Latvija in brief - 2009-10-01

Oct 01, 2009

By invitation from President Valdis Zatlers, Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum held at Davos, Switzerland, visited Riga Sept. 28 -29, reports LETA. Schwab will read a lecture titled 'Managing Global Interdependency' at the University of Latvia on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the university. This will be the first lecture in a cycle of lectures by world leaders that Zatlers organizes in cooperation with the university. The goal is to give Latvian academicians, students and mass media representatives an opportunity to attend lectures by the world's most prominent personalities on such subjects as global economic, political and social matters. Zatlers says that, as president of Latvia, he meets with the shapers of the world's political, economic and social processes and thoughts. Latvia is integrated in the globalized world and the country's active and intelligent people could possibly be the global leaders of tomorrow.

The previously-signed Riga International Airport (RIX) development contract will be suspended, the government decided in a closed Cabinet meeting, says Transport Minister Kaspars Gerhards (For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK), reports LETA. He said that the situation in the aviation sector in Latvia and globally has changed and the forecasts made earlier, on the need to construct a terminal in Riga that could serve 30 million passengers per year over the coming decade, now looks unrealistic. For this reason, the government decided to break the contract it signed earlier and to assign RIX, in cooperation with the Transport Ministry, to continue work on short and medium-term solutions for development, taking into consideration passenger flow growth projections, and ensure the airport has the necessary capacity for serving all passengers. Gerhards explained that the airport now bears full responsibility for breaking the contract. The Ministry has been assigned to inform the Cabinet of Ministers on short and long-term infrastructure development solutions by December 31, 2009.

Heating and electricity tariffs in Latvia will not go up next year, says Economy Minister Artis Kampars (New Era), reports LETA. Assessing the draft tariff plan submitted by Riga thermal power station TEC-2 to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), requesting higher heating tariffs, Kampars said he opposes any tariff increases next year. After new financial investments are made, some level of tariff increase could take place in 2015 or 2016, he said, but not any sooner. "I must say I am actually surprised that PUC has received such a tariff project, as we have been discussing with the management of the power utility Latvenergo and the heat supply company Rigas Siltums exactly the opposite - an option to reduce the tariffs," said Kampars. Kampars will demand explanations for the suggested tariff increase. "I will do it as soon as I become acquainted with the tariff project, submitted to the regulator," he said.

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