The translation of this document is outdated.
Translation validity: 16.06.2016.–15.05.2023.
Amendments not included:
27.04.2023.
Text consolidated by Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre) with amending laws of:
19 December 2002 [shall
come into force on 1 January 2003];
13 February 2003 [shall come into force on 6 March
2003];
10 March 2005 [shall come into force on 6 April
2005];
22 June 2006 [shall come into force on 1 August
2006];
26 April 2007 [shall come into force on 30 May
2007];
8 November 2007 [shall come into force on 1 January
2008];
20 November 2008 [shall come into force on 3 December
2008];
25 February 2010 [shall come into force on 1 April
2010];
16 December 2010 [shall come into force on 1 January
2011];
13 October 2011 [shall come into force on 1 December
2011];
3 April 2014 [shall come into force on 16 April
2014];
26 May 2016 [shall come into force on 16 June 2016].
If a whole or part of a section has been amended, the
date of the amending law appears in square brackets at
the end of the section. If a whole section, paragraph or
clause has been deleted, the date of the deletion appears
in square brackets beside the deleted section, paragraph
or clause.
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The Saeima1 has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following Law:
Regional
Development Law
Chapter I
General Provisions
Section 1. Terms Used in This
Law
The following terms are used in this Law:
1) regional development - productive changes in the
social and economic situation in the entire territory of the
State or separate parts thereof;
2) regional policy - guidelines and purposeful activity
of the government in promoting regional development by
coordinating sectoral development in conformity with the
development priorities of separate parts of the State territory
and by providing direct support for development of separate parts
of the State territory;
3) spatial development index - artificial index which
compiles separate spatial group indicators and characterises the
development level of the territory;
4) spatial development planning document - a
development planning document which is drawn up in order to
ensure balanced and sustainable development of the State and its
territories (planning region, local government), coordinating the
socio-economic and spatial development priorities according to
its potential and resources.
[8 November 2007; 25 February 2010]
Section 2. Purpose of this Law
The purpose of this Law is to promote and ensure balanced and
sustainable development of the State, taking into account special
features and opportunities of the entire State territory and of
separate parts thereof, to reduce the unfavourable differences
among them, and also to preserve and develop the features
characteristic of the natural and cultural environment of each
territory and the development potential thereof.
Section 3. Regional Development
Support Measures
Regional development support measures are a programme and a
set of relevant projects to be implemented in order to attain the
objectives of this Law.
Section 4. Basic Principles of
Regional Development
In the process of planning, management, financing, monitoring,
and assessment of regional development the following basic
principles shall be observed:
1) principle of concentration - financing channelled in
support of regional development shall be concentrated towards
attainment of specific priority objectives;
2) principle of programming - regional development
support measures shall be implemented on the basis of development
planning documents drawn up at the national level, the level of
planning regions and local governments;
3) principle of partnership - cooperation between State
administration institutions, international institutions, planning
regions, local governments, associations and foundations and
economic operators shall be ensured;
4) principle of additionality - the priorities
determined in the State regional policy shall be financed from
the State budget with the financial participation of local
governments, foreign financial assistance, payments of legal
persons and natural persons, including donations; the priorities
determined at the level of planning regions and local governments
shall be financed from the budget of the relevant local
government with financial participation of the State, foreign
financial assistance, payments of legal persons and natural
persons, including donations, moreover, regional development
support financing at various levels shall be mutually
supplementary and shall not replace one another.
5) [13 October 2011]
6) [13 October 2011]
7) [13 October 2011]
[13 February 2003; 20 November 2008; 25 February 2010; 13
October 2011; 3 April 2014]
Section 5. Planning Regions
(1) A planning region is a derived public person. Its
decision-taking institution is the Planning Region Development
Council.
(2) The Cabinet shall determine the territories of the
planning regions in accordance with proposals submitted by local
governments.
(3) The planning regions are Kurzeme Planning Region, Latgale
Planning Region, Rīga Planning Region, Vidzeme Planning Region,
and Zemgale Planning Region.
