Kuldīga Association "Darīsim paši!" Marks 20 Years: Over 200 Projects and More Than €5 Million
The Kuldīga municipality local action group, the association "Darīsim paši!", is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Its administrative manager Ieva Birbele spoke about results achieved with EU funding and about residents' participation.
The association "Darīsim paši!" ("Let's Do It Ourselves!") in Kuldīga municipality, western Latvia, uses European Union (EU) LEADER rural development funding to support business and community projects. This year it marks 20 years of work. In an interview with the regional newspaper Kurzemnieks, administrative manager Ieva Birbele described the results of two decades and the tasks ahead.
The numbers
Over 20 years the association has implemented more than 200 projects and used over €5 million of EU funding. Roughly half went to business projects and half to community-benefit initiatives. In the current planning period, which began in 2023, the association has been allocated €1.6 million. Business projects are about three times more numerous than planned, so there is no significant risk that the money will go unused. Next year is the last of this period.
Residents' activity
Birbele says residents are more hesitant to take part in community projects in this period, and in some parishes the association is still looking for leaders willing to take the initiative. Skrunda parish is the only one where no association-backed project has been carried out in 20 years; first talks with its residents took place recently. Sports projects exceeded the planned volume. She named Vārme, Ābeļciems and Pelči parish as active communities.
The association also oversees the small "Darīsim paši!" competition supported by the municipality. This year it received 40–50 applications and, despite reduced funding, approved 32 projects, including stairwell repairs in apartment buildings and the tidying of cemeteries, fences and benches in parishes.
What comes next
At EU level it has been decided that the LEADER approach will continue, but its funding and form will be decided nationally. Local action groups, including this one, backed by Kuldīga municipality, are advocating for keeping the programme as a separate rural development support. New application rounds will be announced early next year.
Since 1 January the association, together with the Latvian Rural Forum, has also operated as the information centre "Europe Direct Kurzeme", which explains the EU's role in everyday life and works with schools.
