European sustainable development rural actor database

Administrative organization

Form of State: Unitarian State.
The State holds legislative power in all areas, and especially:

• Maintenance of public order
• Regional/spatial planning
• Regulation of public utilities: electricity, telecommunications, post, railway
• Transport infrastructure
• Housing policy
• Economic policy and development
• Higher education (teachers’ salaries) and science
• Health
• Welfare
• Culture
• Environment
• Civil protection
• Taxes
• Foreign policy
• Defence

With regard to regional policy, the government is obliged to consult local and regional authorities before adopting any decisions that affect them.
Interesting ministries:

• Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government. Minister: M. Aigars Sˇtokenbergs. In charge of structural funds.
• Ministry of Agriculture. Minister: M. Ma¯rtin¸sˇ Roze. Department dedicated to rural development.
• Ministry of the Environment. Minister: M. Raimonds Ve¯jonis.

Total public expenditure: € 4.6 billions = 36% GDP.
Sub-national public expenditure: € 1.2 billions = 9.5% GDP = 26.3% total public expenditure.

Rural life

Utilized agricultural area: 26.8% total area, i.e. about 17,309 km2.
Rural population: 32.2% total population.
Labour force in agriculture: 136,000 Annual Work Units (AWU).
Unemployment rate by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 9.8%
• Intermediate areas: 8.5%
• Thinly populated areas: 8.5%

Employment rate by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 65.9%
• Intermediate areas: 68.2%
• Thinly populated areas: 61%

Youth unemployment ratio by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 6.3%
• Intermediate areas: 14%
• Thinly populated areas: 4.1%
• Total: 5.1%

Share of organic area in total utilised agricultural area: 7%.

Sustainability

Latvia’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development was adopted by the Government in 2002. Its implementation falls the responsibility of the Prime Minister, together with the Ministers of the Environment and of Regional Development. The Strategy covers the social, economic and environmental dimensions of SD but with a focus on environmental issues. The objectives of the Latvian NSSD are based on the Rio commitments, Latvia’s geopolitical area, its nature particularities and its present social and economic development. The Strategy addresses the following issues:

• Water Protection
• Climate Change
• Use of Natural Resources
• Conservation of Biodiversity
• Management and Reduction of Waste
• Elimination of Poverty
• Increase Employment
• Education and Science
• Environment and Health
• Housing Policy
• Industry
• Energy
• Transport
• Agriculture
• Regional Development
• Tourism

On a European level, Latvia is part of Baltic 21, which gathers as well Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden.
On a sub-national level, local Agenda 21 projects are under development in a large number of municipalities (currently about 50% of the population is involved in the Local Agenda 21 process).
Environmental protection expenditure in the public sector: 0.2% of GDP, i.e. 7 € per capita.
Government expenditure on environment protection, in % of GDP: 0.8%.
Government expenditure on environment protection, in % of total government expenditure: unavailable data.
Area protected under the Habitats Directive as a percentage of total area: 11%.