On 9 February, President of Latvia Egils Levits and Interior Minister Māris Kučinskis met at the Riga Castle to discuss the state of Latvia’s eastern border. ‘European Union’s (EU) external border regulations are outdated and inefficient. Our eastern border is also the external border of the EU – we must advocate for better regulations together with like-minded partners. EU border countries need that,’ President of Latvia said.
President of Latvia acknowledged the successful progress with border fence construction project on Latvian-Belarusian border. ‘Our defence requires us to physically and legally reinforce our national borders. It is our legitimate obligation to defend our borders,’ President Levits continued.
President also expressed his support to Specialized Civil Protection and Disaster Management Commission recently established by the Cabinet of Ministers upon the initiative of Prime Minister. Committee is chaired by Interior Minister Kučinskis. According to President Levits, when audit of current system is completed civil protection and crisis coordination should be supervised directly by Prime Minister.
Meeting with Minister Kučinskis also focused on 2022 State Police reform. Reform started last year and is expected to boost police efficiency and capacity. According to Interior Minister, reform intends to improve governance without layoffs. New police model will improve public access to police services and contribute to more efficient and effective police work.
President of Latvia also mentioned the importance of opening Internal Security Academy next September. ‘It now needs qualified professors capable of training top-class interior and law enforcement professionals,’ Egils Levits emphasised.
President Levits and Minister Kučinskis also spoke about interior spending, agreeing that ‘funding for interior needs must keep increasing because Latvia’s internal security is a priority equal to external security’.