[22 June 2006]
Chapter
II
Regional Development Planning Documents
[13 October 2011]
Chapter
III
Competence of Public Institutions
Section 14. Competence of the
Cabinet
The Cabinet shall:
1) approve regional policy guidelines;
2) determine the procedures for the implementation,
evaluation, and financing of State regional development support
measures;
3) [13 February 2003];
4) determine the procedures for the supervision and evaluation
of regional development;
5) determine the procedures for the calculation of a spatial
development index and the publication of the values thereof;
6) determine the criteria and procedures for the allocation of
a State budget grant to local governments and planning regions
for the implementation of the projects co-financed by the
European Union structural funds and Cohesion Fund;
7) determine the procedures by which earmarked grants for
investments are granted and utilised.
[19 December 2002; 13 February 2003; 22 June 2006; 8
November 2007; 20 November 2008; 13 October 2011; 3 April
2014]
Section 15. National Regional
Development Council
[3 April 2014]
Section 16. Ministry of
Environmental Protection and Regional Development
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional
Development is the leading institution for the drawing up,
implementation, and supervision of the State regional policy, and
also the coordination of implementation of the support measures
for spatial development. The Ministry of Environmental Protection
and Regional Development shall supervise the activity of planning
regions.
[13 February 2003; 22 June 2006; 16 December 2010; 3 April
2014]
Section 16.1 Competence
of a Planning Region
(1) Planning regions, within the scope of their competence,
shall ensure the planning and coordination of regional
development and cooperation between local government and other
State administration institutions. In addition to the competences
specified in other laws and regulations, planning regions
shall:
1) determine the main basic principles, objectives, and
priorities for the long-term development of the planning
region;
2) ensure the coordination of the development of the planning
region in conformity with the main basic principles, objectives,
and priorities laid down in the development planning
documents;
3) manage and monitor the drawing up and implementation of the
planning documents of the planning region development;
31) provide an opinion on the conformity of a
long-term development strategy and development programme of local
level with the spatial development planning documents of regional
level, and also with the laws and regulations governing the
development planning document system;
4) ensure the cooperation of local governments and the
cooperation of the planning region with institutions of national
level for the implementation of regional development support
measures;
5) evaluate the conformity of the Sustainable Development
Strategy of Latvia, the national development plan, and sectoral
development programmes with the development planning documents of
the planning region and, upon detecting a non-conformity, propose
to amend the development planning documents of national level or
decide on amendments to the planning region planning
documents;
6) evaluate the project applications of local governments or
private individuals for the receipt of regional development State
aid and provide opinions in respect of them;
7) in cooperation with local governments and State
institutions, draw up development planning documents of the
planning region, ensure their mutual coordination and conformity
with the Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia and the
National Development Plan, and also implementation of these
planning documents;
8) coordinate and promote the drawing up, implementation,
supervision, and evaluation of regional development support
measures of the planning region;
9) prepare opinions on the conformity of development planning
documents of national level with the development planning
documents of the planning region;
10) draw up and implement projects within the scope of
regional development support measures;
11) promote economic activity in the territory of the planning
region.
(2) In order to implement the competences of planning regions,
the Planning Region Development Council:
1) shall approve the by-laws and budgets of planning
regions;
2) may establish, reorganise, and liquidate planning region
institutions and capital companies;
3) may decide on participation in associations and
foundations;
4) may specify remuneration in respect of the fulfilment of
the duties of council chairperson, members of the council and
administrative employees and the procedures for the payment
thereof;
5) may specify the types of paid services provided by the
planning region and the amount of payment.
[22 June 2006; 8 November 2007; 25 February 2010; 13
October 2011; 26 May 2016]
Section 17. Planning Region
Development Council
(1) The Planning Region Development Council shall be elected
from among the councillors of the relevant local governments by a
general assembly of the chairpersons of local governments located
in the planning region. The general assembly of the chairpersons
of local governments, unless otherwise laid down in law, shall
take decisions as follows:
1) if none of the participants of the general assembly
objects, decisions shall be taken without voting, by
agreement;
2) if even only one of the participants of the general
assembly objects, the decision shall be voted upon. A decision
shall be taken if more than half of the participants of the
general assembly vote for it and those voting for the taking of
the decision represent not less than half of the total number of
inhabitants of the relevant planning region local governments.
The number of inhabitants shall be determined in conformity with
Population Register data not earlier than one week prior to the
day of the general assembly.
