On 4 June 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft Regulation elaborated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MoEPRD) on the envisaged support to public administration institutions for the development of national information and communication technology (ICT) solutions and services, thus also promoting the digitisation of the private sector and the creation of new services.
The total planned funding under the measure is € 174.7 million, including € 148.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and € 26.2 million from the national budget. The current ERDF funding available is €125.1 million and €23.4 million in flexibility funding, which will be available from 2026.
The support is intended for direct administrations and municipalities, as well as public corporations and associations or foundations (for delegated administrative tasks) and the judiciary.
Priority will be given to investments in data and service management, as well as in applications of artificial intelligence that increase the productivity of public administration.
The measure foresees that at least half of its funding (€87.4 million) will be channelled to projects that aim to develop business-oriented services, products or processes. The remaining projects will target new European Union (EU) requirements (regulations) in the area of public services, such as cross-border accessibility of services (Single Digital Gateway regulation), accessibility requirements, etc.
As a result of the projects, at least 913 users (companies, institutions) are expected to integrate their digital solutions with the national digital solutions developed under the project, e.g. for the automated exchange of data.
The measure will be implemented through a restricted call for proposals. The priority projects for approval will be emergency priority projects, i.e. projects that must immediately comply with EU regulatory requirements (failure to do so in 2025 could result in penalties) or projects under government decisions on emergency measures. For the remaining projects, a list of priority areas for development will be prepared by the MoEPRD in consultation with line ministries and the Latvian Association of Local Governments.
