Five Latvian border municipalities form association after law disappoints

Five municipalities on Latvia’s eastern border have agreed to establish an association to represent residents’ needs and rights at national level, LSM reports. The municipalities border Russia and Belarus and say they face shared challenges.

The municipalities had hoped the Law on the Development of Latvia’s Eastern Territory would provide specific support for the five direct border regions. Instead, it applies to 15 municipalities and does not single out the role of the five in strengthening national security.

“We hoped it would continue the counter-mobility law and provide certain benefits for the five eastern border municipalities. Unfortunately, we did not see that in the law,” said Vitālijs Aizbalts, chair of the Augšdaugava council. He said the municipalities wanted their concerns to be heard and addressed, including in discussions about the municipal financial equalisation fund.

Dzintars Adlers, chair of the Alūksne council, cited the presence of drones and land acquisition transactions required for the Ministry of Defence as issues facing border municipalities. He said the most significant problem was the large regional inequality between the eastern border and the capital, including differences in wages and the gross domestic product generated in their territories.

All five municipalities will have equal decision-making rights in the association. Latvia’s eastern border stretches 284 kilometres along Russia and 173 kilometres along Belarus, bordering the municipalities of Alūksne, Augšdaugava, Balvi, Krāslava and Ludza.