(2) The chairperson of the Planning Region Development Council
shall be elected by the Planning Region Development Council from
among the council members elected to it.
(21) The powers of the Planning Region Development
Council shall terminate upon election of a new council. If a new
council is not elected within two months after notification of
the results of local government elections, the Cabinet shall,
after consultations with the local governments belonging to the
relevant planning region, appoint a person who exercises the
competence of such council and its chairperson until election of
a new Planning Region Development Council.
(3) Meetings of the Planning Region Development Council shall
be open and representatives of State administration institutions,
international institutions, associations and foundations,
economic operators, and other local governments located in the
planning region may participate in such meetings in an advisory
capacity.
(4) The by-laws shall determine the procedures by which a
decision is taken by the Planning Region Development Council.
(5) The chairperson of the Council may, in addition to the
competence specified in the by-laws of the planning region and
other laws and regulations, participate in meetings of the
Cabinet, meetings of a Cabinet committee, and meetings of State
Secretaries in an advisory capacity, and also represent the
planning region in the Regional Development Sub-council.
[22 June 2006; 25 February 2010]
Section 17.1 Procedures
for the Financing of Planning Regions
(1) The sources of financing for planning regions may be the
following:
1) State budget grants for the support of planning regions and
other State budget grants;
2) own revenue, including revenue from paid services provided
by the planning region;
3) according to preferences of a local government - a grant
from a local government budget or a grant from a local government
budget in accordance with the agreements entered into by and
between the local government and the planning region;
4) foreign financial aid funds;
5) donations and gifts.
(2) For the receipt of State budget funds and for the
implementation of the tasks to be performed therefrom, a planning
region shall open a current account with the Treasury. The
responsible ministry in conformity with the State budget
appropriation shall pay the grant into the current account. The
non-used grant of the State budget shall be transferred in the
State budget revenue at the end of the year, except for the grant
for the implementation of the European Union policy instruments
and the projects and measures co-financed by other foreign
financial assistance. The non-used grant of the State budget for
the implementation of the European Union policy instruments and
the projects and measures co-financed by other foreign financial
assistance shall remain at the disposal of the planning region at
the end of the year, and the planning region may use such grant
for corresponding objectives in the next economic year.
(3) A planning region may open a current account with the
Treasury for the accounting of such funds as are not planned in
the State budget. At the end of the year the account surplus
shall remain at the disposal of the planning region, and the
planning may use it in the next financial year.
[8 November 2007; 20 November 2008; 3 April 2014]
Section 18. Planning Region
Cooperation Committee
(1) In order to ensure coordination and cooperation with
national level institutions and planning regions for the
implementation of regional development support measures, each
planning region shall establish a Planning Region Cooperation
Committee.
(2) The meetings of the Planning Region Cooperation Committee
shall be open and the chairperson of the Planning Region
Development Council shall chair them.
(3) Ministries and the secretariats of special task ministers
(hereinafter - the ministries) shall appoint cooperation
coordinators who shall ensure exchange of information between the
planning region and the ministry. Each ministry shall inform the
Planning Region Development Council and the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the
appointing of a cooperation coordinator.
(4) The composition of a Planning Region Cooperation Committee
shall include:
1) representatives assigned by the Planning Region Development
Council;
2) representatives assigned by the ministries.
(5) The chairperson of the Planning Region Development Council
not later than two weeks prior to a meeting of the Planning
Region Cooperation Committee shall inform the relevant ministry
cooperation coordinators of the issues to be discussed at the
meeting of the Planning Region Cooperation Committee and invite
the relevant ministry to ensure its participation in the meeting
of the Planning Region Cooperation Committee.
(6) In the case referred to in Paragraph five of this Section,
a ministry shall assign its representatives for participation in
the meeting of the Planning Region Cooperation Committee in
conformity with issue to be discussed.
[22 June 2006; 16 December 2010]
Chapter
IV
Financing of Regional Development
Section 19. Sources of Financing of
Regional Development
(1) Regional development support measures shall be financed
from the State budget, budgets of local governments, foreign
financial assistance resources, and from payments by legal
persons and natural persons, including donations.
(2) Regional development support measures which have been
included in the National Development Plan shall be financed from
the State budget, budgets of local governments, and foreign
financial assistance resources, and also from resources of legal
person and natural person.
