the SIF Fund’s board also includes ZZS Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks. “We do not seem to have heard from him any proposals for more effective functioning of the fund,” Šuvajevs said.
According to Šuvajevs, the proposal to abolish the Fund is “another populism supported by all the same politicians who want to denounce the Istanbul Convention”.
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