Latvia - Transport

Short-term priorities:

• alignments of legislation on maritime safety.

Assessment (November (2000)

Some provisions on maritime safety have been adopted. A restructuring of the maritime administration has begun in order to improve control procedures for ports and flags. A register for ships flying the Latvian flag is being drawn up.

Assessment (November 2001)

No new legislation on maritime safety has been adopted in the last year. Nevertheless, Latvia has reinforced its maritime administrative structures by carrying out an internal restructuring.

Assessment (October 2002)

Latvia has pursued the restructuring of its maritime administration and training. Regarding Flag State performance, progress has been made inasmuch as the Port State controls and detention rates of Latvian ships have improved, but the safety record needs to be raised significantly to reach EU level.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

• further efforts on alignment to acquis, particularly on road freight transport (technical rules and taxation), shipping (safety) and rail transport;
• mobilisation of necessary investment for transport infrastructure (in particular the extension of trans-European networks).

Assessment (October 1999)

Latvia has continued to align its legislation on the acquis and to invest in transport infrastructure. Progress was particularly apparent on the railways.

Assessment (November 2000)

Regulations on the transport of dangerous goods by road have been adopted. An independent authority investigating civil aviation accidents was set up in January 2000.

Assessment (November 2001)

Latvia has adopted a number of legislative acts concerning weights and dimensions, type-approval, vehicle registration, driver qualification and the transport of dangerous goods. Certain Community provisions have yet to be transposed however.

A law on rail transport entered into force in January 2001.

Latvia has harmonised a large part of its legislation in the field of air transport.

With regard to maritime transport, the first results of ongoing efforts to improve maritime safety are now being seen.

Assessment (October 2002)

Legislative alignment has continued in road transport, but no new legislation has been adopted in relation to either railway or maritime transport. With regard to air transport, the computerised reservation system requirements have been transposed. Regarding rail transport, a passenger carriage operator has been established.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Decision 98/263/EC of 30.03.1998Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/854/EC of 06.12.1999Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2004 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 703 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 506 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 706 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001)700 final - SEC(2001) 1749Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final - SEC(2002) 1405Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1203Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004