The Cabinet of Ministers establishes a special regulatory s…

The Cabinet of Ministers has issued Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 609 “On the creation of a special regulatory environment at sea for the testing and research of innovative technologies”. The decision was announced in the official publication “Latvijas Vēstnesis” on October 12, 2026, in issue No. 196 with the official reference OP 2026/196. In the table of contents of the publication, the order is included as item 15 in the list of government decisions.

What is being created and where it was announced

Document type and number: Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 609.
Title: “On the creation of a special regulatory environment at sea for the testing and research of innovative technologies”.
Issuing body: Cabinet of Ministers.
Publication: “Latvijas Vēstnesis”, October 12, 2026, No. 196, OP 2026/196.
Public reference: https://www.vestnesis.lv/url/16998?content=1

Set of government decisions in the same issue

The order was published in the same issue as other government decisions from October 12. The same issue also includes Cabinet of Ministers Meeting Minutes No. 57 and Cabinet of Ministers Extraordinary Meeting Minutes No. 56.

Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 614 “Regulations for the register of the unmanned aircraft field”.
Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 612 – an amendment to the regulations on the payment procedure of wind power plants for local community development.
Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 608 – granting of funding to SIA “Elektroniskie sakari” for the organization of the “Techritory” conference in 2026.
Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 606 – regulations for an open tender on flood risk reduction measures in municipalities.

What data is not yet specified in the publication

The table of contents of the publication specifies the title, number, and issuing body of the order. The specific sea territory, the duration of the special regulatory environment’s operation, the responsible ministry, the supervision procedure, and the scope of the simplified regulations are not specified in the table of contents.

Why it is important

The title of the order indicates that the government is creating a separate regulatory regime at sea where innovative technologies can be tested and researched. Such an environment usually affects the maritime and energy sectors, where testing new solutions requires derogations from general regulations.

Conclusion

Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 609 is the first official signal that a special regulatory environment for the testing and research of innovative technologies at sea is being created in Latvia. For companies and researchers, this means the opportunity to test solutions under controlled conditions, while for the industry, changes in maritime and energy regulation are expected. Precise conditions, territory, and deadlines will be known from the full text of the order.

Official source: Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 609 “On the creation of a special regulatory environment at sea for the testing and research of innovative technologies”, published in “Latvijas Vēstnesis”, October 12, 2026, No. 196, OP 2026/196; https://www.vestnesis.lv/url/16998?content=1