In the future, when constructing new buildings using state, municipal, or European Union funds, environmentally friendly, CO₂-absorbing materials will have to be used.

This requirement will apply to project developers, who will need to specify in the design brief which CO₂-absorbing materials and in what quantities will be used in structures, finishes, or other solutions. This is предусмотрed by amendments to the General Construction Regulations developed by the Ministry of Economics, which were adopted by the government on Tuesday, March 17.

“With this decision, we clearly state that the public sector in Latvia is becoming a driving force for sustainable construction. We are not only reducing CO₂ emissions, but also strengthening the local economy by creating stable demand for environmentally friendly materials produced in Latvia, especially wood. This is a step towards a modern, climate-neutral construction sector based on innovation, high quality, and export capacity. At the same time, with new solutions, we are improving the quality and safety of the construction process, reducing risks, shortening timelines, and promoting fair competition in the sector,” emphasizes Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.

To prevent fire safety design errors in a timely manner—errors that until now were often discovered only before commissioning, causing additional costs and delays—a new professional role has been introduced at the design stage: a fire safety construction specialist. This specialist will be responsible for ensuring compliance with fire safety requirements (previously, no single person had clear responsibility for this). The adopted amendments define this specialist’s duties and cooperation with other parties involved in the design process.

A new position is also introduced — deputy responsible construction works manager. In public procurement, bidders must indicate the experience of the responsible construction works manager, which is recorded in the Construction Information System (BIS). Until now, this limited the pool of applicants and restricted opportunities for qualified construction managers to accumulate verifiable experience. Going forward, the deputy responsible construction works manager will also accumulate such experience if registered in BIS as a responsible specialist. As a result, the number of qualified applicants will increase and competition will be strengthened.

To reduce the risk of conflicts of interest in construction supervision and control, it is stipulated that a construction specialist responsible for supervision and control must not be in an employment relationship with the contractor. Exceptions are предусмотрены for design-build projects and cases where the project developer carries out the construction works themselves.

To reduce health risks for workers, obligations are also set for the main contractor to comply with occupational safety requirements when working with asbestos-containing materials.

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Ministry of Economics
Public Relations Department
Email: san@em.gov.lv