On Thursday, 24 February, the Saeima examined the final report of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee the Government’s actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have analysed the mistakes and failures of the government in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, as well as drawn conclusions to improve crisis management in the future,” emphasises Rihards Kozlovskis, Chair of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee.

The final report indicates that the Crisis Management Board’s role in the overall crisis management mechanism has to be specified in the event of a protracted crisis. The Committee considers it necessary to establish a permanent unit for civilian crisis management under the direct authority of the Prime Minister, and to compile and analyse the activities of the working groups involved in the COVID-19 pandemic management process.

When assessing the government’s procurement of vaccinations, the Committee states that the Ministry of Health should have created a mechanism for discussion and decision-making on issues related to the spread of COVID-19 infection based on planned vaccination processes. In turn, the shortcomings and deficiencies in the activities of the Ministry of Health could have had a significant impact on the decision to purchase BioNTech/Pfiser vaccines, the final report concludes.

The Committee also identified shortcomings in the establishment and launching of the Vaccination Project Office which could have affected public confidence in the public administration and, could have also potentially affected the pace and coverage of vaccination.

The Committee has also carried out an assessment of the measures taken by the government to support and limit the spread of infection, and concluded that one of the most effective non-medical mechanisms to contain the spread of COVID-19 infection, which can be implemented by the government, is the direct limitation of face-to-face contacts between the public. In the Committee’s view, the package of restrictive measures implemented by the government during the first wave of the pandemic was very important for Latvia. However, when assessing the adequacy of the restrictive measures introduced during the future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee concluded that the government had not prepared in time for the resurgence and amplification of the spread of infection, in the absence of a concrete action plan and strategy.

The Committee considers that, overall, the strategy implemented by Latvia in imposing restrictive and support measures has been satisfactory, but the government had to expect that its decisions may often turn out to be unpopular from the point of view of the public, so the government must take care of successful and professional communication.

It has been concluded that there is a need to come up about a long-term communication strategy, covering long-term goals and their link with crisis management. The Committee also concluded that there was a need to prioritise measures relating to strategy development, planning, and fundamental matters, which would help to centralise communication, organise and strengthen this instrument, which is important in times of crisis, says the final report.

The Parliamentary Inquiry Committee for investigating the erroneous actions of the Latvian government in the Covid-19 pandemic management process, naming the political officials who caused irreversible negative consequences for Latvia was set up in April 2021 at the initiative of 36 MPs. It is comprised of the following MPs: Valērijs Agešins, Ritvars Jansons, Rihards Kozlovskis, Ralfs Nemiro, Sandis Riekstiņš, Viktors Valainis and Inese Voika. Ralfs Nemiro replaced Edgars Kronbergs, who was originally a member of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, but withdrew in 2021.

In accordance with the Law on Parliamentary Inquiry Committees, after publication of the final report, the proposals for rectification of the identified deficiencies will be sent to the parliamentary committees, the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries or other institutions whose competence includes the implementation of the relevant proposals. The institutions indicated in the final report will have to assess the information contained in the final report and decide on the correction of the deficiencies identified by the Committee.

The law provides that the activities of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee shall cease on the eighth day following the examination of the final report at the sitting of the Saeima, unless the Saeima decides otherwise.

Saeima Press Service