During the visit, participants gained in-depth insights into Norway’s three levels of governance—national, regional, and municipal—examining the country’s approach to policy planning and the role of each level in municipal development.
The specialists met with representatives from the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development to obtain a comprehensive overview of Norway’s regional development policies. They also became acquainted with Norway’s national planning system and processes.
On the second day of the visit, the specialists traveled to Elverum Municipality to learn more about municipal planning systems, processes, performance indicators, and the range of services provided to residents. They also explored the municipality’s crisis management practices. Notably, Elverum Municipality is home to Ydalir, Norway’s first zero-emission neighborhood. The project, one of seven pilot initiatives in Norway, has already developed a school, kindergarten, social housing, and other infrastructure, with further expansion planned through 2050.
On the third day, the specialists visited the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities to delve into the indicators used for monitoring municipal performance, strategic goals in innovation and digitalization, and capacity-building measures available to municipalities in Norway.
The study visit offered valuable insights into Norway’s efforts to reduce regional disparities in a country with a relatively small population, comprising 357 municipalities with populations ranging from 100 to 700,000 residents, and sparsely populated areas—similar to Latvia’s context.
The visit was part of the initiative “Exchange visits for capacity building on good governance principles and strengthening mutual coordination with stakeholders,” implemented under the Bilateral Relations Fund of European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.
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