From 2025, every municipality in Latvia will implement a participatory budget, giving residents the opportunity to influence how part of the municipal budget is spent. Any resident can propose a project to improve the environment and quality of life.
To make this process accessible and simple for residents, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) has created a participatory budgeting platform as part of the Recovery Fund project, which is available on the GeoLatvija.lv website. Here, residents can submit their project ideas, indicate a specific location for implementation on the map, and vote for the projects submitted in their municipality to support their implementation.
The participatory budgeting platform was developed to promote active citizen participation in local government budget planning. This section allows residents to participate in decision-making on the distribution of public funds and investments in their municipality, giving them the opportunity to directly influence public infrastructure and projects implemented at the local level. For the convenience of residents, the platform also offers an important feature – the ability to sign up to receive notifications about the start of voting and project submission, so that they don't miss out on their municipality's activities. The platform also helps municipalities to better understand the needs of residents and respond to what is really important to people in their neighbourhood.
The platform has already gained widespread popularity – more than 500 projects have been submitted, receiving over 45,000 votes. Competitions have been successfully completed in 16 municipalities: Aizkraukle, Bauska, Jelgava, Jēkabpils, Krāslava, Lūdzas, Olaine, Ropaži, Saldus, Saulkrasti and Tukums municipalities, as well as Daugavpils, Jūrmala, Liepāja, Rēzekne and Ventspils municipalities. The active involvement of residents confirms that people want to be part of the changes in their neighbourhood, and the participatory budgeting platform provides them with a convenient and understandable way to do so.
The projects submitted are very diverse, ranging from playgrounds and sports infrastructure to innovative ideas for improving the environment, such as: "Kaijas dziesma – mūzikas soliņš pie jūras" (Seagull's Song – Music Bench by the Sea), "Bānītis uz ūdenstorņa" (Bānītis on the Water Tower), "Publiskā kalēja darbnīca" (Public Blacksmith's Workshop) and many others. Each project that receives a sufficient number of votes is implemented by the local government.
Participatory budgeting has become an easily accessible tool in the hands of the public, allowing everyone to participate in the development of their city or region. It is a democratic, transparent, and inspiring process—from residents' ideas to implementation in close cooperation with the local government.
“Participatory budgeting is a way for residents to get directly involved in decision-making and work with local government to implement their ideas for the development of their neighborhood. With the support of the Recovery Fund, we have developed a participatory budgeting platform that makes this process convenient, transparent, and accessible to everyone – from submitting an idea to voting and implementing the project," says VARAM representative Dāvis Melnalksnis.
The platform is regularly updated to improve its functionality and adapt it to the needs of residents and local governments.
A manual and recommendations for using the participatory budgeting platform (GeoLatvija.lv) are available to residents, and the ministry regularly organizes seminars for local government representatives on the platform's functionality, the latest improvements, and practical use in promoting citizen engagement.
