RIGA, July 28 (LETA) - To comply with the Constitutional Court's rulings pertaining to Latvia's administrative territorial reform, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development proposes merging the state cities Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepaja, Rezekne and Ventspils with their respective adjoining municipalities from 2025.

Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Arturs Pless (For Development/For) and the ministry's Undersecretary of State Ilze Osa presented the proposal to the Saeima Administrative Territorial Reform Committee on Wednesday. 

According to the ministry's plan, Daugavpils would be merged with Augsdaugava Region, Jelgava with Jelgava Region, Liepaja with Dienvidkurzeme Region, Rezekne with Rezekne Retgion and Ventspils with Ventspils Region. 

Until 2025, the state cities would expand their cooperation in various areas with their respective adjoining regions. 

Representatives of several municipalities in Latvia were not satisfied with the reform and filed complaints with the Constitutional Court. Most of the claims were rejected, except for the decision on the merger of Varaklani region with Rezekne region, Ilukste region with Augsdaugava region and Ozolnieki region with Jelgava region.

As it ruled on the constitutionality of various aspects of the reform, the court concluded that a regional or national development center is one of the most important and necessary criterions of the reforms aimed at ensuring sustainable and polycentric development of Latvia's regions.