Latvia Food, Resource, and Commodity Assurance Act

              SAEIMA OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA
                  Latvijas Republikas Saeima
                  14th Saeima / 2026 Session

                  LIKUMPROJEKTS / DRAFT LAW

IESNIEDZIS ________ (Saeimas deputāti) INTRODUCED BY ________ (Members of the Saeima)

PAR LATVIJAS PĀRTIKAS, RESURSU UN PIRMĀS NEPIECIEŠAMĪBAS PREČU NODROŠINĀJUMA PROGRAMMU

CONCERNING THE LATVIAN FOOD, RESOURCE, AND COMMODITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMME

                  LIKUMS / A LAW

LONG TITLE / GARAIS NOSAUKUMS

LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS LIKUMS PAR PĀRTIKAS, RESURSU UN PIRMĀS NEPIECIEŠAMĪBAS PREČU NODROŠINĀJUMU

A LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA concerning the establishment of the Latvian Food, Resource, and Commodity Assurance Programme; the establishment of Latvian Food Assurance Centres (Latvijas pārtikas nodrošināšanas centri, LPNC) in every Latvian region and major municipality; the conferral of an at-cost basic-needs commodity entitlement on every Latvian citizen ordinarily resident in the Republic, identified by Personas kods (Personal Code), enrolled through the existing Valsts sociālās apdrošināšanas aģentūra (State Social Insurance Agency, VSAA) and Latvija.lv unified state-service portal infrastructure; coordination with Altum (the state-owned Development Finance Institution) for capital investment; coordination with the Lauku atbalsta dienests (Rural Support Service) for rural distribution and the Latvian agricultural cooperative sector; coordination with the Latvian Recovery and Resilience Plan (€1.97 billion EU NextGenerationEU allocation, third payment €293M disbursed May 2025, fourth payment €371.2M disbursed May 2026); coordination with Latvian consumer cooperatives in the kooperatīvs tradition; consistency with the Satversme (Constitution of the Republic of Latvia, 1922 / restored 1993) and the philosophical heritage of Krišjānis Barons, the Barricades of 1991, and the Dziesmu un deju svētki cooperative- cultural tradition; explicit declination to establish any new Latvian income tax (iedzīvotāju ienākuma nodoklis), value added tax (pievienotās vērtības nodoklis, PVN), excise duty, or other Latvian tax of any kind for the funding of the Programme; and provision for connected purposes.

LEGISLATIVE ROUTING NOTE

This Draft Law (Likumprojekts) is for introduction in the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia during the 14th Saeima, 2026 Session, under the legislative-initiative provisions of the Satversme.

Suggested committee referrals following First Reading:

- Sociālo un darba lietu komisija (Social and Labour Affairs Committee) — for the welfare-related provisions - Budžeta un finanšu (nodokļu) komisija (Budget and Finance / Tax Committee) — for the fiscal provisions - Tautsaimniecības, agrārās, vides un reģionālās politikas komisija (National Economy, Agrarian, Environmental, and Regional Policy Committee) — for the food-distribution + agricultural-cooperative provisions - Eiropas lietu komisija (European Affairs Committee) — for the Latvian RRF coordination provisions - Izglītības, kultūras un zinātnes komisija (Education, Culture, and Science Committee) — for the education-modernisation provisions

Following Saeima passage on Third Reading, the Law is submitted to the President of the Republic for promulgation in the Latvijas Vēstnesis (Official Gazette).

DIVISION I — FOOD ASSURANCE

ARTICLE 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LATVIAN FOOD, RESOURCE, AND

            COMMODITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMME.

(1) There is hereby established the Latvian Food, Resource, and

    Commodity Assurance Programme (Latvijas pārtikas, resursu un
    pirmās nepieciešamības preču nodrošinājuma programma, "the
    Programme"), administered by the Ministry of Welfare (Labklājības
    ministrija) in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture
    (Zemkopības ministrija), the Ministry of Finance (Finanšu
    ministrija), and the 119 municipal local governments.

(2) The Programme shall operate Latvian Food Assurance Centres

    (Latvijas pārtikas nodrošināšanas centri, "LPNC") in every
    Latvian region and major municipality on the effective date of
    this Act.

ARTICLE 2. ENTITLEMENT TO PARTICIPATE.

