LEGAL REGULATION OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES IN LATVIA

Abstract

In 2016, the Voluntary Activity Law came into force in Latvia. By means of such legal provision the legislator intended to facilitate social engagement in voluntary activity. However, when analyzing the above legal provision, several obstacles unveil which in practice not only hinder the development of voluntary activities but also obstructs the progress of social engagement in voluntary activity. Certain obstacles need to be highlighted, such as the volunteer insurance coverage, contract signing with the volunteer, consideration of subjects that are authorized to sign the contract with a volunteer, and a number of other issues that impose a disproportionate burden to the voluntary activity organizer. The goal of the article is by analyzing the core idea of voluntary activity and current legislation to identify the problematic issues in organizing of voluntary activity in Latvia, as well as to suggest improvements for the legal regulations. The author underlines the necessity to modify the Voluntary Activity Law to remedy the current regulations under which the voluntary activity falls under government regulation rather than is seen as private-law relationships