Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Headlines

public funds

Soft power ecosystem

In late autumn, when politicians traditionally heatedly debate budget issues, discussions arose on the agenda about whether the Society Integration Fund (SIF) should or should not be abolished. At that time, the association “Civic Alliance” pointed out that such an initiative should be seen as an attempt to weaken civil society and restrict democratic processes. Summarizing data on the organizations and media funded by SIF over the last three years, to the aforementioned […]

How to properly arrange gifts to obtain the blessing of the Anti-Corruption Bureau? A brief guide for lovers of “gratitude.”

Once the president of a country’s central bank went on a hunting trip to Kamchatka and later stated in court that the photograph in which he is sitting in what was then a highly respectable company had been doctored. He could have avoided these troubles with the photographs, prison, and legal expenses if only… he had arranged this trip as a business visit. This, by analogy, can be inferred from a certain Inc. […]

When SIF is not enough…

Then the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) can also be used. In Latvia, the authority delegated for this fund is the Ministry of Culture. The managing authority of the fund is the Ministry of the Interior, while the auditing authority is the Ministry of Finance. This fund is mainly financed from European Union resources; however, it also requires national co‑financing, which makes up 25%. “The general objective of the project is through […]

Fokker’s hydrogen plans in Latvia fizzled out along with Gauss’s dismissal

At the beginning of the week, Fokker Next Gen Latvia, which had previously announced that it would start work on the development of hydrogen aircraft engines in the Liepāja SEZ, initiated a liquidation process. The company’s management is not providing comments on this decision, but Inc. has obtained information from unrelated sources indicating that, among other things, the grand project has fallen through because the head of the national airline, Martin Gauss, left his position. One of Fokker […]

Opinion: SIF will decide whether to give Latvian taxpayers’ money to Estonian media; no one checks the produced publications

To some, such a headline may sound biased or tendentious, yet unfortunately it is true. That can happen. On Friday, December 5, the Society Integration Foundation (SIF) will decide whether to change the current procedure for allocating funds from the Media Support Fund (SIF), replacing the existing distribution with one that provides more money for online media. Considering that audience size is among the criteria, there is a […]

INDEXO Bank’s loan portfolio exceeds 50 million euros in November

By the end of November, AS INDEXO Bank reached its highest total loan portfolio volume so far – 50.5 million euros, issuing new loans in the amount of 6.3 million euros over the last month. Market transaction statistics show that since August of this year, 70% of all mortgage loans refinanced in Latvia have been refinanced specifically at INDEXO Bank. At the end of November, the number of INDEXO Bank’s clients […]

The State Audit Office might have difficulties auditing the MAF, because the State Auditor’s wife is involved in evaluating media projects

“Ploka was driven to despair by all of this. She had turned to the State Audit Office with a request to carry out an audit of the SIF. Zaiga [Pūce–ed.] left and that was a good moment. The State Audit Office said “no”, and I think that one of the reasons is that Zitmane is the wife of the Auditor General. If they start digging there, it may turn out that she is there […]

SRS data show that dental prosthetists earn less than nurses

A dental prosthetist is one of the lowest-paid professions in dentistry; prosthetists often earn less than their assistants, dental technicians, or nurses. Such an absurd conclusion could be drawn when looking at the State Revenue Service (VID) data on average hourly rates in dentistry. Experts, however, say that the shadow economy in this segment is to blame, as it has been very high for 30 years already. A little more […]

Those involved are worried about the elimination of the “trough”

“The Civic Alliance–Latvia is concerned about the ZZS proposal to liquidate the Society Integration Fund (SIF),” such a report appeared four days ago in the Latvian Public Media. In the organization’s view, such a proposal can be regarded as an attempt to weaken civil society, participation, and the independent mass media environment, as it fits into a broader trend of restricting democratic processes in Latvia. Inc. investigated what the Civic Alliance intended by this […]

SIF spends more on maintaining the institution itself than on media, NGO and family support programs combined

Should the Society Integration Foundation (SIF) be liquidated? This question has surfaced on social media after the Union of Greens and Farmers submitted a proposal in the Saeima to liquidate it. Inc. looked into how SIF spends the budget funds that are allocated to this organization every year; in 2025 this amounts to 37 million euros.  An interesting picture emerges – SIF not only for maintaining the institution itself SIF […]