Rural and regional development in Latvia

The objective of this report is to describe the policies of rural and regional development in Latvia, explaining the main problems in rural areas of different regions, as well as identifying the main instruments, which are used to achieve the effective development of rural areas, and regions. In Latvia several programmes are implemented, which are aimed at facilitating the economic development of rural areas by supporting agricultural and non-agricultural businesses, and improving the infrastructure. Besides, several instruments and programmes are used to improve regional development, which strongly influence the socio-economic conditions of rural areas. In this report the main advantages and weaknesses are outlined, in order to identify the future tasks for improving the effectiveness of rural and regional policies.