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RIGA, Aug 25 (LETA) - Ruling coalition parties agreed during a meeting on Monday that postal tariffs of printed press delivery would not be raised for the next three years, the Union of Greens and Farmers informed LETA.

Greens/Farmers earlier said that the Latvian Association of Press Publishers, representing more than 90 percent of the industry, strongly opposed Latvijas Pasts national postal company's plans to raise printed press delivery tariffs.

According to publishers, the proposed changes would increase actual delivery tariffs for publishers by 30 percent on the average, and in some cases - especially in the regions - by more than 70 percent.

According to the Press Publishers' Association, such an increase is not only economically unjustified and disproportionate to the overall inflation, it also poses a direct threat to national security and diversity of information in Latvia - an opinion that the Greens/Farmers agree with.

Harijs Rokpelnis, chair of the Greens/Farmers faction in the Saeima, told LETA that this situation cannot be as dramatic as Latvijas Pasts claims.

"Actions of Latvijas Pasts will certainly follow to find ways to work more efficiently, save money elsewhere, and adjust the data they have submitted to the regulator so that it does not affect the delivery tariffs," Rokpelnis said.

Greens/Farmer called for finding a solution to guarantee press deliveries, particularly in the regions, without steep tariff hikes next year. The party pushed for the issue to be discussed at Monday's coalition cooperation council's meeting, emphasizing that press publishing - especially regional media - was not just a business but also a pillar of democracy, social cohesion, and national security. In an era of external influence and disinformation, the state must ensure that postal services remain affordable for the population, said Greens/Farmers.

Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) said in a post to X platform that access to regional press was a priority. The issue will be discussed with Latvian Regional Media Association on Tuesday, August 26, and Silina expects the Transport Ministry to come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, Latvijas Pasts has confirmed plans to raise universal postal service tariffs again next year, effective January 1.

The price of sending a domestic standard letter weighing up to 20 grams will rise 2.2 percent, from EUR 2.30 to EUR 2.35.

The number of printed newspapers fell 13.5 percent in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. As a result, Latvijas Pasts said that it was planning to increase in the cost of delivering one newspaper from EUR 0.80 to EUR 0.93.