RIGA, Feb 26 (LETA) - Riga Mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity) has instructed the municipality's financial department to earmark 5 percent of the municipality's 2026 budget for security and civil protection.

The Riga mayor argued at a news conference on Wednesday that there are things that no one else will do for the local government and the national defense budget will not be spent on them. Kirsis mentioned the installation of emergency shelters and the extension of video surveillance among such things that the local governments should do themselves.

He acknowledged that the municipal elections are nearing and the new city council may decide differently. However, if work on these objectives is not started now, nothing can be changed at the last minute.

This year, the allocation for this purpose in the municipal budget is about 2.1 percent, or more than EUR 35 million.

The mayor has also instructed the municipality's executive director to work with companies that provide critical services. These companies also need to be safe and resilient so that services are provided in critical situations, said Kirsis.