On October 29, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers took note of the Ministry of the Interior's informational report "On the progress of construction of disaster management centers in Liepāja, Daugavpils, Madona, Līvāni, Salacgrīva, Viļāni, Alsunga, Alūksne, Talsi, and Tukums, and the financing required for their operation," which was prepared to inform the Cabinet of Ministers about the progress achieved in the construction of these disaster management centers and the allocated funding.
Recognizing that the full functioning of disaster management centers is not possible without their appropriate equipment, on October 29, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers supported the Ministry of the Interior's proposal to allocate nearly 1.67 million euros to the interior and health ministries for this purpose.
The construction and operation of disaster management centers in accordance with the established priorities is a crucial prerequisite for the functioning of the disaster management system in the current geopolitical context.
The National Security Concept, approved by the Saeima on September 28, 2023, states that Latvia's national security has a military, foreign policy, and internal security dimension, which are interconnected, and the capacity of institutions within the civil protection system and the development of their capabilities are important for the internal security dimension.
The Concept sets out priorities for preventing threats to internal security and the constitutional order, and one of them is civil protection and disaster management, for which it is stated that it is necessary to implement a reform of the disaster management system to ensure equally effective, rapid, and high-quality work of the services involved in disaster management throughout the country. This includes improving cooperation and coordination between services involved in response and disaster management. Furthermore, by establishing disaster management centers, the working conditions and occupational safety of employees in these services are significantly improved.
As previously reported, the construction of nine disaster management centers (in Liepāja, Daugavpils, Madona, Līvāni, Salacgrīva, Viļāni, Alsunga, Alūksne, and Talsi) is being financed by the European Union Recovery Fund to promote the availability of disaster management services of equal quality and speed in both urban and rural areas. Meanwhile, the construction of a disaster management center in Tukums is being financed from the state budget. Procurement procedures have been organized and procurement contracts have been concluded for the design and construction of disaster management centers in the previous period. At present, design work has been completed in all mentioned objects. Construction work is also actively underway in several objects. The construction of disaster management centers in Daugavpils, Madona, and Līvāni is scheduled to be completed in 2025, while the construction of all the aforementioned objects is planned to be completed by 2026. Additionally, the demolition of 24 buildings with a total planned area of 12,668.9 m2 is planned concurrently.
This is an excellent example of how synergy is achieved between state and European Union funding to jointly strengthen our national security.
The Ministry of the Interior expresses its sincere gratitude to the European Commission for the financial support provided. Thanks to the funding from the European Union Recovery Fund, we will be able to significantly improve our ability to respond to various crises, ranging from fires to technological accidents. The new disaster management centers will provide faster and more efficient assistance to residents throughout Latvia, strengthening our overall sense of security.
