The head of government made this statement to reporters after Friday's working meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, dedicated to the implementation of priority tasks. Kulbergs acknowledged that the results of the meeting pleased him more than he expected. According to him, after the previous meeting held in the first half of August, work had noticeably progressed. ## The electoral system has been handed over to the CEC One of the four main priorities of the government, Kulbergs noted, is to bring the electoral system in order. He reminded that many institutions and enterprises worked on this, including Latvijas valsts meži, the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre, Latvijas mobilais telefons, Tet, and the Ministry of Smart Governance and Regional Development. At the Friday meeting, the Minister of Smart Governance and Regional Development, Edgars Tavars, reported that the necessary stress tests were conducted this week. The systems were checked, including using maximum cybersecurity measures. "Of course, we will see the final result after the successful conduct of the elections, but for now, the keys to this system have already been handed over to the Central Election Commission," Kulbergs stated. ## Unified appointment system for doctors has not yet been implemented The implementation of one of the important tasks of the Ministry of Health — the creation of a unified appointment system for doctors — is delayed. It is supposed to allow residents to see available specialists and the queues for them throughout Latvia. According to the Prime Minister, the system has already been created but is not yet implemented. In light of recent cyberattacks, its security is still being checked. "The system will be handed over after we complete the cybersecurity tests. I think it will reduce queues by 15–20%," Kulbergs predicts. ## The government promises to disclose data on public procurement Among the important areas, the Prime Minister also highlighted control over public procurement. The new system should ensure the disclosure of all information about all state procurements. This issue is planned to be included in the agenda of the government meeting next week. "There will be serious savings of budget funds, and there will be no such wastefulness," Kulbergs asserts. According to him, the economic effect is already noticeable due to the moratorium in the field of information and communication technologies. ## An important turn is promised regarding airBaltic The Prime Minister acknowledged that the resolution of the issue regarding the further development of the airBaltic airline is delayed. However, he hopes that a significant turn will occur as early as next week. In Kulbergs' opinion, the events surrounding the airline do not yet indicate that the government is unable to solve this problem. Most priority tasks were supposed to be completed by October 3, when elections to the Saeima will take place. Therefore, the next ministerial meeting on priority implementation is scheduled for October 1. By that time, the Prime Minister hopes to see a large part of the program realized. "I hope we will not be typical students who leave everything for the last night and then try to learn the material right before the exam," Kulbergs said. He added that he urged ministers not to postpone all work until the last moment. ## Not all delays depend on the ministers The head of government acknowledged that the deadlines for completing some tasks were extended for objective reasons. However, according to him, this does not mean that the work will not be completed. Many tasks are nearly completed, but some require approvals at the European level. Until they are obtained, Kulbergs does not want to "check the box," claiming that the work is fully completed. In addition, the deadlines for several tasks were initially set for after October 3. "Perhaps our government will continue to work even after the elections — until the next one is formed," the Prime Minister noted. ## Ministries are reluctant to provide budget data In response to a question about the most seriously delayed task, Kulbergs named the preparation of issues related to the state budget. According to him, some ministries resist providing the necessary data. "But in any case, the next government will adopt the budget," the Prime Minister emphasized. The task of the current Cabinet of Ministers is to prepare a roadmap, that is, several possible scenarios for further work on the budget. Overall, Kulbergs assesses the activities of his government as above average. It was previously reported that by the first half of August, only seven out of 61 priority tasks had been fully completed. Thus, over the month, the government completed another nine. The current Cabinet of Ministers promised to focus on tasks that can be completed during the term of the 14th Saeima. Partners agreed on a specific list of priority areas. These include state security, ensuring the safe conduct of elections, combating corruption and cartels, budget stability and effective management, as well as the development of Latvia's economy and increasing its competitiveness. Special attention was also planned to be paid to healthcare, social issues, demographics, and other pressing matters. Earlier, Kulbergs promised to evaluate the work of ministers at least once a month.
