It is difficult to say what motivated Minister of Transport Aitis Švinka ("Progressives") and his advisors, but his "decisive" decision was announced on the eve of the adoption of the 2026 budget, thus delivering yet another blow to the stability of the government.
The port asks for forgiveness
Let’s explain the situation. The Ventspils Free Port has long requested the government to write off a debt of 14.8 million euros to the State Treasury. The port management justified the existence of the debt by the geopolitical situation, which led to a collapse in transit, as well as the unsuccessful reform of the port system in the country. The decision to write off the debt was supported by the Union of Greens and Farmers, who have always been "concerned" about Ventspils for a completely understandable reason.
According to rumors from the corridors of power, initially, the "progressive" ministers overseeing the Ministry of Transport were ready to heed the requests of the "green farmers" and support the debt write-off. However, after the "green farmers" voted with the opposition for a bill on Latvia's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, relations between the two political forces sharply deteriorated.
The city is "devouring" the port
In any case, yesterday the head of the Ministry of Transport, Aitis Švinka, announced that he "decided not to propose writing off the debts of the Ventspils port management to the State Treasury in the amount of 14.8 million euros." The minister believes that the poor condition of the Ventspils port infrastructure, which requires investments of up to 100 million euros, is related not only to the consequences of Russian aggression and sanctions.
For over 35 years, there has been a practice of managing the port's funds, EU funds, and state support being used to maintain the urban infrastructure of Ventspils, which has contributed to the port's lagging behind in competition with other Baltic ports. The "green farmers" have already stated that they do not intend to "beg and plead" with the Minister of Transport.
However, this does not mean that they have resigned themselves to the situation. It is evident that such a demarche by Švinka only brings the government crisis closer — the only question is when it will happen: before or after the budget is adopted. Most likely, it will be after.
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