5.5.1. SO “Preserve, protect and develop significant culture and natural heritage and promote the services related thereto”
The Ministry of Culture carries out the implementation of the 5.5.1.SO in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. However, the content planning is ensured in cooperation with the National Heritage Protection Inspection. It is intended to implement collaborative projects (i.e. carried out by multiple project partners) in order to promote ideas that are integrated and suited to the needs of each territory.
In accordance with the operational programme “Growth and Employment”, project applicants for the 5.5.1.SO may be local municipalities or municipal authorities. Furthermore, project partners under the management of project applicant may be local municipalities, planning regions, cultural and natural heritage owners (NGOs, foundations, religious organisations, legal persons or natural person registered in the Commercial Register), enterprises and government authorities.
The total available funding from the European Regional development fund for the 5.5.1. SO is EUR 35 190 555 for the first two rounds and up to EUR 24 919 516 for the third and fourth round.
5.5.1. SO project selection is carried out in the form of a limited project application selection.
SO 5.5.1. is implemented in 4 project selection rounds and ERDF funding is distributed evenly regionally.
In 2021:
- The implementation of projects selected in Round 1 in local municipalities across Latvia, with the exception of coastal municipalities and Round 2 in coastal municipalities except Riga is in progress.
- The projects selected in Round 3 are implemented in regional development centres of national importance. The regional development centres are Jūrmala, Jēkabpils, Daugavpils, Valmiera, Jelgava, Liepāja and Ventspils.
- Projects selected in Round 4 and that will be implemented in Riga historic centre are scheduled to begin.
Supported activities of the 5.5.1. SO: Restoration, renovation and rebuilding of cultural and natural heritage sites and the related infrastructure, building new infrastructure based on the development programmes of local municipalities in order to improve and to add new services provided there, as well as to improve accessibility of the sites and to carry out research of cultural heritage.
5.5.1. SO project selection was carried out in the form of a limited project application selection.
The condition for investments in cultural heritage sites is also a long-term operational strategy for the investment return of the object concerned. The strategy has to substantiate the demand for services provided in the site and provide for the long-term maintenance of the facility without creating an additional financial burden for the local municipality and the State. In each case, the socio-economic benefits from the investments have to be higher than the cost of maintaining the object.