| National Environmental Policy Plan for Latvia |
(This Web page is prepared within the framework of the BALLERINA initiative)
Residents of the Republic of Latvia have the right to live in a quality human environment and to request that competent State institutions, legal entities and their officials, as well as physical persons, discontinue such actions or inactions that degrade the environment, harm residents’ health or endanger their lives, interests and property.
The Law of the Republic of Latvia ‘On Environmental Protection’, Article 11
It is impossible to imagine an improvement of living standards in Latvia without an improvement in the state of the environment. When the quality of the environment is compromised, the national economy and society lose because environmental problems have adverse effects on human health, the stability of natural ecosystems, as well as the availability and quality of natural resources. A degraded environment also has a negative impact on public self-awareness in general. In order to reduce negative impacts on the environment, radical changes are necessary in national decision making and public attitudes towards the environment in general. A quality environment is a pre-requisite for sustainable development in Latvia.
Environmental protection, just as any branch of the national economy, needs a clear-cut development strategy. The National Environmental Policy Plan (NEPP) offers such a strategy, and its necessity was determined by several considerations. First, the NEPP formulates basic environmental policy goals for the coming 20 - 30 years, listing principles upon which the policy should be based, and instruments for its implementation. The NEPP also discusses and analyses priority problems. It should be noted that priorities have been set at different levels according to the effects of time and location.
Taking into account the fact that the system of government, the national economy and society in general in Latvia are in a transition period, clear environmental requirements can be incorporated into larger scale State administration reforms, new legislation, and implementation of relevant economic projects. Therefore, the NEPP could be used by separate ministries in drafting their strategies. The NEPP also gives serious investors an idea of the types of changes in environmental requirements that may be expected in the coming years.
Active public participation is necessary for the resolution of many environmental problems. Various public organisations, formal and informal interest groups, as well as individuals can find a point of impact/attack in the NEPP for the solution of environmental problems that affect them.
An environmental strategy is necessary not only for Latvia - it is an essential step in the establishment of a common European environmental system. The necessity for national environmental strategies and action programmes was emphasised at the conferences for the Ministers of Environmental Protection of Europe in Dobris (1989) and Lucerne (1993). Thus, adoption of the NEPP as the environmental strategy for Latvia is another step towards the integration of Latvia into Europe. Having signed the Lucerne Declaration, Latvia assumed responsibility for the development of a national strategy and action programme. Therefore, also the conclusions and principles of the Environmental Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe (endorsed in Lucerne) were taken into account when elaborating the NEPP. The plan is also based to a large extent on conclusions of the UN Conference for Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) in regards to the need for sustainable development.
A cohesive environmental protection strategy is a strong argument to use in negotiations with potential investors, since it proves Latvia is a safe partner for co-operation that knows what it wants. It provides opportunities to channel funds towards solving the most urgent problems, as well as for substantiating the necessity of projects.
In order to implement the NEPP and further elaborate environmental policy, it is necessary to:
The Environmental Protection Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MEPRD), in co-operation with a number of other institutions and organisations, developed the NEPP. In all, more than 80 experts from MEPRD structural units and subordinated organisations, the Ministries of Economy, Finance, Agriculture and Transport, scientific and educational institutions, ECAT and the Latvian Fund for Nature worked on the plan. Valuable advice and comments were provided by the Regional Environmental Protection Committees. The advice and assistance of the Ministry of Environment, Environmental Planning and Housing of the Netherlands and the Environmental Protection Agency of Sweden lent substantial support to the development of the NEPP. While it would not have been possible to draft this plan at such short notice without international support, the contents of the NEPP were elaborated exclusively by Latvian experts.
In no way should the NEPP be considered the end of the process of environmental policy planning. It is the start of a process of continuous elaboration and implementation of environmental policy. As Latvian society and the national economy changes, so too will environmental problems and priorities. Accordingly, problem-solving measures will also change. Therefore an environmental strategy needs to be flexible - it must be able to deal with mistakes or errors of judgement, as well as possible changes in development trends - so that significant environmental quality improvements can be achieved with a minimum expenditure of time and resources.
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Last updated: November 8, 1996. The information prepared by Valts Vilnitis: fuxis@varam.gov.lv
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