Riga, 17 December 2020 - Today the Saeima approved Artūrs Toms Plešs the Deputy Chairman of the Party Alliance for Development/AP, 13 as Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development, befor he was the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.
Minister Plešs: "Powerful, modern and open-minded municipalities are one of the objectives of the administratively territorial reform, and this is also my vision for a more balanced development of the country. . The future belongs to an environmentally friendly and, at the same time, a digital society driven by both Europe and Latvia a. Identifying and limiting the consequences of climate change must be one of our main drivers. . This is our opportunity to transform the economy so that it contributes to every citizen and is a powerhouse for the economy by creating new industries and jobs. I was born in independent Latvia, and I want to bring new wind and energy into politics."
The priorities of the Minister will be the introduction of an administratively territorial reform, which will enable equal and better services to citizens regardless of their place of residence, including education and social services. Self-government reform also includes a pledge to provide targeted support to local governments so that Latvia can be proud of strong and modern regions, timely management and the wider public involvement - to will be ensured by local government governance reform or the new Local Government Law s. In the same way, the minister, as his or her priorities, has made Latvia's move towards climate neutrality and a European green course, including the introduction of a deposit system, as well as work on the country's digital transformation.
The Minister also stresses that special attention will be paid to environmental issues. 2021 in summer, a unique scale project “Natural Counting” will be completed, which will allow for a significant amount of information on the natural value encountered in Latvia m. The resulting data will contribute to a more effective balance between nature protection and economic development while ensuring the preservation of biodiversity.
In the Saeima, Plešs chaired the Administrative Territorial Reform Commission, which saw and directed the historic decision on administrative territorial reform in parliament. . On the other hand, the Environment and Climate Policy Sub-Committee chaired by Artūrs Toms Plešs reviewed initiatives in the Saeima that limit climate change and advocate for a cleaner environment.
Artūrs Toms Plešs has experience in municipal work. From June 2017 to October 2018, he fulfilled the duties of Member of the Bauska municipality council.
Riga Technical University gained a bachelor's degree in transport, a master's degree in urban and regional engineering. In the youth exchange programme he has also studied at the Danish Technical University.
Artūrs Toms Plešs was born Jan. 4, 1992 in Bauska. He has become the youngest minister of the government and is one of the youngest ministers in Latvia's history.
Agnese Vārpiņa
Minister's Councillor for Communications and Public Relations
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development
Tel. 67026478
e-mail: agnese.varpina@varam.gov.lv