Regional development policy needs to be more targeted - president

RIGA - On August 7, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics met with Environment Protection and Regional Development Minister Maris Sprindzuks (United List) at the Riga Castle to discuss current policy issues in the sector, as well as the responsibility of the Rezekne municipality management for the financial situation in the city of Rezekne, LETA learned from the president's spokesman Martins Dregeris.

"Regional development policy needs to be more targeted, especially when it comes to reducing economic disparities between Latvia's regions and the support provided. The needs of each municipality differ, which are also determined by objective factors such as population, road and transport infrastructure, school network, healthcare provision and access to public services. Therefore, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development has to coordinate and provide a solution that is appropriate to the specifics of each municipality's territory," said the president.

President Rinkevics emphasized the need to work on a specific development program for the eastern border area of Latvia, because despite the shrinking population in several border municipalities, the state must be able to ensure access to services for every Latvian resident. "It is a duty of the state and a matter of our national security," said Rinkevics.