In brief - 2006-04-26

  • 2006-04-26
In May, the Dutch Embassy in Latvia will publish a book titled "Beyond traditional borders: Eight centuries of Latvian-Dutch relations" that covers the long historical ties between the Netherlands and Latvia. The book goes back to the early Middle Ages, when the first traces of a historical connection were established. Over 50 Latvian and Dutch authors contributed to the 400-page book, which covers a great variety of topics. The publication will be distributed as a promotional gift among prominent government officials, politicians, diplomats, journalists, academics, NGO's, and cultural organizations. The book will delve into history, culture, politics, economics and both nations' growth as European members. Authors are hopeful that the book will fuel scientific interest in the two countries' history and culture.

Latvian representatives of the U.S. group New Century Holding, together with their Dutch partners, are planning to invest 20 million euros in a glass-tinting plant in Riga, Latvia's Dienas Bizness business daily reported. "Any normal glass used in greenhouses reflects sunbeams, therefore part of them do not reach the plants. Being accurate people, the Dutch have made calculations suggesting that the crop would be much higher if all sunbeams went through the glass. At our unique plant, glass imported from abroad will be covered with anti-reflection tint," said NCH representative Andris Kupcis. The equipment needed for such glass will reportedly cost 16 million euros, and another 2 million euros will be necessary for installation equipment. The tinted glass will be sold to farmers in the Netherlands. The new plant is scheduled for completion in January 2007.

Dutch airline KLM took third place in terms of passenger flow through Riga International Airport in January-March 2006, after Latvia's national carrier Airbaltic and the Irish discount company Ryanair. According to official statistics, the airport served 22,169 KLM passengers, amounting to 4.5 percent of the market. Airbaltic brought 178,264 passengers through Riga, while Ryanair closely followed with 157,645 passengers. In the first three months of 2006, Riga Airport served a total of 490,637 clients, which is a 48.7 percent rise from the same period last year. The airport plans to serve at least 2.5 million passengers by this year and launch several new routes.

Dutch company VSI Holding bought the Estonian waste handling firm AS Vaania from its private Estonian owners earlier this year, and is now planning to acquire a similar company in Latvia, the Baltic News Service reported. Parties have yet to disclose the deal's price. In 2005, Vaania posted a profit of nearly one million kroons (64,000 euros) on sales of 30 million kroons. Its undistributed profit stood at 7.4 million kroons. The company employed an average 79 people during 2004.