FLAG Factsheet
The Talsi FLAG is located in North Kurzeme, with a 54 km coastline along the Gulf of Riga. The FLAG area covers three municipalities - Talsi (excluding the parishes of Lube, Īve and Valgale), Roja and Mērsrags.
The FLAG area has a long history and tradition in fisheries. It also has several protected areas, such as the "Abava Valley" nature park, the Kaltene coastal formations and the Engure Lake. There are also many protected monuments, such as the Mersrags Lighthouse.
The activities of businesses are closely linked to the use of local natural resources. Although the area’s main economic sectors are logging, woodworking, and the production and processing of agricultural products, the fisheries sector is also well developed, as are tourism related maritime activities. Overall, the number of active businesses has increased in recent years and shows a positive trend in the FLAG area, which is reflected in a sharp drop in the unemployment rate.
Although the number of people employed in fish processing has increased slightly, companies in this sector have been forced to seek new markets because of EU sanctions against Russia, which is Latvia’s biggest market.
The FLAG area faces some important challenges, such as a decline in the coastal population, and a limited number of young people entering the fisheries sector. Another important challenge is the sustainable management of the area’s fisheries cultural heritage and natural resources.
Natura 2000 sites: the Abava Valley Nature Parks, the Talsi Hillock Nature Park, the Ģipka and Ģipka nature reserves. Nature monuments: Kaltene coastal formations, Kaltene rock piles, and the “Engure Lake” Park.
The FLAG strategy aims to support new coastal businesses, promote the sustainable use of local natural resources, and to preserve the area’s fisheries cultural heritage.
In particular, it focuses on:
National
EAFRD - €1 570 493.38 including national co-financing of 68%
In order to carry out actions defined in the strategy, the FLAG organises calls for projects every year. The first call for projects related to EMFF support had a deadline of 29 August 2016.
Two calls for projects are planned in 2017.
Information on calls is published on the FLAG website as well as on the website of the Paying Agency, in local newspapers and through other media.
The FLAG has not implemented any cooperation projects so far, but is interested in several themes for inter-territorial cooperation, including:
The FLAG’s interest in transnational cooperation is related to:
The FLAG has cooperated in the last period with LAGs in Lithuania, but is also interested in finding cooperation partners in Estonia and Finland.
The FLAG area is also a LEADER area and the FLAG-LAG is managed by the same entity, which implements an integrated local development strategy, co-financed by the EMFF and the EAFRD. The EMFF co-financed projects can be implemented only in the Mērsrags and Roja municipalities. The board of the FLAG is also the board of the LAG. There are two representatives of the fisheries sector, which accounts for 33 % of the private/NGO sector representation.
The FLAG is a member of the non-formal network of FLAG-LAGs in Latvia – the Latvian Rural forum.
The FLAG board (decision-making body) consists of nine members, but all twenty-two members of the FLAG are actively involved.
The FLAG board consists of three representatives of the public sector (municipalities) and six representatives of the private/NGO sector. The private sector is represented by two fishermen, one rural business, one farmer and one environmental NGO representative. The NGO representative is also in charge of the youth and women interests' association.