The present article reviews part of a research paper on regional differences in evaluating economic growth and the various aspects that influence it. In this publication, the relationship between changes in corruption level and economic growth is analyzed, paying close regard to all countries of the world and taking Europe separately as a region with relatively consistent economic and social development levels. The author analyzes the average values and changes in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita based on purchasing-power-parity valuation (in US dollars) for 1998 – 2005 and the corruption perception index (CPI) of 1998 – 2007. When looking at data from all countries of the world and European countries, no interrelation can be observed between changes in CPI and GDP per capita. These values fluctuate independently of each other. The obtained results give rise to doubt whether CPI is a suitable indicator for determining the corruption level. The author concludes that assertions of negative (or positive) influence that corruption is said to have on GDP increase should be taken very critically.

Europe’s future wood demand for energy is expected to increase by 10 million to 200 million m3 in the period 2010- 2030. This will be supplied by both domestic sources (forests, industrial residues post-consumer wood waste), but also from sources outside Europe. The EU-28 predicts a near future (2020) gap between solid biomass supply and demand for renewable energy: 21.4 million tonnes of oil equivalents (MTOE). This is estimated via preliminary renewable energy action plans (NREAP’s) per country. The EU-28 expects wood pellet import will merely complete this gap of 21.4 MTOE, with more than 50 million tonnes of pellets. This implies a feedstock need of 125 million m3 of wood from forests and other sources outside the EU-28. A practical approach to include bioenergy in wood sector models should start with the input of wood pellets. Ideally, three types of bioenergy markets should be considered, in which pellets and the other major woody feedstock are included: 1. Large scale power production (the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, all importing pellets from outside the EU-28); 2. Medium scale combined heat and power (CHP’s) including those in the forest sector (Nordic countries use pellets and chips for energy, merely imported from the EU-28); 3. Small scale residential heating (Germany, Austria and Italy, using wood pellets and logs from regional sources). We suggest starting with inclusion of medium scale CHP’s, followed by large scale power production. Small scale heating is relatively stable and should not have large impacts on future markets.

Willow species are nowadays extensively studied. Species are being investigated to evaluate their use and role in various sectors of national economy. The use of willows in short rotation coppice (SRC) for biomass and energy production has a priority in the European Union policy. There are many countries that have grants and financial aid system for so-called ‘green energy’ production. Willow species also have other economically and ecologically important features: resistance to contaminants, strong root system, high tannin contents, decorative, etc. Willow SRC systems are used for phytoremediation and in wastewater purification, in combination with biomass production. There are several countries of Eastern Europe researching adequacy of the willow SRC for the farmland contaminated by radionuclides segregated from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Willows are used for quarry restoration, water sludge treatment, erosion control etc, but the most important field at the moment is the biomass production.

Nowadays, veganism is becoming increasingly popular, because health concerns are usually the primary reason why people turn to vegan diet. The aim of the study was to identify the supply of vegan products on the Latvian market by analysing the ingredients used in the production of the products, nutritional and energy value of vegan products. 192 vegan products made in 20 different countries and available in online stores that offer their goods on the Latvian market were analysed. The research was carried out from January to March 2020. Information on the country of origin, ingredients, nutritional and energy value of the products was taken from product labels. The majority of the vegan products in Latvian online stores come from Germany. The most important ingredient in the production in product groups such as meat substitutes and dairy alternatives is soya (Glycine max.), which provides high protein content. The vegan products could not be characterized as low in fat, as the average fat content in the various product groups ranged from 7.9±1.7 to 19.7±3.3 g 100 gE−1 of product, except beverages. The average energy values for all product groups varied between 210.7 kJ 100 mLE−1 for beverages and 1226.0 kJ 100 gE−1 for snacks. There would be a need for everyday vegan products in the Latvian market, as most of the products are snacks at the moment, and legumes should be used as ingredient in the production of new vegan products with increased nutritional value.

Purpose of the paper is to assess contribution of the European Fishery Fund (EFF) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) in the development of coastal areas. The article reviews particulars of implementation of the Fishery Funds in various planning periods, in more detail analysing the implementation impact in the period of 2014−2020, based on analysis of the needs, goals and projects of the current period. Even though the European Fishery Fund (EFF) in Latvia is being implemented since 2007, there is a lack of scientific publications on its impact on the coastal development. EMFF for the period 2013−2020 has a dual role in the development of coastal areas – as a development tool of the fishery sector and as a development tool of communities in the fishery areas. It is implemented by using communityled local development (CLLD/LEADER) approach. In case of Latvia, a multi-fund approach – EFF/EMFF and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) is already being used for two planning periods. We conclude that the impact of EFF/EMFF on the development of coastal areas is more directed at development of infrastructure of the coastal communities but is less engaged in the fishery development matters - accordingly increasing other activities and preserving historic and cultural heritage for development of tourism and place of residence in the coastal area in interaction and in addition to EAFRD rural development measures of the coastal areas.

Recently economic development has been an issue of intense research and discussion in an academic society. Many facets of countries’ economic development were examined, including foreign trade. As a foundation of international cooperation, this indicator is relevant in observing one’s internal development and external ties. In case of Latvia, this topic is heavily influenced by economists, and the geographical perspective is quite underdeveloped. In this research, the economic ties of Latvia were explored through the analysis of its main export groups in sectors of agriculture, forestry and fisheries throughout the first decade of the 21st century. With the aim of establishing clear ties between Latvia and its major export markets, the statistics of foreign trade was analysed using frequency analysis. It can be reported that in general Latvian export markets are closely located and consist of the Baltic Sea Region countries such as Denmark, Germany, Russia and others. Despite the differences in commodity group destinations, it can be clearly stated that a division of trade flow still exists, separating it into two directions - Eastern and Western, where the former allocates the majority of Latvian processed commodities and more sophisticated goods, and the latter consumes raw materials and less transformed materials. This arguably shows a difference in demand in Western and Eastern markets, where the first mostly requires materials for its own industry, while the latter procures them for consumption on the local market, again pointing to a complexity of reforms required for the Latvian economic focus turning towards Western markets.