Latvian nationalists want to ban government procurement of Russian goods and services

The proposal proposes to enshrine in the law on public procurement and the law on procurement of public service providers a requirement for the customer, when preparing a purchase, to ensure that goods and services of Russian and Belarusian origin will not be included in the execution of the contract.

The amendments are expected to come into force on January 1 next year.

In the annotation to the bill, opposition deputies explain that, despite Russia’s war in Ukraine and Belarus’ support for the aggressor state, goods and services of Russian and Belarusian origin are still used in public procurement in Latvia.

This means that through public procurement Russia receives funds to finance its aggression against Ukraine, the National Association believes.

As the author of the proposal, Ugis Mitrevic (National Association), stated, parents cannot be absolutely sure that “their children are not fed products produced by aggressor countries,” since school meals are provided by a supplier identified within the framework of public procurement.

Currently, government procurement rules stipulate that suppliers cannot be companies under sanctions, companies or persons registered in Russia. However, there is no requirement to trace the origin of all goods or products, the deputy emphasized. For example, if food products are supplied from wholesale centers, which most often happens, then the origin of the products is not particularly controlled.