In August, compared to May, support among the population for Latvia's membership in the European Union increased slightly, reports news agency LETA. In August, 26.3 percent of respondents said they approved of Latvia's EU membership, compared with 22.5 percent in May, according to a SKDS public opinion poll. At the same time, the number of those who disapprove of Latvia's EU membership has also slightly grown - from 30 percent in May to 31 percent in August. Most residents were neutral: 38.7 percent said Latvia's EU membership was 'neither good nor bad.' In May, this figure was 43.5 percent. The poll shows that an average supporter for Latvia's EU membership is a Latvian, 18-39 years old, with a university education, lives in the Kurzeme region, employed in the public sector, and has a high income level. Those over 55, non-Latvian with primary school education, unemployed, low to average income levels and residents of Zemgale were mostly negative toward the EU.
Financing for the healthcare sector in 2010 will reach at least 3.4 percent of GDP, or 407 million lats (581 million euros), says Latvian Finance Minister Einars Repse (New Era), reports news agency LETA. Compared with the second half of this year, in 2010 financing for healthcare is going to be slightly higher, he said, with the additional money coming from more stringent cuts in funding from other departments. Repse stressed that next year the healthcare budget would not be reduced. If the state manages to increase tax revenue by 90 million lats next year, the national budget spending will have to be reduced by 409 million lats in total, Repse said. Though it will be hard to reduce spending by this amount without any reductions in the social budget, the finance minister could not yet specify how the social budget would be affected. This year and in 2010 the social budget deficit will be at least 200 million lats.
The head of the Consulate Department at the Latvian Embassy in Russia, Vija Busa, on Sept. 4 met with the detained Arctic Sea suspected Latvian pirates, reports news agency LETA. After the meeting, the Foreign Ministry's press center said that the health and the detention situation of the two men is satisfactory. The captives, Vitalijs Lepins and Dmitrijs Davins, have been charged by Russian authorities for committing piracy and hijacking. Both are residents of Malpils, outside of Riga. The Arctic Sea with a crew of 15 was hijacked on July 24 in the Baltic sea off the coast of Sweden. The relatives of the two said that they did not know how Lepins and Savins got on the ship, and that they do not believe the two men would have participated in the hijacking. They do not have previous criminal records, reports the Security Police.
