Financial problems in Riga

by Oliver Rau 3,148 views

As the German news agency dpa reports today, the city of Riga has a serious financial shortage, which could mean that the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 has to take place somewhere else.

Guntars Kukuls, spokesperson of the city council of Riga, told dpa this Tuesday that the Latvian capital is facing a serious bugdet problem and that they want to withdraw their sponsorship. It is said that this could be treated as a breach of contract and maybe the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is planned to be held in Riga at May 24th, needs to be moved to another city.

Initially, the city council agreed to spend 670.000 Lats (1.1 Million Euro) on a cultural program, accompying the Eurovision event. The Latvian government already garantueed another 5.3 Million Euro for the Contest. As the Latvian capital Riga would profit from the spectacle and the tourists expected for the event, the city council also should pay its share.