Infrastructure

The FLAG area is located in the metropolitan area of Riga, the capital of Latvia. It includes two municipalities, Carnikava and Saulkrasti. The area has a 35 km coastline along the Gulf of Riga and is renowned for its rich biodiversity and the landscape of the “Piejūra” Nature Park. This combination of elements provides considerable potential for the development of tourism and other related businesses.

The Northern Kurzeme FLAG is located in northwest Latvia. The area is bordered by a 144 km stretch of the Baltic coast, from the parish of Jurkalne to the Cape of Kolka, and 12 km of the coastline around the Gulf of Riga. It includes Ventspils, one of the nine development centres of national significance in Latvia. There are two important fishing ports – Roja and Ventspils.

Lapland is the northernmost part of the EU. During long winters (usually six months) the lakes are covered with a 60-80 cm thick layer of ice. The population density is very low, and the number of inhabitants is declining in most areas. The unemployment rates are high, between 13-18%. Tourism is flourishing, however, providing a growing market for local products.

The Bothnian Sea coastline and Lake Pyhäjärvi have a lengthy tradition in the fisheries sector where the main catches include vendace and signal crayfish. About half of Finland´s Baltic herring catch is landed on the harbours along this particular part of the coast. Whitefish, salmon and other fresh water species are similarly important to the area. The processing industry is also highly active here. An additional positive development in recent years has been the growth in pesca-tourism.

The Bothhian Sea and Lake Pyhäjärvi FLAG from the south of Finland is open to cooperation ideas. The FLAG has long-term experience in lake fisheries and in the development of fisheries with a strong link to water quality management.

This page leads to all the project examples published during the 2007-2013 programming period.