On June 27, 2023 – the Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft regulations prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MoEPRD), within which financing is available to municipalities for the development of innovative solutions in order to improve the efficiency of services provided by municipalities in accordance with the Regional Policy Guidelines 2021-2027. determined for the year. The planned total financing of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – 15.52 million. euro.
Draft Regulations "European Union Cohesion Policy Program for 2021-2027 5.1.1. of the specific support objective "Promoting the integrated social, economic and environmental development of the local territory and cultural heritage, tourism and safety in the functional areas of cities" 5.1.1.4. the implementation rules of the "Smart Municipality" measure were developed with the aim of promoting the development of smart municipalities by introducing smart solutions in ensuring the performance of the autonomous functions of municipalities and administrative tasks arising from them.
Minister Māris Sprindžuks: "Existing regional and global development challenges, such as population decline, the low share of innovative companies in the regions, the "obsolescence" of the range of existing municipal services, high costs of municipal services, as well as the challenges caused by climate change, force the search for new ways for municipalities to become more efficient , more modern and able to respond to the various needs of the population. The implementation of the projects would enable municipalities to increase the efficiency of the services they provide by implementing smart solutions to reduce service costs per user of the municipal service or energy consumption, or the time spent in providing and receiving the service, when implementing the project in some areas."
Local governments will have the opportunity to apply smart solution development project ideas for improving the efficiency of services provided within the framework of the autonomous function of any local government referred to in Article 4 of the Local Government Law.
In order to promote smart solutions with regional impact, the draft regulations determine the ERDF funding available to the municipalities of each planning region, ensuring that innovative solutions will be introduced in each planning region in the areas of implementing the autonomous functions of municipalities. 5.1.1.4. total ERDF financing planned for the event – 15 529 500 euro, of which for the territory of each planning region – 3 105 900 euro.
It is expected that the supported municipal projects will be determined in the pre-selection of project ideas jointly organized by planning regions and MoEPRD, in which project ideas can be submitted by all municipalities, their institutions and capital companies in all planning regions. Before the pre-selection of project ideas, MoEPRD will provide project applicants with information about the eligibility and quality criteria, according to which MoEPRD opinion will be given. If the project idea meets all the evaluation criteria for the pre-selection of project ideas and gets the relatively highest rating after evaluating the quality criteria, VARAM will prepare a positive opinion and submit it to the relevant planning region, municipality and cooperation partner (if it is planned to attract it), as well as to the Central Finance and Contracts Agency (CFCA). After receiving the first positive MoEPRD opinion on the project idea included in the development program of the planning region, the CFCA will announce a limited selection of project submissions and will send an invitation to the applicants of one or more projects envisaged in the development program of the relevant planning region to submit a project submission for a limited selection of project submissions.
The draft regulations also provide for a condition on the opinion of the scientific expertise of the Latvian Science Council that the smart solution planned in the project is an innovative solution on a Latvian scale.
The measure is expected to be implemented until December 31, 2029.
The evaluation criteria of project submissions were approved at the meeting of the European Union Funds Supervisory Committee on April 11, 2023.
