EU DOSSIER

In the month since it began accepting cofinancing applications from EU structural funds, Latvia's Investment and Development Agency has received applications from 56 projects for a total value of 23 million lats (34.4 million euros), which accounts for 33 percent of total funds allocated. Forty-seven projects applied for infrastructure modernization. LIDA is still assessing if the projects comply to requirements, and approval of the first projects is expected in the coming months.

Local authorities in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda will attempt to procure EU structural funds for installing electronic ticket and passenger information systems on public transportation. Local authorities hope to get 14 million litas (4 million euros) for the project. If received, the funding will be distributed in accordance with the number of trolleybuses and buses in the cities, with Vilnius getting 7 million litas, Kaunas 5 million litas and Klaipeda 2 million litas. Kaunas launched an electronic ticket project several years ago, with investments having reached some 4 million litas. "Electronic tickets will be particularly convenient for passengers, as they may be used in all three cities," said Paulius Keras, acting head of the Kaunas local authority transport division.

Members of the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission were unable to agree on the 2005 quotas for cod at the commission's annual meeting last week, though they managed to set quotas for sprat, Baltic herring and salmon. A cod-quota was not reached since Russia did not agree to a reduction of its harvesting volumes in the east with its assessment of reserves, said Enno Kobakene, Estonia's Ministry of Environment chief fishery specialist. At the same time the precise Baltic herring quota for Estonia would become clear, the official added. For now, Estonia and Latvia will share a Baltic herring quota of 38,000 tons in the Gulf of Riga.

Lithuanian fishermen obtained a 15 percent increase in their Baltic sprat quota for 2005. "The International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission increased only the sprat catch quota during its recent session, while other quotas remain unchanged at this year's levels. No agreement was reached as to cod quotas, however," Rimvydas Survila, deputy director of the fishery department of the Agriculture Ministry, said. As of now, Lithuanian fishermen can catch up to 3,340 tons of cod this year. But this quota is likely to be lowered, or eliminated altogether, due to an alarming decline in Baltic Sea cod stocks. "For several years now scientists have been calling for a sharp reduction in this quota or even a ban on fishing for cod to allow cod stocks to recover," Survila said.