On Monday, 23 May, the Annual meeting for EEA / Norway Grants took place, during which the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Latvia informed the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia (MoF), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Financial Mechanism Office about the current progress of the Norway Grants programme "Correctional Services". Currently, the demolition of the unsuitable buildings in Olaine Prison has been completed and the site has been prepared for the construction of a Training centre, which will be launched after the expert examination of the technical design. The design of the open prison block is currently actively underway. Unfortunately, the construction progress could potentially be affected by the increase in construction and labour costs, which could arise due to the politically tense situation in the world.
On 24 May, representatives of the donor state visited Olaine Prison to see the construction site cleared for the Training centre to be built They also had the opportunity to see the work of the Olaine Prison Addiction Centre, which was built with the support of donors in the previous Norway Grants period.
At the same time, on 24 May, the international working group "Education" took place at Olaine Prison and on 25 May at the Ministry of Justice in Riga, with the participation of representatives of the donor state and six beneficiary states. The aim of the working group is to discuss at an international level the educational opportunities, needs and priorities of correctional staff.
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