The Saeima conceptually supports the amendments criticized by the opposition regarding the opening of the road maintenance market

On Thursday, December 10, the majority of the Saeima conceptually supported the amendments to the Law “On Motor Roads”, which envisages opening the market of daily maintenance of state roads from October 2021, which the opposition was not happy about, TV3 Ziņas reports.

The maintenance of municipal streets is within the competence of each specific place, but state roads are under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport. It has delegated this task to a state-owned capital company, the “Latvian Road Maintenance Company”, which also ensures that state roads, for example, are free of snow in winter, as well as performs other work.

In the transport department, however, it has been debated for a long time whether these responsibilities should be entrusted to the private sector through a tender procedure. The current delegation agreement with the Latvian Road Operator is concluded at the end of the year, and a bill has arrived in the Saeima, which stipulates that by the end of September next year this state-owned company will continue to provide services. lots and the contractor will be selected in a competition. If a private company in a region did not apply, the works would continue to be performed by the “Latvian Road Maintenance Company”.

In order to be able to provide works after January and be able to organize competitions, the Saeima determined the urgency of the draft law. There was no opposition to this or to the idea itself.

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“There is simply a procedure now under which the use of 100 million taxpayers’ state budget funds will be transferred to private business from next year. Therefore, I categorically oppose the consideration of this draft law as a matter of urgency, ”emphasized Lubova Švecova, a deputy who does not belong to the factions.

Meanwhile, Saeima deputy Viktors Valainis (ZZS) pointed out that in this way the state may find itself in a very bad situation. “There may even be one company that has won all the lots and there may be three companies as in the field of public transport – not three companies, but three characters who come together and agree on how to manage this market here in the future,” he argued.

Saeima deputy Māris Možvillo (“KPV LV”) drew attention to the fact that it is possible to monitor and control procurements. “To be afraid of what will be and how it will be, what the procurements will be, I think it is wrong, because only in the hands of the public and also the Saeima there is an opportunity to both monitor and control these procurements. And it’s possible not to live in the belief that all thieves are all bad, “he said.

“There is a great interest from entrepreneurs and private entrepreneurs to participate in these works. Of course, there will be quality requirements, there will be guarantees, there will be everything else, so that it is not the case that in winter there is no snow shoveling, if suddenly something happens, ”commented the Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits (JKP).

In the end, the bill gained conceptual support. A second final reading remains on 17 December.

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