(Latvian Public Broadcasting) On February 1, the President of Latvia Egils Levits sent a letter to Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš pointing out shortcomings in the long-debated territorial reform, according to the President s press service.
The President has welcomed the draft Local Government Law prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, which provides for electing community councils in parishes and cities and grants a specific competence to these community councils.
“Administrative territorial reform should not make local communities feel that their ability to influence local government decisions after reform is reduced and that the local government is distancing itself from them. It is the task of the State to create the necessary pre-conditions for the voice and interests of local communities to be heard and taken into account within the municipality, even after the territorial reform,” Levits said.