On 2 November, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with Minister of the Economy Viktors Valainis in the Riga Castle to discuss the priorities of the Ministry of the Economy, including innovation policy, attraction of investments, employment policy and new affordable housing policy.
During the meeting, President Rinkēvičs drew the attention of the Minister of Economy to the fact that entrepreneurs often express the need to take concrete decisions regarding the country's economic policy in both the short and long term.
The President also discussed the audit concluded by the State Audit Office in October this year, which found that the State's support for business innovation to date has been extensive, but the results have had little impact on the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises.
E. Rinkēvičs welcomed the commitment of the Minister of Economy to reduce bureaucracy, thus improving the business environment and the competitiveness of Latvian companies in the Baltic and EU countries. The parties also discussed a mechanism to facilitate the submission of various data and information, including on companies' investments in the field of research and development.
The officials also discussed the role and purpose of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia in effectively attracting foreign investment.
