The State Chancellery has developed a new regulation for public authorities on how to promote public participation in order to provide citizens with convenient and modern means of expressing their views, initiatives and getting involved in the decision-making stages. The new regulation not only provides the necessary legal framework, but further motivates public authorities to use a variety of tools and methods to engage the public, in particular by reaching out to the groups affected by the particular matter. Another important change relates to the mandatory provision of feedback, i.e. informing stakeholders which of the ideas, initiatives or action steps discussed will be feasible.
The regulation on public participation, which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday 15 October, will also promote openness and transparency, strengthen democracy and increase citizens' trust in public institutions. It provides for a number of significant improvements to the opportunities for civil society representatives to participate in state and local government development planning processes.
"The commitment of the people of Latvia to nurture and cherish the country we live in is commendable. We should be the first in public administration to extend a hand for cooperation to best understand the needs of citizens and find the right solutions together. In the future, more and more modern ways of involving the public in decision-making will be available to the authorities, and I hope that they will make the best use of them. A fair, cooperation-based relationship between citizens and public administration will improve decisions and build trust," said Raivis Kronbergs, Director of the State Chancellery.
The TAP portal as a central platform for participation
The regulation enshrines the central role of the TAP portal in the implementation of public participation opportunities in the direct public administration. This is the main platform for the drafting of all development planning documents and draft laws and regulations, the provision of opportunities for participation, consultations with stakeholders and the adoption of final decisions.
Increased opportunities for public participation on key issues
Opportunities for participation will be provided not only in development planning and drafting of legislation, but also in other initiatives of public interest, including planning of reforms and public funding. It is essential that public administrations take the societal needs into account as far as possible when organising participation. For instance, information on the issues to be discussed should be provided in a user-friendly manner, remote participation should be made possible, consultations should be organised closer to the target groups and those who lack digital skills should be assisted. In addition, it is planned to define a response to situations where public participation is not required. In this case, the authority should provide a publicly accessible explanation.
Targeted communication with the public
The new regulation highlights the importance of targeted communication with specific social groups in order to inform them early about the opportunities to participate in decision-making that directly concerns them.
Mandatory feedback
The institutions will be obliged to provide citizens with feedback on the proposals they have made, while providing information on further opportunities for involvement and updating information on the results of the participation process at each stage of the project.
New forms of participation
The new regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers will extend the forms of public participation, enabling not only the use of well-known methods of participation, but also the possibility to practise modern forms of involvement. Citizens will also be able to participate in discussions and public consultations. At the same time, the possibility of using think tanks, deliberative methods, dialogue circles and other innovative methods of participation has been introduced. The possibility to organise meetings with representatives of the public using a remote participation format has been strengthened, making participation more accessible and flexible, for example for people living in the regions of Latvia.
New opportunity - to request a participation process
To date, the opportunity for public participation in drafting the development planning documents has been initiated by the responsible public administration institution. However, active public involvement is often initiated by citizens’ representatives. In the future, members of the public will have the right to make recommendations if participation is not provided in a particular process.
Increased access to advisory and supervisory councils
The public will have the opportunity to participate more actively in the advisory and supervisory councils of the public administration institutions, thereby improving transparency regarding the composition and operation of these councils.
Minimum consultation period
There have been changes to the period provided for public consultation. It will be at least 30 days for development planning documents and at least 14 days for draft laws and regulations, providing sufficient time for public involvement. Consultation periods comply with other laws and regulations, for example, under the Local Government Law, draft regulations binding for local governments must provide for at least 14 days long public consultation.
The new order for public participation is based on international trends for innovative and modern methods that include broader and deeper involvement of target groups, such as citizen assemblies, design sprints, and other methods. Such approaches are being used in many countries to ensure more inclusive and meaningful public participation.
On 12 December 2023, the European Commission approved Recommendations on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and civil society organisations in public policy-making processes. By adopting the draft regulations, Latvia will update the regulatory framework in accordance with the aforementioned recommendations.
Public participation in government and municipal decision-making is essential, as it contributes to transparency, strengthening of democratic processes, and trust in national authority. This was particularly highlighted in the presentation of the OECD Trust in Public Institutions study results in July 2024. Participation of the population ensures that decisions are better suited to the needs and interests of society since they are based on the opinions and experiences of different groups. Active involvement helps to improve the efficiency of public administration by making policy-making more transparent and inclusive, which in turn contributes to greater accountability and public confidence in the decisions taken.
Although public trust in the government has grown in Latvia by 4% in 2023 compared to 2021, according to an OECD study, it is still lower compared to many other EU and OECD member states. The implementation of the new regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers as to substance, taking advantage of the wide possibilities offered, could be a step towards increasing confidence in public administration.