So, after two hours of debate, the majority of deputies, as expected, approved in the first reading a special law on measures for the financial stabilization of airBaltic. The deputies also voted for urgency, which means that the document is intended to be adopted in two readings, and that will happen today! For this purpose, a meeting of the parliamentary budget committee has been convened right now. The deputies who voted against from the Union of Greens and Farmers, who, by the way, are part of the ruling coalition, propose to exclude Article 4 from the bill, which gives the government the right to issue a loan ('interim financing') of up to 30 million euros. In turn, the deputies of the opposition faction 'Progressives', who supported the bill, propose to supplement the law with the following article: 'Considering the contribution of the Latvian state to ensuring the operation of the company (airBaltic - ed.), the purpose of this Law is to maintain, while adhering to the conditions of the commercial environment and the letter of expectation of Latvia as the headquarters of the company and the state of business registration, the use of Riga International Airport as the primary base for the company's air transportation, ensuring the accessibility of Latvia, including in crisis situations.' In simple terms, this means that the state will advocate for the preservation of the airBaltic base in Riga and will promote the retention of a significant number of direct flights from Riga to various points around the world to ensure good air connectivity to and from Latvia. Let us assume that all these proposals will be rejected and ultimately the deputies will vote today, after the break, to adopt the law in the form in which it was submitted by the government.
