New opportunities for regional development through cross-border cooperation

1. New opportunities for regional development through cross-border cooperation Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development November 16, 2011

2. Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia until 2030 • Approved by Latvian Parliament on June 10, 2010 • Defines long-term: • overall national development objectives • social, economic and environment development priorities and development directions • spatial development perspective

3. Spatial development perspective of Latvia until 2030 Policy directions forsustainable and balanced territorial development Main aspects: • accessibility and mobility • settlement as the economic development, human life and work environment • spaces of national interest – unique specific territories

4. Accessibility Development directions: • improvement of external accessibility • improvement of internal accessibility • availability of communications, mass media and data transmission

5. Settlement structure Development directions: • enhancement of the potential and competitiveness of the development centres • mutual co-operation and interaction of urban and rural areas • establishing of functional networks of development centres

6. Spaces of national interest Development directions: • rural development space • Baltic Sea coastal area • Riga metropolis area • Eastern border (EU external border) • outstanding areas of nature, landscape and cultural history

7. Advantages of territorial approach • Increased importance of strategic planning at local level • providing support for implementation of local development strategies and local initiatives • Investments are based on the real needs of a particular territory • identified in the development strategy • Opportunity to make complex investments that cover more than one sector • Opportunity to coordinate (in time and space) investments related to different sectors • Objective • To foster polycentric development • strengthening competitiveness, accessibility and attractiveness of the urban environment and city-regions according to integrated localdevelopment strategies Urban priority “Polycentric development”

8. CooperationwithEstonia • Latvian – Estonian Commission for cross border cooperation - a significant platform for the determination of the common objectives and solutions for cross border cooperation • Implementation of priorities set within “Latvian-Estonian Future Cooperation Report” - initiative of prime ministers • Estonia-Latvia cross-border cooperation programme - implemented according to the principles of European Territorial Cooperation promoting sustainable development and economic competitiveness of the Programme area through achieving an integrated and cross-border approach to economic, social and environmental development.

9. Instruments and forms of bilateral strategic cooperation between Latvia and Russia • Latvia-Russian Federation IntergovernmentalCommission for scientific, technological, humanitarian and cultural cooperation (since 2007) • Working Group on Regional cooperation – a new format for discussions on interregional and cross-border cooperation (since 2010) • The declaration on partnership between both countries for modernization (signed in 2011) • Elaboration of the memorandum of understanding on regional and cross-border cooperation between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia (draft 2011) • Agreements on economic cooperation between the Ministry of Economics of Latvia and the Regional Administrations of Russian Federation (and its implementation through ActionPlans)

10. CBC as a platform for realisation of regional policy and strategies Estonia-Latvia-Russia cross-border cooperation ENPI Programme allows to implement joint regional initiatives aimed at: • increasing of competitiveness and investment attractiveness of border regions, • Improvement of the environmental situation, • as well as raising of living standards and well-being of citizens. Important feature of CBC programmes – is a possibility of implementation of joint investment projects with infrastructure component. Motives for CBC: • Overcome national peripherality • Promote economic growth • Eliminate barriers for transit • Ensure equal living conditions and better mobility of border inhabitants • Exchange of best practice and know-how

11. Latvia’s regional priorities for cross-border cooperation • Vidzeme: • Development of cross-border clusters and business networks (foodprocessingandwoodprocessingsectors) • Development of labour force, vocational and higher education • Alternative and renewable energy sources • To increase possibilities of health care institutions to offer health services of a higher quality by using information and communication technologies • Cross-sectoral cooperation between culture and social fields

12. Latvia’s regional priorities for cross-border cooperation • Latgale: • Tourism (public infrastructure, joint marketing, joint routes and products, cooperation network, increase of number of tourists) • Culture (joint activities and events, improvement of infrastructure) • Sport (joint competitions, infrastructure) • Energy efficiency (heat insulation of public buildings, awareness raising, trainings for local specialists) • Transport and logistics (transport info network & system, infrastructure, marketing) • Entrepreneurship (business trainings, investments forums and exhibitions, business support network)

13. Latvia’s regional priorities for cross-border cooperation • Riga Region: • Socio-economic development, including business development: cooperation in knowledge-based entrepreneurship and innovation; cooperation in industrial development, small and medium enterprises networking, market expansion, marketing activities; cooperation in the field of logistics; tourism services and joint tourism product development. •  Environmental and natural resource protection: ecology, nature protection; water resource management improvement; waste recycling and resource efficiency in business. •  Local initiative and local government cooperation.

14. Thankyouforyourattention! • Ministry of Environmental Protection • and Regional Development