(1) Every Latvian citizen ordinarily resident in the Republic of

    Latvia, identified by Personas kods (Personal Code), is
    automatically entitled to participate in the Programme.

(2) Foreign nationals lawfully resident in Latvia who hold a

    Personas kods (including holders of EU residence rights and
    Latvian residence permits) are likewise entitled.

(3) Participation is voluntary. No citizen is required to obtain

    goods through the Programme; the existing commercial retail
    market continues to operate unaffected.

ARTICLE 3. PROGRAMME GOODS AND AT-COST PRICING.

(1) LPNC outlets shall offer for distribution at production cost

    plus reasonable distribution allowance:

    (a) Staple foods (rye bread, rupjmaize, oats, grains, pulses,
        potatoes, cooking oils, sugar, salt, tea, coffee);
    (b) Protein sources (pork, chicken, eggs, freshwater and Baltic
        fish from Latvian fisheries, dairy products including
        sour cream and cottage cheese consistent with Latvian
        dietary tradition);
    (c) Vegetables and fruits sourced where possible from Latvian
        producers including beetroot, carrots, cabbage, apples;
    (d) Basic clothing including weather-appropriate outerwear
        suitable for the Latvian climate, school uniforms aligned
        with national-curriculum requirements, undergarments, and
        footwear;
    (e) Hand tools, household goods, basic kitchen and cleaning
        supplies;
    (f) Educational supplies for students through the developmental
        window extended to age 25;
    (g) Basic baby and child supplies;
    (h) Emergency-preparedness supplies (water, non-perishable
        food, basic lighting) given Latvia's strategic-security
        exposure to its eastern frontier.

(2) Pricing shall be calculated on the at-cost basis.

ARTICLE 4. COORDINATION WITH AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES AND THE

            LAUKU ATBALSTA DIENESTS.

(1) The Minister of Agriculture, in coordination with the Lauku

    atbalsta dienests (Rural Support Service), is directed to enter
    partnership agreements with Latvian agricultural cooperatives
    (kooperatīvs), including LPKS Latraps and other cooperative
    federations, for the supply of Latvian-grown agricultural
    commodities to the Programme.

(2) The partnership shall preserve cooperative autonomy and

    membership governance and shall coordinate with European
    Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and European Agricultural
    Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) administration under the
    Common Agricultural Policy framework.

DIVISION II — PUBLIC HEALTH PROMOTION

ARTICLE 5. PUBLIC HEALTH PROMOTION.

(1) The Programme operates in coordination with the Nacionālais

    veselības dienests (National Health Service) to monitor and
    to contribute to the reduction of basic-needs food insecurity
    and stress-mediated public-health conditions in Latvian regions.

(2) The Ministry of Health (Veselības ministrija) shall report

    annually to the Saeima on the relationship between LPNC access
    in each region and Latvian population health indicators.

DIVISION III — EDUCATION MODERNISATION

ARTICLE 6. EDUCATION PIPELINE AND THE EXTENDED DEVELOPMENTAL WINDOW.

(1) The Latvian education system is acknowledged by this Act as a

    foundation for the developmental pipeline proposed by the
    Vitruvian Quotient framework (Cooper, 2026) — the K-20 grade
    range under existing Latvian compulsory and post-compulsory
    education, plus an extension of the developmental window to
    age 25 consistent with the Compendium's broader proposal.

(2) The Minister of Education and Science (Izglītības un zinātnes

    ministrs) is directed to prepare a report to the Saeima within
    twenty-four months of the effective date of this Act on the
    operational steps required to extend developmental and
    competency-maintenance frameworks beyond the current
    post-secondary framework, in coordination with the University
    of Latvia, Riga Technical University, the Latvian University
    of Life Sciences and Technologies, and other Latvian
    universities.

(3) The Vitruvian Quotient framework (Cooper, 2026) is recognised

    by this Act as the conceptual instrument for the developmental
    pipeline. Detailed implementation of a Latvian Education
    Modernisation Law is the subject of a separate Likumprojekts.

DIVISION IV — FUNDING

ARTICLE 7. INITIAL APPROPRIATION.

(1) For the financial year 2027 there is appropriated from the

    Latvian state budget the sum of €100 million for the
    establishment of the Programme and the initial operation of
    LPNC outlets.

(2) Subsequent annual appropriations shall be made in the ordinary

    annual budget Law.

ARTICLE 8. COORDINATION WITH ALTUM.

