Latvia approves 30 million euros for three disaster centres
Tuesday 22nd September 2026 on 18:31 in
Latvia
Latvia’s Cabinet has approved the Interior Ministry’s proposal to assume around 30 million euros in commitments and sign contracts to build disaster management centres in Krāslava, Rēzekne and Balvi, LSM reported.
The funding will cover the design and construction of the centres, as well as related services and work. Earlier tenders for designing and building the centres ended without results and were therefore held again.
Design work is expected to take nine months after the contracts are signed. Construction is scheduled to take 15 to 16 months after the design work is completed, with the centres planned to be commissioned by the end of 2028.
Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava of the National Alliance has ordered a critical review of the design requirements for the three centres. The planned building volumes are to be reduced while retaining the space and functionality required by the services and institutions using the facilities.
The ministry must also assess how optimisation measures could affect construction costs and ensure that projected costs are reduced by at least 10 percent. The savings are to be redirected towards strengthening the capacity of national security and interior services.
By mid-October, the Interior Ministry must submit proposals to improve the development and implementation of construction projects in the interior sector. The proposals are to include more thorough assessments of land suitability, a critical review of requirements set by services and institutions, and stricter monitoring of construction estimates and costs.
A total of 32 disaster management centres are being developed across Latvia. The centres are intended to bring together several services, including the State Fire and Rescue Service, State Police and Emergency Medical Service, along with other services and institutions involved in responding to emergencies.
Construction of 21 disaster management centres has been completed so far. The first centres were formally opened on June 1, 2023.