Riga City Council will repeatedly turn to Constitutional Court contesting law on preservation of Riga's historic center
The Riga City Council today decided to repeatedly turn to the Constitutional Court to contest several points in the law on preservation and protection of the historic center of Riga.
The Riga City Council today decided to repeatedly turn to the Constitutional Court to contest several points in the law on preservation and protection of the historic center of Riga.
According to Janis Liepins, head of the Riga City Council's Legal Administration, the law infringes on the city council's right to manage its properties in Riga's Old Town, besides, the law does not specify construction conditions in the buffer zone that covers about 2,000 hectares of Riga's territory.
Councilman Edmunds Krastins from the People's Party objected to the move. He believes another point in the law should be contested, which assigns the local government to draw up a city development plan by mid-2004. This could cost the city council some LVL 200,000. In this case, the city council has been given a task but no funds required for performing the task, he said.
As reported, Riga City Council turned to the Constitutional Court on June 26, contesting several points in the law on preservation and protection of the historic center of Riga that was passed by Saeima on May 29 this year. The city council said that these points contradicted the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
The law's section 10, which envisages setting up a council for preservation and development of Riga's historic center, chapter 11 that regulates this council's work, chapter 14, which regulates construction of new buildings in Riga's historic center, and the law's transitional regulations contradict Article 4 and Article 8 of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Riga City Council's petition said.
Saeima, in passing the law, has approved setting up a new institution alongside the Riga City Council and other respective state institutions, the petition said. This institution, according to the law, is a consultative organization, however, it will also have the right of adopting decisions binding to other persons.
According to the Riga City Council's June 26 petition, Article 4.2. of the European Charter of Local Self-Government has therefore been violated. It says "local authorities shall, within the limits of the law, have full discretion to exercise their initiative with regard to any matter which is not excluded from their competence nor assigned to any other authority". The city council said its rights to draw up territorial planning strategies, exercise administrative supervision and deal with construction matters were infringed on, although the city council still remained responsible for these matters.
The petition also stated that the law on preservation and protection of the historic center of Riga went against several Latvia's laws.
Martins Kalaus LETA
Copyright © LETA
According to Janis Liepins, head of the Riga City Council's Legal Administration, the law infringes on the city council's right to manage its properties in Riga's Old Town, besides, the law does not specify construction conditions in the buffer zone that covers about 2,000 hectares of Riga's territory.
Councilman Edmunds Krastins from the People's Party objected to the move. He believes another point in the law should be contested, which assigns the local government to draw up a city development plan by mid-2004. This could cost the city council some LVL 200,000. In this case, the city council has been given a task but no funds required for performing the task, he said.
As reported, Riga City Council turned to the Constitutional Court on June 26, contesting several points in the law on preservation and protection of the historic center of Riga that was passed by Saeima on May 29 this year. The city council said that these points contradicted the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
The law's section 10, which envisages setting up a council for preservation and development of Riga's historic center, chapter 11 that regulates this council's work, chapter 14, which regulates construction of new buildings in Riga's historic center, and the law's transitional regulations contradict Article 4 and Article 8 of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Riga City Council's petition said.
Saeima, in passing the law, has approved setting up a new institution alongside the Riga City Council and other respective state institutions, the petition said. This institution, according to the law, is a consultative organization, however, it will also have the right of adopting decisions binding to other persons.
According to the Riga City Council's June 26 petition, Article 4.2. of the European Charter of Local Self-Government has therefore been violated. It says "local authorities shall, within the limits of the law, have full discretion to exercise their initiative with regard to any matter which is not excluded from their competence nor assigned to any other authority". The city council said its rights to draw up territorial planning strategies, exercise administrative supervision and deal with construction matters were infringed on, although the city council still remained responsible for these matters.
The petition also stated that the law on preservation and protection of the historic center of Riga went against several Latvia's laws.
Martins Kalaus LETA
Copyright © LETA
