On Thursday 7 June, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis participated in the meeting of representatives of the Latvian Government and the Foreign Investors Council (FICIL) in Latvia to discuss further improvements in the business environment that would promote Latvia's global competitiveness and foreign investment.
The High Council meeting was held for already the 22nd time since the restoration of Latvia's independence, and the focus of this year’s meeting was on labour supply, reforms in education, digitalisation of the economy, the fight against economic and financial crimes, as well as improvements in the investment environment and energy.
In his address to the participants of the meeting, M. Kučinskis stressed that it is important to focus on the transition from a labour-intensive economy to a knowledge-intensive and technology-intensive economy, taking advantage of the opportunities provided to Latvia by global trends, and by placing more emphasis on digitalization.
“We need to ensure horizontal digitization of all sectors of the economy. The standpoints of the Government and FICIL have much in common to successfully advance the country's development," said M. Kučinskis.
It was also pointed out that one of the most important goals is to achieve a shared vision of the future development of Latvia. An important aspect is the increasing number of well-paid jobs, so that people would not be motivated to abandon their countries in search of a better life, but would realistically consider the possibility of returning to their homeland and working in Latvia.
“A shift in the paradigm is needed to ensure economic development. One of the key factors for ensuring growth is the development of human capital through elementary, secondary and higher education as well as research," said M. Kučinskis.
During the meeting, the foreign investors were presented with the latest trends in the national economy and the main activities undertaken by the government over the last year in the fields of taxation, reducing the shadow economy, the development of e-government, the improvement of the business environment, reforms in education, as well as efforts to strengthen competitiveness of the economy.
Andrejs Vaivars
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mob.: 29228678
E-mail: Andrejs.Vaivars@mk.gov.lv