Company briefs - 2013-03-07

  • 2013-03-06

Cargo turnover at Latvian ports reached 6.5 million tons in the first month of 2013, 6.4 percent less than in the respective period of 2012, says the Latvian Port, Transit and Logistics Council, reports Nozare.lv. In January 2012, Latvian ports handled 6.9 million tons of cargo. The Freeport of Riga handled 2.86 million tons of cargo in January, the Freeport of Ventspils 2.97 million tons, the Port of Liepaja 593,500 tons. The Port of Liepaja recorded the steepest increase in cargo turnover at 29.6 percent. The Freeport of Ventspils registered a 1.7 percent reduction in cargo turnover, while the Freeport of Riga saw a 15.7 percent reduction.

Estonian developer of parking solutions SPOT Parking has filed for bankruptcy, reports Aripaev. Last year, the company received a grant in the amount of 600,000 euros from Enterprise Estonia to develop the Space Parking Optimization Technology - the parking garages where cars are moved on special platforms so that they take up a smaller area than in normal parking garages. Kroot Kilvet, board member of Enterprise Estonia, said now that the agency is preparing to claim 300,000 euros back from the company. According to the company’s only shareholder, Vitali Kipjatkov, their problems were linked with signing agreements with German engineering companies RLE GmbH and Grenzebach GmbH, which provide development of the prototype and were to carry out a pilot project. Kipjatkov said that although SPOT Parking paid for the know-how and prototype, the Germans claimed intellectual rights to the project.

Latvia has received 80 million euros to implement the EU Youth Guarantee project and help solve youth unemployment problems, says Welfare Minister Ilze Vinkele, reports LETA. On Feb. 28 EU employment and social affairs ministers agreed on the Youth Guarantee, which envisages support for solving youth unemployment problems in the bloc’s member states. Latvia will receive 80 million euros to implement this program from 2014-2020. This means that the Welfare Ministry and the Education and Science Ministry will assist the country’s education program, bringing youth as close as possible to the labor market, explains Vinkele.