On Thursday, 20 June, the Saeima in the final reading adopted urgent amendments to the Law on Ķemeri National Park, granting the Ķemeri sanatorium a special legal status.

According to the Law, the functions of the the territory of the historic Ķemeri resort include sustainable development of mineral water, therapeutic mud and microclimate as a part of tourism and health-care promotion, as well as identification and preservation of cultural heritage.

The Law also states that a rehabilitation center, a resort clinic, doctors’ private practices, SPA hotels and a resort hotel are to be set up within the sanatorium’s territory. Furthermore, the Law regulates the use and protection of the historic park and its infrastructure.

Inga Bite, member of the Public Administration and Local Government Committee, which is responsible for drafting the amendments to the Law, had previously explained that in view of pending insolvency and eventual privatisation, it was necessary to prevent the risk of fragmenting and selling separate parts of the sanatorium. She also noted that granting of the special status would ensure that the territory is used only for the defined purposes.

Currently the territory of Ķemeri resort is located in the neutral area of the national park, which does not provide for retaining the sanatorium functions that had historically placed Ķemeri among Latvia’s leading resorts.

The amendments were initiated by the parliamentary investigative committee on Ķemeri sanatorium and aimed at preserving the historic resort function of the Ķemeri National Park, as well as promoting health tourism, recreational tourism and cultural tourism in Latvia and throughout Europe.

The amendments to the Law will come into force on the following day after proclamation.



Saeima Press Service