The Ministry of the Environment is one of the “youngest” ministries in Latvia. It was established in summer 1993, when after the 5th Parliamentary elections new state administration structure was introduced. The Ministry was the successor of the Environmental Protection Committee. Problems regarding regional planning and development hadn’t been dealt with so far. In the process of improving the state administration structure, the Ministry incorporated a number of other institutions with the specific functions. Then the Ministry was called the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.
At the time, when the new Ministry was created, it took over the following functions of the eliminated Ministry of Architecture and Construction: construction, housing facilities and public utilities, geology and tourism. Functions regarding local municipalities were taken over from the bygone Ministry of State Reform.
Since 1996 the Latvian Hidrometeorological Agency, according to its particularity, is under the supervision of the Ministry (previously being a part of the Ministry of Transport).
In 1999 the Latvian Nature Museum became one of the supervised institutions of the Ministry. Since July 1, 2000 the Ministry supervises Gauja National Park.
In order to fulfill Latvia’s incorporation in the network of European Environmental Agencies and to consolidate the environmental institutions that fulfill similar functions, the Latvian Environmental Agency was established on October 1, 2000, merging the Latvian Centre of Environmental Data and the Centre of Environmental Consultations and Monitoring.
Since January 2004, handing the functions of regional development, construction and tourism over to other Ministries of the Republic of Latvia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development became the Ministry of the Environment with the main functions – environmental protection, nature protection and environmental investments.
In February 2003 with the instruction of the Ministry, the Environmental Advisory Council was established – it is a consultative and coordinating institution which adopts advisory decisions in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development. The members of the Environmental Advisory Council are delegated by the public environmental organizations, professional associations, local municipalities, as well as educational and science institutions. The Environmental Advisory Council has submitted proposals for the amendments of laws, including Law on Protected Belts, Law on Environmental Protection and Environmental Policy Plan.
Taking into the consideration the increasing amount of the necessary legislation improvements in the field of climate change in Latvia, as well as need for the promotion of innovative technology introductions in the field of energy and the increase of renewable energy share in national economy, on the 1st of October 2004 a new structural unit was established in the Ministry of the Environment – Climate and Renewable Energy Department. The Department has two units - Climate Policy Unit and Pilot Projects Implementation Unit.
To increase the work of Ministry’s communication on the basis of the External Relations Division’s press office the Communication division was set up. It was done in accordance with The Guidelines of Government’s Communication Policy to ensure public consultation in all the levels of policy implementation.
In order to make the use of the Ministry’s resources more effective and rational and also taking into account the similar functions, the External Relation Division (except those who were responsible for the communication) was added to the Department of Strategy and Coordination and a new unit was created – The Unit of EU and Foreign Affairs.
In accordance with the structural changes that took place in The Ministry from the October 2004, a new division was established in the Department of Environment to deal with the economical instruments (such as waste management etc.) – The Waste Management Unit.
At the moment there are ten departments and two independent divisions in the structure of the Ministry of the Environment. The Ministry is managed by the Minister of the Environment. Chief state civil servant in the Ministry is a State Secretary.
