On the IUFRO congress
Early bird registration for the IUFRO XXVI World Congress until 15 January
On the official outlook for 2024
Regulations coming into force in 2024...
Useful! Very useful!
A higher minimum wage, compensation for mortgage holders, higher electricity and gas distribution tariffs, mandatory bio-waste sorting, higher excise duty on alcohol and tobacco, a 12% value-added tax rate for fresh fruit and vegetables, and other changes – the portal LSM.lv has compiled what will change and which new regulations will come into effect in 2024.
On industry matters
In the European Union, the bioeconomy sectors are considered crucial to ensuring a climate-neutral Europe by 2050, which presents an opportunity for Latvia’s growth, but will simultaneously create a series of challenges, concluded the participants of the 8th International Conference of the Forest Certification Council of Latvia, titled “Changes and solutions in environmental policy for sustainable, climate-neutral economic development”.
Forests are the wealth of the Latvian people, but without conscientious foresters who love the woods, it would be impossible to keep them sustainable and well-tended. Liene Pušpura, a laureate of the “Most Well-Tended Forest 2023” competition organised by the Forest Owners' Association of Latvia, shared her experience of how she manages her property, not hiding the hard work and love invested in tending to it.
Certification will always be a prerequisite for the successful sale of products in global markets, and this also applies to timber. A product from Latvia with the PEFC-certified material trademark gives entrepreneurs and consumers confidence that the raw materials used in production were sourced from a sustainably managed forest. Forest certification guidelines in Latvia are becoming stricter in order to align with the new standards.
On serious positions
Two candidates continue to compete for the position of Director General of the State Revenue Service (VID), from whom the selection committee and the Minister of Finance must choose one to nominate to the Cabinet of Ministers for confirmation. According to unofficial information available to the LETA agency, these candidates are Vita Narnicka, Director General of the State Land Service, and Baiba Šmite-Roķe, acting Director of the Tax Administration Department of the VID.
On regions and borders
The ministry responsible for the work of local governments will submit a proposal to the Saeima early next year to merge the Varakļāni municipality with the Madona municipality at the time of the 2025 local government elections. The ministry does not plan to redraw the borders of other municipalities in the near future.
On railways
...after a break of almost 20 years, the train from Vilnius to Riga, full of passengers, pulled into Riga station on Wednesday, 27 December...
This autumn, the first application was received from the company Eiropas dzelzceļa līnijas for tree felling for deforestation purposes in areas managed by LVM, covering an area of approximately 10 hectares. The deforestation was carried out in accordance with requirements and within the desired timeframe proposed by Eiropas dzelzceļa līnijas.
The former Liepāja–Ventspils railway line is awaiting a transformation. It is planned to be used to create the first “green railway” route in Kurzeme: “Pāvilosta–Liepāja”. This section will be adapted for cycling, hiking, Nordic walking, horse riding and skiing.
Although it was slightly lower in December, the overall occupancy of the train over the nine-month period exceeds 53% (53.71%). Positive trends are generally observed, and it is therefore planned that from September 2024, the passenger train on the Riga–Liepāja route will run twice a day in both directions.
On hunting
A poacher is no longer a grey-haired uncle at the edge of the forest with an old shotgun, say State Forest Service (VMD) inspectors – nowadays, a hunter only needs to break one of the rules to become one. And there are many rules, as the portal Delfi observed during a driven hunt inspection last weekend.
Current events in cartoons
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