At its meeting on March 17, the government approved amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers’ Regulations No. 443 of August 8, 2023, "Regulations on the implementation of the European Union Recovery and Resilience Mechanism Plan 1.2. reforms and investment direction "Improvement of energy efficiency" 1.2.1.4.i. investment "Improvement of energy efficiency in public sector buildings, incl. historic buildings"”. The changes have been made to ensure the successful achievement of the Recovery and Resilience Facility project indicators within the specified deadlines and the fulfillment of obligations to receive funding from the European Commission.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility’s investments are important for the modernization of historic buildings in the public sector and achieving climate goals. The projects aim to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while improving the technical condition of buildings, sustainable management and the transition to the use of renewable energy resources. Among the projects are several important cultural objects, such as the Latvian National Opera and Ballet, the Great Guild, the Arts Education Competence Centre “National Art High School,” the infrastructure of the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum and the National Library of Latvia. The total financing of the investments reaches almost 30 million euros, of which the majority, almost 25 million euros, is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and the rest is financed by the state budget.
The amendments allow for more flexible organization of project implementation and ensure successful completion of work. Along with the changes made, the project implementation period is extended, technical clarifications are made, and the distribution of funding between objects is specified. The amendments provide for the possibility of more efficient use of funding savings from projects, so that in some cases the saved sum can be directed to additional energy efficiency measures or the introduction of renewable energy technologies.
In the implementation of energy efficiency projects in historical objects, such as the Great Guild and the Latvian National Opera and Ballet, during construction work it is often necessary to carry out additional restoration work, search for additional technical solutions that meet the requirements for the preservation of national architectural and protected cultural monuments. Consequently, additional design, technical expertise, clarification of construction work are required during the project, and previously unplanned costs arise.
The Ministry of Culture has approved the proposed reallocation of funding for the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum building project from the remaining total funding available within the National Library of Latvia solar panel project in the amount of approximately 578 thousand euros and for the Latvian National Opera and Ballet historical building project from the total reserve funding of the investment in the amount of approximately 841 thousand euros.
The implementation of the activities planned in the projects is ensured by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Mechanism Plan component 1 “Climate Change” investment direction 1.2 “Improvement of energy efficiency” 1.2.1.4.i investment “Improvement of energy efficiency in public sector buildings, including historical buildings”, for which the responsible ministry is the Ministry of Economics.
About the Recovery and Resilience Facility:
The EU Recovery and Resilience Facility is a budget program managed centrally by the European Commission, established in addition to the EU's multiannual budget for the 2021–2027 programming period. The program aims to support reforms and investments related to the transition to a green and digital economy, as well as to mitigate the social and economic impact of the crisis. By the end of 2026, it is planned to invest EUR 1.97 billion from the Recovery and Resilience Facility in the Latvian economy by implementing reforms and making investments in all six areas of the Recovery and Resilience Facility: Climate and Energy (including REPowerEU), Digital Transformation, Reducing Inequality, Economic Transformation, Health, and Rule of Law.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility reforms and investments in Latvia are financed from the European Commission Recovery and Resilience Facility budget, with co-financing from the state budget.
Information prepared by:
Alma Rudzīte
Officer of Public Relations Division, Ministry of Culture
Tel.: +371 25784795
Email: Alma.Rudzite@km.gov.lv
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
