Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, may have passed the government’s spending plans for 2026 in a first reading, but deputies will have plenty more work to do on it as almost 600 amendments have been appended to it ahead of its second reading.
On Wednesday, November 19th, the Cabinet of Ministers (Cabinet of Ministers) reviewed the submitted proposals for the second reading of the 2026 state budget in the Saeima. It is planned that the Saeima will begin considering the draft law on the state budget for 2026 and the budget framework for 2026, 2027 and 2028 in the second reading on December 3rd.
In total, 585 proposals related to changes to the 2026 state budget and accompanying draft laws have been received and considered by the Cabinet. Of these, 481 proposals have been submitted to the Saeima, while the government has offered 15 alternative proposals. In addition, the Ministry of Finance has received another 89 proposals for the 2026 state budget draft law.
The ministries have evaluated the proposals affecting the draft laws they have promoted and provided opinions. 191 of the submitted proposals were supported at the Cabinet meeting.
In total, additional resources of more than 22 million euros have been identified, and by updating next year’s state budget expenditure plans, public debt management expenses were reduced by 10 million euros, as well as additional funds were found in the state budget from AS “Latvijas valsts meži”, by reviewing the planned income in dividends worth 12 million euros.
The most significant additional funding is intended for the redesign of the “Rail Baltica” project – 8 million euros, as well as for supporting rural family doctors – 4.8 million euros. In turn, another 1.8 million euros have been directed to support victims of violence, and 1 million euros have been directed to the preservation of religious heritage.
It has become a sort of tradition that the second reading of the budget turns into a marathon undertaking. Some attempts were made for a few years to streamline the process and avoid a situation in which hundreds of amendments were inserted between the first and second readings – often by Saeima deputies lobbying for their pet projects – but such efforts proved futile.
Usually, the great majority of proposed amendments come to nothing and are voted down by the ruling parties, but in the febrile atmosphere of the current coalition, it will be interesting to see if its constituent parties break ranks once again.
The passing of the 2021 state budget turned into a remarkable eight-day affair. It remains to be seen whether the 2026 vintage can come close to that benchmark when deputies start their debates on December 3rd.
Select text and press Ctrl+Enter to send a suggested correction to the editor
Select text and press Report a mistake to send a suggested correction to the editor
Tell us about a mistake