The Saeima ¹ has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following Law:

Law on Cultural Authorities

Chapter I
General Provisions

Section 1. The purpose of this Law is to determine the types of cultural authorities of Latvia, the sources of financing and economic activity of such authorities, State guarantees for the activity of cultural authorities that would ensure preservation and supplementation of cultural heritage, and also promote creative and economic initiative, professionalism and artistic quality and satisfy the cultural needs of the public.

Section 2. (1) Cultural authorities shall be established by State, local government entities or bodies governed by private law. The main objective of the activity of such authorities is creation of cultural values, their distribution and preservation.

(2) A cultural authority shall carry out one or several of the following functions in conformity with the main objective of its activity:

1) create, accumulate, preserve, research, make available or promote cultural values;

2) carry out educating work in culture;

3) organise cultural events;

4) collect, accumulate, assess and analyse cultural information and ensure its availability for the public;

5) organise professional training for the persons employed in the field of culture;

6) support cultural activities financially;

7) facilitate interest in the public on culture and satisfy the cultural needs of the public;

8) promote the possibility for any member of the public to express oneself creatively and improve oneself in amateur art and folk art.

(3) Authorities which support cultural activities financially, but the main objective of the activity of which is not creation, distribution or preservation of cultural values, shall not be considered to be cultural authorities.

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Section 3. (1) This Law shall apply to all cultural authorities in Latvia regardless of the affiliation and legal status of such authorities.

(2) Certain fields of culture and the legal status and activity of cultural authorities related thereto shall be governed by special laws.

Section 4. Cultural authorities, regardless of their legal status and subordination, and the Ministry of Culture shall ensure mutual circulation of information which is necessary for the achievement of the objectives specified in Section 1 of this Law.

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Chapter II
Establishment, Reorganisation, Liquidation of Cultural Authorities and the Legal Status Thereof

Section 5. Cultural authorities shall be established, reorganised and liquidated in accordance with laws and regulations governing the activity of the relevant persons.

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Section 6.

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Section 7. State cultural authorities which carry out one or several of the functions laid down in Section 2 of this Law in the field of culture shall be as follows:

1) State institutions;

2) State capital companies;

3) State controlled capital companies;

4) derived public persons.

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Section 8.

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Section 9.

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Section 10.

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Section 11.

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Section 12.

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Section 13. Local governments, within their competence and within the framework provided for in laws, are entitled to determine the forms and basis for the activity of the cultural authorities established thereby.

Section 14.

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Section 15. Private cultural authorities shall be established by bodies governed by private law. Such cultural authority and the form of its activity shall be determined by the founder in conformity with the laws and regulations in force.

Section 16.

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Chapter III
Managing of Cultural Authorities

Section 17.

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Section 18.

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Section 19.

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Section 20. Directors of local government cultural authorities shall be appointed to office and dismissed from office by the relevant local government.

Section 21. The heads of private cultural authorities shall be hired and dismissed in accordance with the by-laws or articles of association of the relevant private cultural authority.

Chapter IV
Financing of Cultural Authorities

Section 22. (1) State cultural authorities shall be financed from the State budget by providing resources for the following:

1) performance of the functions laid down in the by-laws of the authority;

2) maintenance and reconstruction of the buildings and premises of the authority;

3) rental of the buildings and premises, public utilities, tax and other payments of the authority;

4) employment of the authority staff;

5) international activity of the authority.

(2) State cultural authorities may also receive additional financial resources from other sources as donations or gifts, and also earn income from paid services and other own revenue. The resources obtained from paid services and other own revenue shall be transferred into the basic budget account of the authority in the Payment Centre of the Treasury, and they shall be used only for the development of the activity of the authority.

(3) If State cultural authorities receive donations or gifts with or without specified objective, they shall open a special budget account.

(4) State cultural authorities may receive resources from the State Culture Capital Foundation.

(5) State cultural authorities may receive resources for the implementation of projects and programmes related to the activity, development and research of such cultural authorities.

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Section 23. (1) State capital companies and State controlled capital companies shall obtain financial resources from:

1) revenue from commercial activity;

2) the State Culture Capital Foundation;

3) other revenue provided for in laws and regulations.

(2) State capital companies and State controlled capital companies may be financed from the State budget resources by allocating grants for the performance of certain cultural functions delegated by the State in the amount laid down in the annual State budget law.

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Section 23.¹ (1) Derived public persons may receive State budget resources only for ensuring specific State administration functions or for performing tasks.

(2) Derived public persons may receive additional financial resources as donations or gifts, income from economic activity, and also as other income provided for in laws and regulations.

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Section 24. (1) Local government cultural authorities shall be financed from:

1) local government budget resources for the performance of the functions laid down for cultural authorities;

2) income from main activity and commercial activity which is laid down in laws and regulations.

(2) Local government cultural authorities may receive financial resources from:

1) earmarked grants allocated to local governments;

2) local government budget resources by allocating grants for the performance of certain cultural functions;

3) donations and gifts;

4) the State Culture Capital Foundation;

5) other financial resources provided for in laws and regulations.

(3) Local government cultural authorities may receive resources for the implementation of projects and programmes related to the activity, development and research of cultural authorities.

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Section 25. Cultural authorities may establish open public funds for the attraction and accumulation of additional funds.

Section 26. The procedures for the financing of private cultural authorities shall be determined by their founders.

Chapter V
Property of Cultural Authorities

Section 27. The property of cultural authorities shall be buildings and other fixed assets, financial stocks and other property related to the activity of the relevant cultural authority which is in the ownership or under the management thereof.

Section 28. The immovable property in the ownership or possession of the State or local government cultural authorities may not be neither pledged nor otherwise encumbered.

Chapter VI
Cultural Authorities of National Significance

Section 29. Cultural authorities of national significance are the most significant and State leading cultural authorities in their sector the main obligation of which is to take care of preservation, updating and development of the national cultural heritage.

Section 30. Cultural authorities of national significance shall be established, reorganised or liquidated only in accordance with the procedures laid down in special laws, and such laws shall prescribe their legal status, activity, and also types and sources of financing.

Chapter VII
State Guarantees

Section 31. The State shall guarantee rights to any cultural authority, regardless of its legal status, to apply for the following in accordance with the procedures laid down in the law:

1) State or local government procurement;

2) resources of the State Culture Capital Foundation;

3) participation in the national and international aid projects and programmes;

4) other guarantees and exemptions provided for in laws.

Section 32. Cultural authorities are entitled to independently co-operate with natural and legal persons and cultural authorities in other countries, to enter into international organisations of cultural authorities and to participate in the activity thereof.

The Law has been adopted by the Saeima on 14 October 1998.

President G. Ulmanis

Rīga, 30 October 1998

¹ The Parliament of the Republic of Latvia

Translation © 2021 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)