On current and upcoming events
### You can still sign for the future of hunting in Europe: https://signforhunting.com/
### A study on horticulture and its impact on the surrounding environment by scientists from ten countries (including colleagues from Daugavpils University); we encourage you to support it by participating in the survey:
### 12 and 13 May Forest ABC (Meža ABC) at Struņķukrogs in Padure Parish, Kuldīga Municipality
30 May 2023 from 11:00 to 17:00, Ogres Tehnikums, in cooperation with the Latvian National Centre for Culture and the New European Bauhaus Latvian contact point, is hosting a seminar for vocational secondary education teachers of interior design and environmental design programmes: "Sustainable solutions in architectural and interior projects and the New European Bauhaus".
### Latvian Forest Days in Tērvete. 26 and 27 May:
https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/6761-meza-nozime-cina-ar-klimata-parmainam-si-gada-tema-latvijas-meza-dienas
https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/6761-meza-nozime-cina-ar-klimata-parmainam-si-gada-tema-latvijas-meza-dienas
### 13 May at 16:00, as part of the Museum Night 2023 event "The Price of Freedom", an expert discussion "Latvian national partisans: state of research, problems and challenges" will be held at the National Resistance Movement Museum in Renda. The aim of the discussion is to promote research into the history of the national partisans and strengthen their significance in the collective memory of Latvian society.
### 100th anniversary celebration of the student society Šalkone on 16 June
### An opportunity to participate in the "European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2023" competition launched by the European Commission. Projects for the competition can be submitted until 22 June this year.
https://www.em.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/aicinam-pieteikties-2023-gada-konkursam-eiropas-uznemejdarbibas-veicinasanas-balva-0
https://www.em.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/aicinam-pieteikties-2023-gada-konkursam-eiropas-uznemejdarbibas-veicinasanas-balva-0
On ministerial proceedings
On 9 May, the government approved a new version of the Cabinet of Ministers "Regulations on industrial fishing in inland waters" prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, clarifying and supplementing the previously effective procedures for industrial fishing in inland waters.
The regulations provide that a beekeeper must submit information within seven days after a temporary relocation, using the Agricultural Data Centre (LDC) electronic message entry system, if beehives are moved outside the apiary to a temporary location for plant pollination or production between 1 April and 30 September.
The Ministry of Agriculture celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The decision to establish the Ministry of Agriculture, by liquidating the then Ministry of Agriculture, was taken in 1993 by the 5th Saeima, restoring the 1925 "Cabinet of Ministers Structure" law, which provides for the position of Minister of Agriculture.
On 12 May, a tribute event will take place in the Grand Hall of the Ministry of Culture to mark the inclusion of the Gauja rafters' craft skills in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The event will bring together representatives of the Gauja rafters, Valmiera municipality, Strenči administration, the Latvian National Centre for Culture, the Latvian Academy of Culture, and the Latvian Association of Local Governments.
On industry issues
From 26.05.2023 to 26.06.2023, a new round of project applications has been announced for the European Union's European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Rural Development Programme (RDP) measure "Investments in expanding forest areas and improving forest viability".
Continuing to meet the growing demand for co-working office space, Workland Group will open the largest co-working office centre in Riga in 2024 at Galleria Riga.
The owner and manager of Galleria Rīga, East Capital Real Estate, plans to invest more than three million euros to transform 3,200 m2 of the fifth floor of Galleria Riga into co-working offices.
Latvijas valsts meži plans forest restoration this year by planting forest on 11.4 thousand hectares and sowing just over 700 hectares. We plan that 4,900 thousand hectares will regenerate through natural regeneration this year, which means that young stands can be recognised as regenerated forest to that extent. In total, we must plant just over 28 million seedlings this year.
The new government has a great opportunity to implement a real and substantive economic transformation, thereby dampening or even completely stopping the already observed decline in GDP, as well as maintaining and increasing jobs and tax revenues.
Working in the forestry sector, one often has the opportunity to witness the incompetence of state officials in creating and applying tax laws. One of the most painful problems to highlight is personal income tax – it is written in such complex and difficult-to-understand language that it causes headaches not only for entrepreneurs but even for seasoned accountants and lawyers. Trying to understand these tax explanations, people often look for help from a business partner or employer, who, unintentionally, can be cast in the role of a fraudster. If the government is thinking of opening up tax regulations, it should primarily do so with simplification in mind.
Orchards in all regions of Latvia were damaged during the eight-day cold spell last week, and the damage will amount to millions of euros, according to the Latvian Fruit Growers' Association, which will apply to the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) for support for the industry. Orchard owners pointed out that such catastrophic frosts are rare and that it is currently impossible to insure trees against them in Latvia.
The price of energy wood chips will not return to pre-war levels, said Andris Meirāns, Deputy Director of Wood Product Production and Supply at Latvijas valsts meži (LVM).
He noted that although the price of energy wood has decreased by 30% since July, when LVM held an auction for additional volumes of wood chips for Latvian heat producers, production costs have increased. At the same time, expectations are observed in the market from heat producers.
Contrary to this common belief, the forestry industry in Latvia has actually helped increase the country's forest area over the last few decades. In Latvia, the forest area has doubled over the last 80 years, while the amount of timber in Latvia's forests has increased almost fourfold (source: Ministry of Agriculture). This growth is mainly due to responsible and sustainable forestry practices. Sustainable forestry methods are more common than ever before.
“EkVidO2” or “ECOLOGY. ENVIRONMENT. AIR.” is the newly created name and brand of the environmental education centre and programme of Rīgas meži. They were made public on Thursday, 11 May, also introducing the general public to special environmental education activities.
