The Riga City Council coalition has accomplished a significant amount of important work in its first 100 days, laying the foundations for positive changes in the capital, as representatives of the Riga City Council leadership emphasised at a press conference on Tuesday, 7 October.
During the first 100 days of the current legislature, the Council held seven sessions and addressed 277 items, as well as 56 committee meetings that covered 399 items.
“In the first 100 days, we have made important preparations to make Riga the economic engine of the country. I am convinced that without Riga’s growth, it is impossible to double the national economy. Therefore, the tax system must be fair and growth-oriented: if added value is generated in Riga, taxes must stay in the city. I would like to highlight two achievements in particular that will improve the daily lives of Riga’s citizens. First, Riga will have to pay less into the Equalisation Fund next year, thereby obtaining more financial freedom to invest in education, infrastructure and the urban environment, while strengthening the Latvian economy as a whole. Second, we have agreed with the Ministry of Finance to provide funding for the reconstruction of the Vanšu Bridge. This is an important step because without this agreement, the construction works would not be possible in 2027,” said Viesturs Kleinbergs, Chairperson of the Riga City Council.
As the Mayor of Riga pointed out, a stable, national coalition has been formed, protecting the city from the influence of pro-Kremlin forces, and important economic decisions have been reached, including a reduction in contributions to the Equalisation Fund and funding for the reconstruction of the Vanšu Bridge, which will strengthen the growth of both the city and the country. After a five-year break, the Department for Spatial Planning and Mobility has received permanent leadership, starting visible changes in traffic and urban development, including the construction of new pedestrian crossings and the trialling of pedestrian streets, initially in the centre, and eventually in other neighbourhoods.
Negotiations are also underway to extend tram lines and develop water transport, facilitating public transport as the most convenient way to get around the city. The summer’s major events, including EuroBasket and the School Youth Song and Dance Festival, were a success, demonstrating the city’s ability to provide security, generate economic benefits and create a humane Riga, Mr Kleinbergs said.
“I believe that we have achieved profound results in our first 100 days. We completed the renovation of the Victory Park, making it one of the most modern and beautiful urban parks in Europe, with a versatile and extensive active and sports area. We have begun construction of the first primary school in Mežaparks since the restoration of Latvia,” emphasised Edvards Ratnieks, Deputy Mayor of Riga.
The politician pointed out that 141 shelters would be converted to Category 3 shelters over the next two years. It will benefit from the planned funding of the ERDF allocated by the state in the amount of EUR 5.8 million and approximately EUR 10 million of municipal funding.
“We are continuing to intensively renovate educational institutions in Riga, including sports grounds near schools. Four outdoor sports grounds have been completed this autumn or are about to be completed. We will soon open the Riga Municipal Police Unified Control and Video Surveillance Centre. We have also started to eradicate illegal immigration for the safety of Riga’s citizens and the future of Riga,” said Mr Ratnieks.
“The previous legislature of the Riga City Council marked a turning point in the capital’s relations with the government, ensuring that after a long time, the state and the capital are once again working together and making national decisions. It is important to build upon this groundwork, which is why I have met with Ministers in all my areas of responsibility – education, health, and welfare – during the new Council term to agree on priorities and upcoming collaboration work. In all areas, work has already been done and new initiatives have been launched. Nevertheless, I would like to highlight the transition to teaching in the Latvian language as one of the most important works. We have been pushing this reform politically and will stand by it steadfastly. The monitoring by the State Education Quality Service has disclosed that two-thirds of schools in Latvia have introduced teaching in the Latvian language without hitches. However, in one-third, there are challenges, and we are working on them. For the successful implementation of the reform and for Latvian to be the only language of communication in schools, the leadership of school principals is important, and I will soon come up with an action plan for both monitoring schools and motivating schools and additional teachers,” said Riga Deputy Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis.
The Deputy Mayor pointed out that the Council of School Principals of Riga was restored, which would be an important platform in the daily work of planning and implementing priorities in the field of education in Riga. Another important piece of work on education, which we are working on together with the Ministry, is the application process for secondary education, so that next spring, it will go ahead without a hitch.
On the other hand, speaking about families and demography, Mr Ķirsis emphasised that birth allowances had been increased, municipal support for young families and new municipal support programmes for young people in difficulty or suffering from addiction had been introduced, as well as the reorganisation of the Social Service had begun.
Various events are also organised in the city: the School Youth Song and Dance Festival, EuroBasket, Riga City Festival, as well as preparations for November, the month of Latvian national holidays and patriotism. Continuing the theme of “My Latvia. My Responsibility”, this year the design of Riga will be dominated by the symbol of Lāčplēsis and the fact that this year, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Freedom Monument, the symbol of our freedom. This is the Golden Year of the Flow. Therefore, until the end of the year, the city will have the heroes of the Flow on the letters “Riga”. We are developing a concept of a location where they can all be displayed together later, the Deputy Mayor informed.
“Riga cannot develop in fragments, as individual projects or sectors. We need to generate a collaboration mechanism between Riga and the Baltic Sea Region that functions as a single organism, especially in the traffic organisation, and creates a quality living environment for residents and business people. I have spent these first 100 days putting the system together and starting the processes that will deliver long-term results. Mobility is not just about roads and buses; it is about people’s everyday convenience and the choice to move sustainably. The Riga City centre needs to be revitalised, becoming a place where people want to live and work. And the Daugava, the backbone of our city, must finally be opened up to people, water transport developed and accessible, safe waterfronts created. Riga is changing gradually, but purposefully, with an eye on the future and the quality of people’s lives,” said Riga Deputy Mayor Māris Sprindžuks.
Looking back on his first 100 days in office, Mr Sprindžuks outlined three interlinked directions – sustainable mobility, revitalisation of the historic centre and waterfront development. The implementation of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan has started, and meetings have been held with the municipalities of the Baltic Sea Region, the Ministry of Transport, the Road Transport Directorate and Rīgas satiksme to agree on the expansion and improvement of the public transport network. In the meanwhile, the thematic planning of Riga’s historic centre is being promoted and the introduction of a Low Emission Zone is being prepared, along with a review of the system of building permits and infrastructure charges to facilitate development and investment in the centre.
As for waterfronts, Riga does not have a unified policy at the moment. Therefore, developing one is one of the next tasks to exploit the potential of the city’s rivers and lakes by developing passenger transport on water and improving the infrastructure of piers, the Vice Mayor indicated.
Information was prepared by Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv.
