2023-04-20 06:44:55
Edvars Ratnieks has a Master of Laws from the University of Latvia. Before being elected as a Riga City Councilor in November 2022 for the Latvian National Alliance/Latvian Regional Alliance party, Ratnieks was president of the Latvian Students’ Association and president of the Public Advisory Council of the National Electronic Media Council, and worked as a lawyer in various positions. In recent years, he headed the Ministry of Agriculture’s Science Council and worked as an adviser to the minister on education and science. In December 2022 he was elected Deputy Mayor of Riga. Ratnieks is also Vice-Chairman of the Riga Planning Region Development Council and Co-Chairman of the Riga Metropolis Association.
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The National Conservatives of the National Alliance signed a government agreement in December 2022 with two other parties, Nueva Unidad (center-right) and Lista Unida (conservatives), and hold four ministerial portfolios: Defense, Economy, Culture and Transport. Alianza Nacional belongs to the group of European Conservatives and Reformists.
The Russian invasion has changed everything. A Lithuanian politician told me that in his capital, Vilnius, the concern was that there were no bomb shelters. How has the war affected Latvia and Riga?
The main problem was the war refugees. We realized very early on that conditions had to be created so that they would not only feel safe here, but also receive a sufficient initial package of aid. At first, almost 90% of the refugees who had arrived in Latvia were concentrated in Riga. This placed a huge burden on Riga’s capacity and the local government’s budget. But we managed to create a refugee center where they could get all the information they needed and also go through entry and settlement procedures, get food, and we also managed to organize aid campaigns for Ukraine. People were very united at all levels.
You, like many other Latvian citizens, have joined the National Guard.
In fact, I had planned to enlist in the National Guard a little earlier, but I fell ill with Covid-19 and had to postpone the courses. When the war in Ukraine started, I quickly arranged everything and put time into it. The most difficult thing is to connect practical training, because it takes place over several days in the forest, simulating real battles and military conditions. After the start of the war, being part of the National Guard took on a different meaning for Latvians: many men and women enlisted because now we were all aware of the risks that society tried to turn a blind eye to for many years thinking that “ It wouldn’t affect us.” In our minds, the value of freedom and patriotism increased significantly.
For 10 years, until 2019, Harmony, the Russian minority party, ruled Riga. This party, now virtually defunct, left a huge legacy of corruption and in 2020 the city government was suspended. Are there still corruption problems? How does the new city government deal with this past?
We tend to think that the risks of corruption have been eradicated in the Riga City Council and its subordinate institutions. Currently, we, as the new coalition and leadership of the city council, have changed the procedures and improved the management so that these things are not possible. The corruption that existed during the previous administration was unfortunate: without a doubt, with that money many good projects could have been carried out for the inhabitants of Riga.
The municipal government is a coalition of various parties. In addition to overcoming legacy problems, what are the points of agreement of the coalition?
For us it is important to preserve the coalition of right-wing forces. Questions of national identity are important. In Riga there is a large proportion of people of Russian nationality, including those who do not support our national values and continue to believe in the greatness of the Russian Empire. This is motivation enough for the existing coalition to work together and with determination, because it is the only way we can implement this national course in Riga and prevent people disloyal to Latvia from taking power in the capital. I represent the most patriotic party in Latvia: we do not make concessions in terms of language and nationalism. We believe that belonging to one or another nationality is not as important in Latvia as loyalty to the Latvian state, to its history, to its language and to its national history.
What are your goals as vice mayor? What are the challenges of running a city like Riga?
The mayor and deputy mayors of Riga have divided areas of responsibility. Before this position, I had already worked on educational infrastructure development issues, so one of my responsibilities is the infrastructure of schools, preschools and cultural institutions. We intend to invest significantly in the energy efficiency of schools, in the creation of new sports facilities, so that grassroots sports can develop at the same time, as well as in the modernization of school infrastructures. I visit schools almost every week to discuss problems and solutions for improvement.
It is also my responsibility to promote cooperation and support for Ukraine. Participating in sending aid shipments to Ukraine has already become a tradition that fills my heart, if not every week, then every two by three.
Another important responsibility for me is the municipal housing fund for young families. I have also undertaken to co-chair the association of Riga Metropolis, as well as to work in the management of the Riga Planning Region. We see great growth potential for the Riga metropolis in the future, and Riga plays an important role in promoting it.
In January he was in Kyiv to deliver humanitarian aid in the Ukrainian capital. What impression did its inhabitants and its mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, make on you? How important is aid to Ukraine for Latvia?
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitalii Klitschko, left me with the impression of a very strong personality, capable of standing firm in the face of the difficulties he is currently facing due to the war. He has a very strong handshake. Ukraine is currently fighting for the whole of Europe. Ukraine’s victory in the war is just as important for us as it is for the Ukrainians themselves. Ukraine must not fall, because then no country in Europe will be able to feel safe. As a municipality, we help Ukraine with humanitarian aid: we have already sent twenty passenger buses to Kyiv with goods donated by Rigans. In addition, in our country several movements and platforms have been formed, initiated by citizens and businessmen, each of which generates aid. This help is enormous: some repair cars and send them to the Ukrainian front, others weave nets for the soldiers, not to mention the donated clothes and shoes. Entrepreneurs donate funds for transformers and drones or medicines.
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