On December 4, the Environmental Education Center “Botania” in Salaspils hosted the award ceremony for the winners of the “LIFE Award 2025” competition. LIFE GoodWater IP was recognized as most significant European Commission LIFE programme project in Latvia.
The “LIFE Award in 2025” is an event organized by the European Commission’s (EC) LIFE program to honor Latvian projects. This year, the Latvian “LIFE Award” took place for the fourth time. The LIFE national contact point serves as the secretariat for the competition. The aim of the “LIFE Award in 2025” is to promote the recognition of the EC LIFE programme in Latvia by highlighting the most successful projects that have received EC LIFE programme funding in LIFE project calls and are being implemented by Latvian institutions both as project coordinating beneficiaries and as partners in projects coordinated by foreign beneficiaries.
Three integrated LIFE programme projects implemented in Latvia were nominated in the “LIFE project of greatest national significance” category: LIFE IP LatViaNature, LIFE Waste To Resources IP, and LIFE GoodWater IP. The jury assessed the significance of the projects based on the information provided in the project description forms prepared by the applicants.
LIFE GoodWater IP has made a significant socio-economic contribution, employing more than 100 specialists in the fields of hydrology, environmental engineering, communications, education, and administration during the project, providing an average of 40 full-time equivalents per year. In addition, approximately 100 jobs were indirectly created in construction, design, consulting, and local government structures, where artificial wetlands and green infrastructure elements were created, culverts were rebuilt, and other work was carried out. The project has also strengthened the professional capacity of state and local government employees, who continue to use the tools created in the project in their daily work.
The project has directly affected approximately 1,000 agricultural and forestry farms in risk areas, while its indirect impact on society – local communities, water users and municipal employees – has reached more than 50,000 people. The measures taken improve water quality, promote public health, strengthen ecosystem services, increase the potential for recreation and tourism, and provide economic benefits to the agriculture and fisheries sectors.
The long-term significance of LIFE GoodWater IP is also confirmed by the fact that the project results have been integrated into key national policy documents – River Basin District Plans (RBDP), the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023–2027, Cabinet Regulations No. 197 and No. 213, ensuring that the measures initiated will continue after the end of the project. The analytical studies, guidelines, and practical solutions developed are already being used by the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, local governments, and other institutions. In addition, the project has played a significant role in policy-making – experts have presented their findings to Saeima committees and hosted international delegations, such as the Swedish Riksdag Committee and several dozen Danish local government and environmental protection specialists, positioning Latvia as a country that implements modern, integrated water resource management.
The project team is delighted with the recognition it has received. Just as drop by drop a waterbody is formed, the achievements of a large project are not possible without the individual contribution of each colleague. Therefore, LIFE GoodWater IP manager Jānis Šīre (LEGMC) notes: “This award is not only recognition of our joint work, but also confirmation of how important and valuable each of your contributions is to achieving the project’s goals. We will continue to improve the quality of Latvia’s waters with unwavering energy!”