[13 February 2003; 10 March 2005]
Section 20. Regional Fund
[25 February 2010]
Section 21. Allocation of Regional
Development Financing
(1) Regional development financing shall be allocated to
target territories or their parts in conformity with the support
directions of target territories of the regional policy specified
in the Regional Policy Guidelines.
(2) Regional development financing shall be allocated to the
projects and programmes of local governments and planning regions
which conform to the objectives, priorities, planned action, and
investments specified in the spatial development planning
documents of regional or local level.
(3) Upon planning public investments, the principle of spatial
differentiation of services specified in the Regional Policy
Guidelines which provides for the determination of the scope of
services for different groups of populated areas included in the
Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia, spatial development
planning documents of regional or local level is applied for
ensuring individual services.
(4) Within the scope of sectoral policies, public investments
in the relevant territories are based on the development
possibilities and priorities identified at the local or regional
level which are justified in the spatial development planning
documents, except for the planning of the placement of the
objects of national significance.
[3 April 2014]
Chapter V
Target Territories of Regional Policy
[3 April 2014]
Section 22. Concept of Target
Territories of Regional Policy
The target territories of regional policy are territories
characterised by specific challenges and development potential in
relation to their placement within the national spatial structure
and due to the features related to such placement.
Section 23. Status of Target
Territories of Regional Policy
(1) The purpose for the determination of target territories of
regional policy is to take regional development support measures
corresponding to the specific needs and development potential of
these territories in order to promote the establishment of equal
social and economic circumstances in the entire territory of the
country.
(2) Development of target territories of regional policy is
promoted by the investment measures and support measures of other
type implemented within the scope of regional policy and sectoral
policies which are differentiated in conformity with the
socio-economic indicators of local governments or parts of their
territory belonging to the target territories, and also the needs
and development possibilities and which are specified in the
spatial development planning documents of planning regions or
local governments.
Section 24. Determination of Target
Territories of Regional Policy
Target territories of regional policy are determined, taking
into consideration the Sustainable Development Strategy of
Latvia. The local governments belonging to the target territories
are determined in the Regional Policy Guidelines, evaluating
spatial development planning documents of planning regions.
Chapter
VI
Activity of State Administration in Regions
[25 February 2010]
Section 25. Delegation of
Administration Tasks and Transfer of Competence to Planning
Regions
(1) Planning regions may be delegated administration tasks
which are within the competence of an institution of direct
administration. If the administration task is delegated by an
agreement, the draft thereof shall be coordinated with the
Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional
Development.
(2) The Cabinet shall continuously evaluate which competence
of institutions of direct administration is transferred to
planning regions, and also issue the necessary laws and
regulations or prepare and submit relevant draft laws to the
Saeima.
(3) If an administration task is delegated or competence is
transferred to a planning region, such planning region shall
implement the relevant task or competence by such amount of the
financial resources from the State budget which is at least for
10 per cent less than it would have been necessary if the
relevant task or competence would have been implemented by an
institution of direct administration.
(4) The head of the State institution of direct administration
shall, in cooperation with the chairperson of the Planning
Regional Development Council, organise takeover of the
administration tasks or competence from institutions of direct
administration.
[16 December 2010]
Section 26. Spatial Structures of
Institutions of Direct Administration
(1) Institutions of direct administration shall organise their
spatial structures in conformity with the territories which are
specified in accordance with Section 5, Paragraph two of this
Law, unless it is laid down otherwise in the Law or by the
Cabinet.
(2) If the tasks to be performed by the structures of
institution of direct administration allow it in any territorial
unit, the Cabinet shall decide on partial or complete merging of
the relevant spatial structures and additionally also on
performance of the actions referred to in Section 25 of this Law
upon proposal of the Minister for Environmental Protection and
Regional Development.
[16 December 2010]
Transitional
Provisions
1. With the coming into force of this Law, the Law on the
Specially Supportable Regions is repealed (Latvijas Republikas
Saeimas un Ministru Kabineta Ziņotājs, 1997, No. 13; 1999,
No. 10).
2. The Regional Development Council, established in accordance
with the Law on the Specially Supportable Regions, shall continue
to perform its functions until the establishment of the National
Regional Council.
