On Thursday, the Association of Municipalities of Riga and Pieriga “Riga Metropole” met with Minister of Economy Viktoras Valaini, representatives of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK) and the Council of Foreign Investors in Latvia to jointly seek solutions for the competitiveness of the Riga region.
Riga region, or Riga metropolis, competes with neighboring countries Lithuania and Estonia for attracting foreign direct investment. At the moment, one of the pressing issues is how the municipalities of the Riga metropolis can attract investors more successfully, which would allow to develop the economic potential in the country in a much more targeted manner and solve the problems of Latvia’s competitiveness on the international scale.
“Latvia lags behind the indicators of our neighboring countries in the dynamics of investment and economic development. The turning point occurred ten years ago, when investment attraction started to slow down compared to other countries in the region. Most development-promoting instruments are on the state side, while local governments also play an important role in the field of infrastructure, education and quality living space. This is the first time that the heads of the municipalities of the Riga metropolis, the state and businessmen will sit at the same table to find solutions for joint cooperation at the regional level,” said Anita Līce, executive director of the Association of Municipalities of Riga and Pierīga.
The discussion “How to jointly promote the competitiveness of the Riga metropolis” was held in cooperation with the Riga planning region, and was attended by the heads of municipalities, the chairman of the LTRK board, Jānis Endziņš, council member Ģirts Rungainis and council member, the chairman of the Riga regional council, Ervīns Lasmanis, as well as the Council of Foreign Investors in Latvia manager Zlata Elksniņa-Zaščirinska.
Tags: Local governments Minister Economy experts solutions competitiveness Riga metropolis
