The Latvian government has officially nominated current Executive Vice President and trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis for a third term in Brussels, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa posted on X on Tuesday.
Well regarded in Brussels and Riga alike, Dombrovskis is known as savvy operator with deep economic knowledge. He is rumored not to be interested in returning to the powerful trade portfolio. The former Latvian PM might be aiming for a position on how to finance Ukraine’s budget, defense needs and reconstruction.
It’s no surprise, perhaps, that he’s attending this week’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin. It also puts him potentially on top of the legal and economic headache on how to use windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to fund efforts to repair the damage wreaked by President Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression.
Dombrovskis ran in last weekend’s European election and was by far the most popular candidate. His New Unity party — of which also Siliņa is a member — came out on top with a quarter of the votes, meaning the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) kept its two Latvian members.
With Dombrovskis all but certain to give up his seat for a third round at the Commission, the Latvian delegation will consist of current MEPs Sandra Kalniete and Inese Vaidere.
Elections in the Baltic country often revolve around personal races, and Dombrovskis is still remembered by voters for navigating the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis. He applied for support from the International Monetary Fund and pushed Latvia back to economic growth in less than a year.
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