Tavars: Riga Must Compete with Regional Capitals, Not Latvian Cities

Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Development Edgars Tavars (AS) said on Thursday during a meeting with the council of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia (LDDK) that Riga should not compete with other Latvian cities but with regional capitals such as Tallinn, Vilnius, Stockholm, and Helsinki.

The meeting aimed to strengthen state-business cooperation to promote entrepreneurship in Riga and regions, as well as to agree on systemic changes that can be advanced during the current government term. The minister presented three priority work areas: implementation of secure digital election solutions, improvement of the state's ICT management and procurement system, and strengthening cooperation with municipalities.

Tavars informed that he would meet with Riga's leadership to discuss the city's development and industrialization plan. He emphasized that Riga must compete with the mentioned capitals, not with Latvian cities, and that much work remains to support business development in both the capital and the regions.

The LDDK highlighted the need for motivating mechanisms for municipalities to encourage entrepreneurship, as well as the development of an industrialization plan for Riga and a targeted business development policy. The parties discussed land and natural resource management policies, seeking a balance between economic development and nature conservation, and priorities for the next EU funding period.

LDDK President Andris Bite noted that the organization was interested in the minister's priorities until the elections and his vision for IT and procurement system development. Issues raised included the municipal motivation system, natural resource management policy, and the linkage between Riga's agglomeration and regional development.