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Today, on September 25, Prime Minister, Aigars Kalvītis met Danuta Hűbner, the EU Regional Policy Commissioner and discussed regional policy of the EU and issues related to the development of the Baltic Sea region.
The EU Regional Policy Commissioner expressed gratification that harmonization is over and today the National Strategic Framework Document of Latvia for Uptake of the EU Structural Funds for 2007-2013 will be signed in Rīga, as well as that the first operational programme of the EU funds ”Innovations and Entrepreneurship” is adopted. The Commissioner congratulated Latvia on the fact that significant EU funding - 4.6 thousand millions euros is available to the country and expressed hope that Latvia will uptake it in the most effective and most qualitative way.
The Prime Minister informed that already on October 9, the Government of Latvia will decide on the adoption of the EU fund programme and that he will do his best in order to start uptake of funds of the new EU finance planning stage as soon as possible. The Government will also assess procedure of the EU fund administration in order to make uptake of the EU funds as simple and understandable as possible.
Aigars Kalvītis appealed to the European Commission to reconsider funding of the EU fund projects for Latvia supported in 2004-2006 because due to radically increasing service costs and labour costs the implementation of these projects is endangered. Danuta Hűbner expressed readiness of the European Commission to reconsider the adopted funding of the EU fund projects and appealed to the institutions of Latvia to prepare calculations of the necessary funding.
The Prime Minister pointed out to the initiative of Latvia as a presiding country of the Council of the Baltic Sea States to develop a new strategy of the Baltic Sea region states in co-operation with the European Commission. The EU Commissioner positively assessed this intention and promised support of the European Commission in elaboration of the strategy. The Head of the Government and the EU Commissioner were of the same opinion that the Baltic Sea region is one of the most dynamic regions in the EU and that a special attention should be paid to its strategic development.
Danuta Hűbner expressed support of the European Commission to the territorially administrative reform in Latvia and expressed conviction that it will promote more balanced development of Latvia’s regions and more effective use of resources.
Jana Vektere
Consultant
Communication Department
Phone: 7082919, mob. ph.: 29244699
E-mail: Jana.Vektere@mk.gov.lv
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