Latvia continues to increase the share of renewable energy sources in its electricity balance, which now accounts for roughly 3/4 of the electricity generated. At present, Latvia obtains most of its electricity from hydropower and biomass. This provides a solid basis for the country to cut emissions still further across the whole economy and to meet its renewable energy targets.

 

In its third and final reading, the Saeima approved amendments to the Law on the State Real Estate Cadastre drafted by the Ministry of Justice. The changes mean that real estate tax payments will not rise. At the same time, under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance, there are plans to put the system in order over the long term so as to ensure the stability of the funding available to local authorities. The amendments provide that in 2025 two cadastral values will be separated out and will be in force – a fiscal value and a universal value.

 

Following a competition, Māris Muižnieks has been confirmed as a member of the board of VSIA “Zemkopības ministrijas nekustamie īpašumi”; until now he had been serving as an interim board member of ZMNĪ. In total, 32 candidates applied for the competition.

 

The Ministry of Agriculture has approached the European Commission (EC) in order to advance Latvia's interests and its view on the scope for simplifying EU rules on producer organisations (POs), which would encourage them to be set up more actively and make it easier for POs to operate, especially small and new ones. POs are organisations formed jointly by producers in order to strengthen the competitiveness of particular agricultural sectors and to reduce producers' costs by drawing on EU support.

 

It is essential for us that local authorities are involved in improving the school catering system from the very outset. I call on local authorities to include in their strategies the objectives and principles that encourage the use of local agricultural and food products in procurement, and to continue implementing measures aimed at increasing the share of higher-quality food products of local origin, purchased through green public procurement, in municipal catering establishments.

 

 

LVM will pay 80% of its profit into the state budget: 141.34 million euros will be paid out in dividends and 35.33 million euros as corporate income tax on the dividend payment.

 

Local authorities are not managing the forest resources they own in a commercially sound way, and so are not obtaining the greatest possible benefit from the management of these valuable public assets. That is the conclusion of a State Audit Office performance audit of how local authorities handle forest resources.

 

“Latvijas Finieris” has begun an ambitious development project at the “Zābaki” tree nursery (in Sigulda municipality). Working closely with Latvian scientists, the project will make use of unique timber construction solutions.

 

More than 7 million euros will be available for the restoration of peatland ecosystems under the regulations on the restoration of habitats of European Union importance and peatland ecosystems adopted by the government today.

 

 

Inspecting the site of the fire, specialists from the State Forest Service found that the forest had caught alight in several places at once, which gives good grounds to believe that the fire was started deliberately. The State Police have been informed. Similar cases of arson were also recorded in 2023.

 

 

As the hot, dry weather continues, plant pests will go on spreading rapidly. In many places, legume weevils, flea beetles, aphids and thrips are currently widespread in field crops. In fruit and berry gardens, plum fruit moths, currant leaf rollers, raspberry flower weevils and aphids have spread.

 

...updating the topographic map data matters, because the maps are widely used in national defence, construction and forest management. This year the total costs planned for the cartography sector in Latvia from the state budget come to 4.4 million euros.

 

...for a problem to be dealt with as promptly as possible, it is important to understand which bodies are responsible for the particular issue – for example, disruptive noise, odours, or visible pollution in the air, water or forests.

 

The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) has begun creating a wooded meadow beside Jelgava Palace. At present, to onlookers, the area stretching through the palace park along Lielā iela might look like an ordinary unmown lawn, but this has been done deliberately in order to develop a diverse sward with the plant species typical of wooded meadows.

 

 

The hunting season for roe bucks opens on 1 June. The season for roe does and kids (under one year old), meanwhile, opens on 15 August. The roe deer hunting season will run until 30 November.

 

On current affairs in game management – more precisely, the recently held Latvian National Hunting Trophy Exhibition at Jaunmokas. The conclusions are in truth very sad indeed! Is there anything we can do?

 

 

It should be said at the outset that some of the passions aroused are perhaps connected with the incurable urge of Latvia's public administration to generate mountains of paper. Namely, there are three texts in all.