Unofficial translation of article by Civic Alliance Latvia, published on 30 April 2021, available here.
On Tuesday, April 27, the government approved the Latvian Recovery and Stability Mechanism (ANM) plan for submission to the European Commission. The ANM plan also includes proposals made by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to reduce inequalities and ensure equal treatment in access to investment, as well as compliance with the principles of socially responsible procurement as far as possible:
- Equal access to investment for all : including associations and foundations as recipients of ANM investments, ensuring equal treatment of different sectors and economic actors. The final version of the ANM plan also includes direct investments in the non-profit sector – associations and foundations, social enterprises in the components of digitization and inequality reduction.
- Socially responsible public procurement, giving preference to those tenderers who employ social inequality groups, such as people with disabilities, the long-term unemployed, young people and others, through public procurement. The ANM management system confirms that the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on the implementation of the measures of the ANM plan ensure equal access to investment for all and socially responsible public procurement, unless there are reasonable and significant arguments not to include such criteria in the specific procurement. Each exception must be specifically reasoned.
- Funding for NGO support will be channeled to NGOs themselves, social innovation and representation. The final version of the ANM includes a program worth more than 2.3 million euros, with the aim of strengthening the social security representation of non-governmental organizations and the monitoring of public interests.
The Latvian Civic Alliance has called for the inclusion of NGOs as an equal strategic partner of the government in all future steps and processes related to the further refinement, discussion and implementation of the ANM.
It is planned that ANM funding for Latvia could be available in the second half of this year.