The legal regulation of the public sector auditing among the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of the Northern and Central-European countries holds the potential to offer new perspectives on the functioning and independence of these public audit institutions. This paper aims to examine the external audit practice among the Baltic Sea Region countries as it is defined in the laws and legal acts aimed at the functioning of the particular institution. The task was carried out by conducting an analysis of the legal regulation of the corresponding supreme audit institutions. Overall, SAIs in the Baltic Sea Region closely cooperates with the Parliaments in the reporting phase. Meanwhile, most of them are closely integrated with the legislative power during the phase of the appointment of the head of the audit institution as well as during the budgeting phase and later on during the reporting phase. The research shows that among the Baltic Sea Region countries the Supreme Audit Institutions pursue audits in diverse range of fields as stipulated in the legal regulations. The paper also indicates a space for further research in the field of the SAI legal regulation, audit merit and further interrelation with the executive and legislative powers as well as the impact of such cooperation on the functioning of the accountability system in the particular country.

Catch crops contribute to soil and environmental quality, which has determined a growing interest in their use as a nature-based solution. Though, the introduction of catch crops increases the complexity of farm management and is related with additional costs. In Latvia, the area under catch crops accounts for less than 5% of the arable land, while 30% is bare over the winter. In order to identify the possibilities for promoting of catch crops in Latvia, the objective of the study is to explore the support practices for growing of catch crops in the Baltic Sea region countries. The paper seeks to explore the main benefits associated with the growing of catch crops, followed by the study and synthesis of the main support measures. For the study, numerous information sources have been explored and appropriate research methods applied. Catch crops reduce nutrient leaching from the soil, transfer nutrients to the next crop, improve soil quality, reduce soil erosion, and mitigate climate change; these benefits can translate also at farm level, mainly as reduced N inputs. Growing of catch crops is being increasingly supported in the Baltic Sea countries – as a greening measure and by different agri-environment and climate measures of the RDPs 2014−2020. Growing of economic focus area catch crops (supported in quite a similar approach in these countries) and introduction of agri-environment scheme for catch crops (supported in directly and/or indirectly targeted way) can contribute to the solving of environmental problems and decrease the share of bare land left over the winter in Latvia.

Although the problem of ecosystem diversity loss is of a global nature, the measures to solve it must be implemented at the national level. As a member of the European Union, Lithuania needs to have a clear position regarding the application of proposed socio-economic measures. The problems of lake ecosystem utilisation analysed in the article are based on the scientific knowledge which complies with the specifics of regional natural environment. The aim of the article is to systematize scientific knowledge about modern lake ecosystem services by explaining the fundamental adaptation patterns of ecosystems and their components. The article provides a complex assessment of the services provided by lake ecosystems, reveals management problems related to optimization of the use of lake ecosystems, presents recommendations on the improvement of legislation related to lake ecosystem services, regulations for protected areas, management plans, etc.

With this issue of 2008, we bring 49 proceedings of the 85, which started life as presentations at the Annual 14th International Scientific Conference on Research for Rural Development 2008 held at the Latvia University of Agriculture, in Jelgava, on 21st to 23rd May 2008. In the retrospect of four month later, we can count the Conference as a great success. The theme - Research for Rural Development - attracted participation of 357 researches with very different backgrounds. There were 2 presentations from Czech Republic, 1 from Denmark, 1 from Poland, 1 from Sweden, 2 from Estonia, 13 from Lithuania and 65 from Latvia. Four independent reviewers estimated each report. The proceedings of the Conference is intended for academics, students and professionals researching in the area of crop production, animal breeding, agricultural engineering, agrarian and regional economics, food sciences, veterinary medicine, forestry, wood processing and water management.