(1) LPNC infrastructure capital investment may, by agreement

    between the Programme and JSC Development Finance Institution
    Altum, be co-financed from Altum's loan, guarantee, or venture-
    capital instruments where consistent with the Altum Strategy
    2025-2027 priority areas, up to a cumulative outstanding
    principal of €300 million.

(2) Altum's role as the state-owned development finance institution

    of Latvia, with its mandate to develop and implement state-
    support financial instruments, makes it the natural Latvian
    indigenous chassis for Programme capital investment.

ARTICLE 9. COORDINATION WITH THE LATVIAN RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE

            PLAN.

(1) LPNC infrastructure capital investment may, by agreement

    between the Programme and the Ministry of Finance, be
    co-financed from the Latvian Recovery and Resilience Facility
    allocation (€1.97 billion total EU NextGenerationEU allocation
    to Latvia, of which the third payment of €293 million was
    disbursed 9 May 2025 and the fourth penultimate payment of
    €371.2 million was disbursed 8 May 2026) where consistent with
    the Latvian Recovery and Resilience Plan investment and reform
    lines approved by the European Commission and the Council of
    the European Union.

(2) The Programme does not displace any existing Latvian RRF

    investment or reform line.

DIVISION V — GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 10. NO NEW TAXATION.

(1) The Saeima declares that no new Latvian personal income tax

    (iedzīvotāju ienākuma nodoklis, IIN), corporate income tax
    (uzņēmumu ienākuma nodoklis, UIN), value added tax (pievienotās
    vērtības nodoklis, PVN), excise duty (akcīzes nodoklis), or
    other Latvian tax of any kind is established, extended, or
    increased by this Act for the funding of the Programme.

(2) The Programme is funded through existing Latvian fiscal

    infrastructure as enumerated in Division IV.

ARTICLE 11. EXISTING LATVIAN INSTITUTIONS UNAFFECTED.

This Act does not affect the establishment, functions, governance, or operation of:

(a) Latvijas Banka (Bank of Latvia, the central bank within the

    Eurosystem);

(b) Altum (JSC Development Finance Institution Altum), beyond the

    coordination expressly authorised by Article 8;

(c) Latvenergo, AS Sadales tīkls, Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST),

    VAS Latvijas dzelzceļš, Latvijas Pasts, and other state-owned
    enterprises;

(d) Valsts sociālās apdrošināšanas aģentūra (VSAA), Valsts ieņēmumu

    dienests (VID), Nacionālais veselības dienests, Lauku atbalsta
    dienests, and other state agencies, beyond the coordination
    expressly authorised by this Act;

(e) The Latvian Recovery and Resilience Plan, beyond the

    coordination expressly authorised by Article 9;

(f) Latvian consumer cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives

    (kooperatīvs), and the kooperatīvs tradition generally;

(g) The Saeima, the Cabinet of Ministers (Ministru kabinets), the

    President of the Republic (Valsts prezidents), the Constitutional
    Court (Satversmes tiesa), the Supreme Court (Augstākā tiesa),
    and the Satversme.

ARTICLE 12. SATVERSME CONSISTENCY.

(1) This Act is enacted consistent with the Satversme of the

    Republic of Latvia (1922 / restored 1993), including the
    Preamble's affirmation of the duty of every citizen to care for
    the common good of society and the state, and Article 109's
    guarantee of the right to social security.

ARTICLE 13. EFFECTIVE DATE.

(1) This Act takes effect on 1 January 2027, except that Article

    7 (Initial Appropriation) takes effect on the date this Act is
    promulgated in the Latvijas Vēstnesis, and Article 1
    (Establishment) takes effect ninety days after promulgation.

(2) The Cabinet of Ministers shall issue implementing regulations

    (Ministru kabineta noteikumi) within 120 days of promulgation.

ARTICLE 14. INTERPRETATION.

In this Act —

"the Programme" means the Latvian Food, Resource, and Commodity Assurance Programme established under Article 1;

"a LPNC outlet" means a Latvian Food Assurance Centre established under Article 1;

"Personas kods" means the Latvian Personal Code;

"Altum" means JSC Development Finance Institution Altum;

"Latvian RRF" means the Latvian Recovery and Resilience Facility allocation under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility;

"kooperatīvs" means a Latvian cooperative;

"ordinarily resident" has the meaning given by Latvian residence law.

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