The 2022 financial report of Stiga RM shows that the company's total investments last year more than quadrupled compared to 2021, reaching almost 20 million euros. Most of this, or almost 13 million euros, of the investments made last year was directed towards the development of birch plywood production.
On important changes and a peculiar reaction
On 2 May 2023, the Supervisory Board of Latvijas valsts meži (LVM) decided that three LVM board members – Jānis Lapiņš, Toms Reiziņš and Jānis Stankevičs – had lost the board's confidence by failing to demonstrate unified and cohesive mutual cooperation, thereby creating risks for the company's good corporate governance, security and development. Following this decision, the interim LVM Supervisory Board immediately dismissed these company board members.
At the LVM Supervisory Board meeting on 2 May, a decision was made: the three aforementioned LVM board members have lost the board's confidence. The reasoning: they failed to demonstrate unified and cohesive mutual cooperation, thereby creating risks for the company's good corporate governance, security and development. Contrary to the reasoning expressed by the LVM Supervisory Board, the former board members confirmed to "Neatkarīgā" their ability both to cooperate and to cohesively analyse the situation at LVM and the true reasons for their dismissal. This was a classic settling of scores with productive members of the management team working in the interests of the state and the company, the former LVM board members concluded.
On the economy
Regarding Latvenergo's 2022 profit, which reached 209.362 million euros last year, it was decided to pay 133.991 million euros to the state in dividends, while the remaining profit of 75.37 million euros will be credited to retained earnings.
So-called dual-use goods worth more than a billion euros, which were sent in transit to recipients in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, have "disappeared" in Russia. This is reported by the British newspaper Financial Times.
Journalists refer to open sources and report that the "disappearance" of goods was detected after conducting random checks on exports worth two billion euros from the European Union (EU). Only half of the goods reached their final recipients, while the rest of the goods remained in Russia.
The turnover of Valmiermuižas alus in 2022 increased to 7.02 million euros, which is an increase of 20.65% compared to 2021. This year, this brewer plans to increase turnover by 30%.
On support for Ukraine
On environmental issues
https://www.varam.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/dabas-skaitisanas-dati-latvija-vissliktak-sobrid-klajas-zalajiem-ari-parejam-biotopu-grupam-nepieciesama-pardomata-ilgtermina-apsaimniekosana
Nature counting, or Latvia's primary inventory of natural values, has concluded. By studying meadows, wetlands, forests, rivers and lakes, coastal and inland dunes, caves and rock outcrops in a total area of 1.3 million hectares, the most complete data on Latvia's nature in the country's history have been obtained. The data provide detailed information about Latvia's current natural habitats and their values and will serve as a significant basis for broader discussions and fact-based decisions on situation conservation, improvement and nature conservation policy.
To restore the former population of little terns Sternula albifrons, the mouths of the Gauja, Ķikans and Irbe rivers will be closed to visitors from 1 May to 31 July. Little terns build nests in the beach sand and are very sensitive during the nesting period to disturbance caused by people, especially dogs, which negatively affects brooding, chick rearing and the species' population. As the beach sand is the only home and nesting place for these birds, the Nature Conservation Agency (the Agency) has for the second year been calling on holidaymakers, boaters and anglers to choose other beach areas for recreation and walking or to discover new places.
https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/6914-notiks-valsts-nozimes-kulturas-pieminekla-dundagas-parks-izstradata-ainavu-apsaimniekosanas-plana-publiska-apspriede
The landscape management plan for the state-significant cultural monument “Dundaga Park”, prepared by LVM, has been developed in accordance with the goals of LVM territory management and the management of a state-significant cultural monument, including the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, covering an analysis of management goals, as well as the identification, assessment, mapping and recommendations for management measures for the scenically valuable landscape spaces, scenic roads and scenic viewpoints of “Dundaga Park”.
As every year, this spring the Agency called on residents to report exhausted seal pups and reminded them of the correct course of action when encountering one. Although there is greater public awareness every year and fewer calls are received about seal pups that do not need help, there is still a small part of society that fails to understand that a healthy seal should be left alone and that help is not needed and can often even be harmful.
https://nra.lv/latvija/regionos/413437-blakus-juras-erglu-ligzai-izcert-mezu-lvm-noraida-bazas-par-kaitejumu-erglu-ligzdosanai.htm
Forestry activities in a logging area in Dobele municipality do not affect the nesting of white-tailed eagles, representatives of Latvijas Valsts meži told the LETA agency while commenting on concerns expressed on Facebook.
On other significant and interesting matters
Agricultural and climate technology company eAgronom, in cooperation with Swedbank, has issued the first Sustainable Agriculture Certificate. Its goal is to encourage the introduction of environmentally friendly farming practices, as well as to provide more favourable financing conditions for farmers who have committed to farming sustainably. The farm "Liepkalns" is the first in Latvia to have received this type of certificate.
First. I do not understand the obsession of the Latvian-language media with certain marginal events in Russia. If we choose the period closest to the time this commentary was written (late April – early May), can anyone explain to me why the passing of two Russian fashion designers was mentioned so extensively? What does that have to do with us? Why do refutations of what Kremlin propaganda lunatics say appear literally every day? To "show the other side"? And what new things can this "other side" say?
The main Latvian values that we offer to English and Russian-speaking tourists are Latvia's nature and gastronomy. However, the director of the Rundāle Palace Museum, Laura Lūse, thinks that culture is the basis of everything: "It is a way and a means to attract people and a very diverse audience. Because to imagine that people are only interested in food or only nature would be completely wrong because all these things are interconnected. If a person enjoys culture and enjoys the environment, they do not necessarily have to be a historian or a person with experience in architecture or the study of culture and art, but it is enough that the person is given the opportunity to enjoy and experience something original that is characteristic of that place."