3. The status of specially supported region, granted in
accordance with the Law on the Specially Supportable Regions,
shall be in force until 27 June 2004.
4. The Regional Fund established in accordance with the Law on
the Specially Supportable Regions shall continue its operation
until the moment the Regional Fund provided for in this Law is
established which Fund shall be its successor in rights and
obligations.
5. The Cabinet shall:
1) by 1 September 2002, issue the regulations and
recommendations provided for by Section 6 of this Law, offer
proposals in respect of the territories of the planning regions
and determine procedures by which the issue regarding the
territories of the planning regions shall be coordinated with the
local governments located therein;
2) by 15 October 2002, determine the territories of the
planning regions provided for in Section 5 of this Law;
3) by 1 January 2003, approve the by-laws of the National
Regional Development Council provided for in Section 15,
Paragraph three of this Law;
4) by 31 December 2003, issue the regulations provided for in
Section 6, Paragraph two of this Law regarding the procedures for
development, implementation, monitoring, and public discussion of
the National Development Plan;
5) by 1 September 2003, issue the regulations provided for in
Section 14, Clause 2 and Section 21, Paragraph three of this
Law;
6) by 1 October 2003, in accordance with Section 20,
Paragraphs one and three of this Law, establish the Regional Fund
and approve the by-laws thereof;
7) by 31 January 2008, issue the regulations provided for in
Section 14, Clauses 5 and 6 of this Law;
8) by 31 December 2012, issue the regulations provided for in
Section 14, Clause 7 of this Law.
[19 December 2002; 13 February 2003; 8 November 2007; 13
October 2011]
6. Planning region development councils referred to in Section
5 of this Law shall, within two months after the Cabinet has
approved the borders of a planning region, appoint their
representative for work in the National Regional Development
Council.
[13 February 2003]
7. [10 March 2005]
8. [13 February 2003]
9. Until establishment of the planning regions provided for by
this Law, the functions of the planning regions shall be
performed by the planning regions established in accordance with
the Territorial Development Planning Law.
10. A Planning Region Development Council which has been
established and operating up to 1 August 2006 shall be deemed to
be the derived public person decision-taking institution referred
to in Section 5, Paragraph one of this Law until the day when the
Planning Region Development Council is elected in conformity with
the provisions of Section 17, Paragraph one of this Law.
[22 June 2006]
11. A district local government shall transfer its development
programme to the planning region by 1 August 2009. If one
municipality is established in the territory of the district, the
development programme of the district local government shall be
transferred to the relevant municipality.
[20 November 2008]
12. Until the day of coming into force of the regulations
referred to in Section 14, Clause 5 of this Law, however, not
later than until 1 April 2009, Cabinet Regulation No. 730 of 15
September 2008, Procedures for the Calculation of the Spatial
Development Index and Application Thereof, shall be applied.
[20 November 2008]
13. Until the day of coming into force of the regulations
referred to in Section 14, Clause 6 of this Law, however, not
later than by 1 July 2009, Cabinet Regulation No. 815 of 30
September 2008, Regulations Regarding Criteria for Allocating the
Grant of the State Budget to Local Governments and Planning
Regions for the Implementation of the Projects Co-financed by the
European Union Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund, shall be
applied.
[20 November 2008]
14. Section 26, Paragraph one of this Law shall come into
force on 1 July 2010.
[25 February 2010]
15. The Cabinet shall, once in two years, prepare and submit
to the Saeima an informative report on the implementation
of Section 25, Paragraph two and Section 26 of this Law.
[3 April 2014]
16. [13 October 2011]
17. [13 October 2011]
18. [13 October 2011]
19. The Cabinet shall, by 30 June 2014, issue the regulations
referred to in Section 14, Clause 5 of this Law. Until the day of
coming into force of this Regulation, however, not later than by
30 June 2014, Cabinet Regulation No. 482 of 25 May 2010,
Regulations Regarding the Procedures for the Calculation of the
Spatial Development Index and Values Thereof, shall be
applied.
[3 April 2014]
The Law has been adopted by the Saeima on 21 March
2002.
Acting for the President, Chairperson of
the Saeima J. Straume
Adopted 9 April 2002
1 The Parliament of the Republic of
Latvia
Translation © 2021 Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre)