Since the beginning of this year, Latvia has embarked on one of the largest reforms of its State Revenue Service, particularly focusing on the tax and customs police. This complex and long-anticipated reform, acknowledged by the Finance Minister Arvils Ašeradens of the New Unity party, has revealed significant challenges, which he described as exhausting. Ašeradens highlighted the convoluted legal framework that complicated even minor administrative changes, suggesting that a more streamlined legal approach, like the European concept of 'omnibus solutions', might be necessary for future legislation.

The reform’s difficulties included a recent high-profile incident involving a nearly lost shipment of heroin, which underscored the operational weaknesses within the tax and customs police prior to the reform. Ašeradens pointed out the urgent need for improvements in the administrative handling of law enforcement, indicating a significant gap in addressing illegal activities such as drug trafficking under the previous structure. This reform aims to modernize the agency and streamline processes to better tackle such issues moving forward.

As the newly appointed experienced leaders step in to oversee the changes, the enforcement of disciplinary measures against staff who fail to comply with the new guidelines is also being emphasized. This is seen as crucial for restoring trust in the agency and for ensuring that the reform achieves its objectives. Overall, the reform's success will largely depend on swift adaptations to legislation and active and effective management to address the challenges that have emerged during its initial implementation phase.