National Development Plan of Latvia for 2014-2020

The National Development Plan of Latvia is a national multi-sectoral plan of Latvia for the period 2014-2020. Its main objective is as follows: in 2030, Latvia will be a thriving country of active and responsible citizens. Everyone will have the opportunity to feel safe and belonging to Latvia, everyone here will have the opportunity to achieve their goals. The strength of the nation will lie in the inherited, discovered and newly created cultural and spiritual values, the richness of language and knowledge of other languages. It will unite the society for the creation of new, diverse and unique values in economy, science and culture, and these values will be appreciated, known and respected outside Latvia as well.
The Plan seeks to make agriculture and forestry more productive and sustainable. Namely, it aims to promote the sustainable use and biological diversity of land and other natural resources through the application of environmental conservation technologies; ensure a wider supply of energy-efficient and ecological goods and services in public procurement; carry out waste sorting and processing of waste sorted at collection; and increase soil fertility and the value of forest resources by minimising the environmental impact and deploying conservation technologies.
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the following measures are set out: supporting the development of agricultural, fisheries and forestry production, further processing of products, and services; promotion of cooperation, the development of cooperatives at all levels of production and service provision levels and between them; providing investment support and measures for the development of production of substitutes for imported food products (with high value added) as well as the production and processing of food quality scheme products (national food quality, organic farming); supporting the access by small and medium enterprises producing agricultural, fisheries and forestry products to distribution networks and shortening of supply chains; increasing motivation of local governments to attract investment for the development of manufacturing and services by using relevant tax policy tools and other means; developing of coastal infrastructure to promote small ports and business activity; improving local motor roads and access roads, with priority given to the motor roads connecting populated areas with regional development centres and agricultural, food production and forestry businesses with a higher traffic intensity; increasing the use of water bodies and agricultural land in food production, including improving the infrastructure regulating public water management; and providing support to exporting manufacturers and exporting service providers towards equipment purchases and upgrades to produce goods or services for export and towards the research and development of new products.
The document also provides for multiple measures for energy efficiency seeking to ensure the sustainable use of the energy resources required by the national economy by promoting the availability of a market for the resources; a decrease of the energy intensity and emission intensity in certain sectors; and an increase of the proportion of renewable energy resources in the total consumption, while focusing on competitive energy prices.
According to the document, achieving the objectives of the Plan is a goal for the state administration, local governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations and society as a whole. The Saeima (Parliament) of the Republic of Latvia and the Public Administration and Local Government Committee’s Subcommittee on Monitoring the Drafting and Implementation of the National Development Plan will play a significant role in the process of monitoring and assessment of the Plan. Every two years, the Government will submit for review to the Saeima a single, mutually integrated report on the implementation of the Plan. The report will be drawn up in cooperation with the sectoral ministries and non-governmental organisations, and will be made available for public discussion.