Nowadays the need for a qualitative, accessible and varied lifelong learning is becoming more and more necessary. In Latvia, different institutions take part in the implementation of lifelong learning; however, in spite of the negative factors of demography and migration, changes of work force supply and demand, investment and information shortage, the role of universities has not been properly investigated. The role of higher education in lifelong learning was studied in 9 state universities of Latvia in the period of 2013 – 2015. Monographic analysis and method of synthesis, data statistical research methods – grouping, comparison, relative and average indicators, as well as dynamics line analysis was used in the article. The study proved that the number of occupied work places has increased in 2015. However, it has not reached the average of ten and seven years since 2006 and 2009. Comparing with the free vacancies, the number of them has increased by 2164, especially in the profession group specialists and senior specialists, which as well as executives, is the target audience of universities, which in its turn is a lifelong learning event insufficiently used potential. The universities have suffered because of demographic and migration factors: the rate of student number increases (-9.4%). In order to reach the goals of education politics, universities try to direct education function from studies to lifelong learning; they try to improve existing lifelong learning courses and programs, as well as to propose new ones in order to offer something for workforce corrections.

The article deals with the issue of rural population decline in Poland in 1995−2017. The aim of the study was to present the phenomenon of depopulation involving a decrease in the number of people living in rural areas in Poland at the local level. Based on the literature, the potential effects of depopulation on local development were indicated. The data of the Central Statistical Office and the results of own research carried out in three rural communes in 2019 were used. The occurrence of regional differentiation of rural depopulation processes in Poland was found. Analysing the phenomenon at the local level, it was found that as much as 38.6% of rural communes were characterized by depopulation (a loss of over 5% of the population), including for 10.7% of communes, the population decline in the analysed period was more than 15%. These areas can be considered as problem areas. A particularly unfavourable situation occurs in eastern Poland and the Opolskie Voivodeship. There was a positive correlation between the loss of population and the development of own revenues of communes’ budgets. Studies show that the phenomenon of depopulation is mainly caused by a negative natural increase, which was preceded by a migration outflow associated with the lack of jobs in rural areas.

This paper investigates the natural resources, business and social infrastructure and also the demographic structure of the local inhabitants of the municipalities, near the projected pulp mill. Possibilities and problems connected to the implementation of the pulp mill project are pointed out, also extra regional development is discussed.