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Zalans points out that this is Latvia's third national development plan. The first one was drafted for a short period – until 2006, the second one – for 2007-2013. When these plans were implemented, they were constantly reproached for not being directly tied to the state budget or "Latvia 2030", reminds the politician. If the National Development Plan is adopted, all governments should draft their declarations on the basis of basic principles and implement them through the state budget. Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) did not attempt to do so, even though it was requested by Auditor General Inguna Sudraba. The prime minister received several invitations to Public Expenditure and Audit Committee sessions and ignored them, explains the former minister.

So far, the National Development Plan has been tied to EU fund payments instead of the state budget. If the government and Saeima coalition does not tie the National Development Plan for 2014-2020 to the state budget, its contents will not matter. Each ministry will read its section, program its own projects and throw local governments something. It will be the same old story. The contents of the National Development Plan do not determine whether it is a true planning document or merely "a piece of paper", says Zalans.

Zalans believes that the Inter-ministerial Coordination Center has achieved the impossible, without strict political directions, it has created a readable document. In addition, the work on the new National Development Plan was launched last fall. It seems that the prime minister and his closest colleagues are not particularly interested in the plan, only as much as to present it to Brussels and begin absorbing the next EU funds, adds the ex-minister.