Business, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Investments, Latvia, Real Estate
International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Monday, 02.12.2024, 14:38
Mayor of Riga presents an Ambitious Agenda and Plans for the City
In his presentation to the Norwegian investor community, M.
Staķis presented an elaborate Action Plan for Riga that the governing parties
have agreed upon to achieve by 2025 with focus on critical areas, such as
establishing good corporate governance and cooperation, improving mobility and
infrastructure, promoting urban development and environmental protection, among
others. Four investors that joined the conversation - Frode Gronvold,
CEO of Linstow Center Management, Ilze Grase-Ķibilde, General
Manager of Moller Baltic Import, Aleksis Karlsons, a representative of the Omnium
Properties group, and Santa Rozenkopfa, Managing Director of CBRE Baltics, welcomed the plans outlined by
the Mayor of Riga and pointed out several additional critical aspects to
improving quality of life in Latvia’s capital and increasing its attractiveness
to foreign investors.
The discussion with the Mayor of Riga was moderated
by Matīss Kukainis, Chairman of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in
Latvia (NCCL) and Founder & Partner of Spīgulis & Kukainis Law Firm.
The discussion was organized by NCCL with the support of the Norwegian Embassy.
New Project Development
Sustainable and Improved Mobility
Ilze Grase-Ķibilde,
General Manager of Moller Baltic Import, referring to experience from
Oslo, which has limited access to the city center for high polluting cars,
asked the Mayor of Riga about his plans to improve the air and life quality in
the City of Riga. In response, M. Staķis pointed out that his target is to make
Riga the first climate neutral city in the Baltics. “Our aim is to make Riga
more walkable and livable city,” said the Mayor of Riga, specifying that he
will start by launching several pilot projects and experiments, and evaluate
their impact on local communities.
Compared to any other EU city, one third from whole
population of Latvia resides in Riga, which is critical from mobility point of
view, as most of them live in flats of multi-story buildings. According to
study, 80% of e-mobility driver charge whilst at home, which is challenging in
mentioned city conditions, says I. Grase-Ķibilde, emphasizing out the need to
develop solutions for charging stations around the city, especially in areas
with high resident density.
When speaking about public transport system, M. Staķis
acknowledges that currently the Railway system and the municipal public
transport system are two completely separate systems. His goal is to merge them
together in one ticketing system. Focusing on cooperation rather than
competition, Riga Area mobility program would link Riga and its surrounding
municipalities in one public transport system, said the Mayor.
Preserving the Historical Centre
Predictability and not too much bureaucracy are the two main
things that Aleksis Karlsons, from the Omnium Properties group, expects
from the Municipality. However, he also points out the need for various support
programs, such as tax discounts and co-financing mechanisms to support
rejuvenation of Riga’s historical center.
„It is important to protect the historical center not only
to preserve our historical heritage, the beautiful environment that every
inhabitant of Latvia can enjoy and show to our children, but also because the
historical center is the main driving force of the Latvian tourism industry,“
says A. Karlsons who is the founding member and Chairman of the board of the
Latvian Private Historic Houses Association and the Riga Centre Association of
Private Historic Buildings. He reminds that a complete restoration of historic
buildings and their management and maintenance costs 1.5 to 2 times more than that
of new buildings on top of various restrictions that have been placed on
historical properties. Hence, various support programs are highly essential to
stimulate reconstruction and renovation of these properties.
As confirmed by M. Staķis, the City Council intends to
continue the real estate tax credit system, which is based on the type of the
building and the social situation of the tax payer can add up to 90%. The new
Riga City Council plans to continue the renovation co-financing mechanism of
cultural and heritage preservation projects, which was started four years ago
with a budget of 1,4 mln EUR for the next year.
Attracting Foreign Investments
Corporate Governance and Fight against Corruption
The Chairman of NCCL Matīss Kukainis pointed
out that the Norwegian Government via the EEA / Norway Grants program has
disbursed over 13 mln EUR to support preventing and combating Economic Crime in
Latvia and creating whistleblowing mechanisms. When asked about going
after those who have been behind misappropriation of funds at “Rīgas Satiksme”
and the Southern Bridge project, the Mayor of Riga emphasized that already 77
people have already been sued, but also acknowledged that it may be harder to
prosecute somebody in relation to the Southern Bridge construction project that
was completed in 2008. The project costs exceeded more than 800 mln EUR (570
mln LVL), making it one of the most expensive bridges in the world.
“We have to create a new system in the municipality and
companies owned by the municipality, where the corruption is on a zero level.
And it starts with me and with my statement that I want this city free of
corruption,” says M. Staķis, reminding that one of the Vice-Mayors Linda
Ozola has been tasked with fighting corruption and promoting good
governance at the municipality. M. Staķis encourages whistleblowers that know
of wrongdoing not to be scared and report the problems to the City Council.
- 28.01.2022 BONO aims at a billion!
- 26.08.2021 LLC Dizozols Investments finalizes investment attraction deal with Crowdestor with record-high profits
- 25.01.2021 Как банкиры 90-х делили «золотую милю» в Юрмале
- 30.12.2020 Накануне 25-летия Балтийский курс/The Baltic Course уходит с рынка деловых СМИ
- 30.12.2020 On the verge of its 25th anniversary, The Baltic Course leaves business media market
- 30.12.2020 Business Education Plus предлагает анонсы бизнес-обучений в январе-феврале 2021 года
- 30.12.2020 Hotels showing strong interest in providing self-isolation service
- 30.12.2020 EU to buy additional 100 mln doses of coronavirus vaccine
- 30.12.2020 ЕС закупит 100 млн. дополнительных доз вакцины Biontech и Pfizer
- 29.12.2020 В Rietumu и в этот раз создали особые праздничные открытки и календари 2021