RIGA — Latvia’s parliament on Thursday passed amendments to a law on civil servants that provide for disciplining bureaucrats who demonstrate a discernible political bias in their actions and words.

Under the amendments to the Law on Liability of State Civil Service Employees, bureaucrats now face a range of disciplinary actions, from an admonishment to a sacking, for failing to adhere to [private_supervisor]standards of political neutrality.

The amendments are a victory for President Valdis Zatlers, who first began lobbying for the legislation last year after a bitter conflict erupted in the education ministry between the minister (a political appointee) and the state secretary (a civil servant) over how many and when Latvian teachers would lose their jobs. The brouhaha spilled into the press for several days and reflected poorly on the professionalism of Latvia’s state apparatus.

The legislation, which also calls for punishment in cases when state funds are used illegally, was eventually included in the list of reform measures that Latvia promised the International Monetary Fund to implement.

Many European countries have similar laws on their books, and one could argue that the lack of appropriate measures in Latvia directly led to many of the egregious abuses by bureaucrats over recent years — the very abuses that helped feed the country’s current economic crisis. Latvia’s bloated state apparatus was, in a political sense, out of control.

However, as its stands now, the law fails to define what political neutrality is, and this gap sparked the most serious debate on the legislation. Many lawmakers argued that without precise criteria for gauging neutrality, or political bias, the amendments would be useless.

According to the amendments, politicized civil servants can see their salaries reduced by 20 percent for a period of three to 12 months, or they can be demoted for up to three years. In the worst cases, a civil servant can be fired and deprived the opportunity to work in government for a period of one year.[/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]standards of political neutrality.

The amendments are a victory for President Valdis Zatlers, who first began lobbying for the legislation last year after a bitter conflict erupted in the education ministry between the minister (a political appointee) and the state secretary (a civil servant) over how many and when Latvian teachers would lose their jobs. The brouhaha spilled into the press for several days and reflected poorly on the professionalism of Latvia’s state apparatus.

The legislation, which also calls for punishment in cases when state funds are used illegally, was eventually included in the list of reform measures that Latvia promised the International Monetary Fund to implement.

Many European countries have similar laws on their books, and one could argue that the lack of appropriate measures in Latvia directly led to many of the egregious abuses by bureaucrats over recent years — the very abuses that helped feed the country’s current economic crisis. Latvia’s bloated state apparatus was, in a political sense, out of control.

However, as its stands now, the law fails to define what political neutrality is, and this gap sparked the most serious debate on the legislation. Many lawmakers argued that without precise criteria for gauging neutrality, or political bias, the amendments would be useless.

According to the amendments, politicized civil servants can see their salaries reduced by 20 percent for a period of three to 12 months, or they can be demoted for up to three years. In the worst cases, a civil servant can be fired and deprived the opportunity to work in government for a period of one year.[/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]standards of political neutrality.

The amendments are a victory for President Valdis Zatlers, who first began lobbying for the legislation last year after a bitter conflict erupted in the education ministry between the minister (a political appointee) and the state secretary (a civil servant) over how many and when Latvian teachers would lose their jobs. The brouhaha spilled into the press for several days and reflected poorly on the professionalism of Latvia’s state apparatus.

The legislation, which also calls for punishment in cases when state funds are used illegally, was eventually included in the list of reform measures that Latvia promised the International Monetary Fund to implement.

Many European countries have similar laws on their books, and one could argue that the lack of appropriate measures in Latvia directly led to many of the egregious abuses by bureaucrats over recent years — the very abuses that helped feed the country’s current economic crisis. Latvia’s bloated state apparatus was, in a political sense, out of control.

However, as its stands now, the law fails to define what political neutrality is, and this gap sparked the most serious debate on the legislation. Many lawmakers argued that without precise criteria for gauging neutrality, or political bias, the amendments would be useless.

According to the amendments, politicized civil servants can see their salaries reduced by 20 percent for a period of three to 12 months, or they can be demoted for up to three years. In the worst cases, a civil servant can be fired and deprived the opportunity to work in government for a period of one year.[/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]standards of political neutrality.

The amendments are a victory for President Valdis Zatlers, who first began lobbying for the legislation last year after a bitter conflict erupted in the education ministry between the minister (a political appointee) and the state secretary (a civil servant) over how many and when Latvian teachers would lose their jobs. The brouhaha spilled into the press for several days and reflected poorly on the professionalism of Latvia’s state apparatus.

The legislation, which also calls for punishment in cases when state funds are used illegally, was eventually included in the list of reform measures that Latvia promised the International Monetary Fund to implement.

Many European countries have similar laws on their books, and one could argue that the lack of appropriate measures in Latvia directly led to many of the egregious abuses by bureaucrats over recent years — the very abuses that helped feed the country’s current economic crisis. Latvia’s bloated state apparatus was, in a political sense, out of control.

However, as its stands now, the law fails to define what political neutrality is, and this gap sparked the most serious debate on the legislation. Many lawmakers argued that without precise criteria for gauging neutrality, or political bias, the amendments would be useless.

According to the amendments, politicized civil servants can see their salaries reduced by 20 percent for a period of three to 12 months, or they can be demoted for up to three years. In the worst cases, a civil servant can be fired and deprived the opportunity to work in government for a period of one year.[/private_subscription 1 year]

— This is a paid article. To subscribe or extend your subscription, click here.