“Education is the foundation of our well-being. Universities are centres of knowledge and innovation. The integration of research, higher education, and industry has to be the priority of our efforts. Through this integration, we can achieve increased knowledge-based development of our economy and exports and raise our global competitiveness,” stated Raimonds Vējonis.
He noted that wide labour opportunities were crucial for the future of the region, as Latvia and the neighbouring countries in Baltics faced the challenge of movement of people, especially young people, to the countries with higher welfare standards.
“The countries in the Baltic Sea region must continue working together to ensure the best opportunities for young people so that they can become active members of the labour market and contributors to the economic well-being of our communities,” called Raimonds Vējonis
In his speech, the President of Latvia briefly turned to sustainable tourism, which is one of the growth areas of our economies. The Baltic Sea States met one of the highest levels of biodiversity and unique cultural richness in Europe, which provided excellent resources for the development of sustainable tourism in this region.
“If developed and managed in a sustainable way, tourism can be instrumental in safeguarding biodiversity by minimizing the ecological footprint, providing green employment for local populations, channelling revenue back into conservation, and functioning as a vehicle for promoting awareness of environmental preservation,” underlined the President of Latvia.
In conclusion, the President of Latvia pointed out that the countries of the Baltic Sea region should aim to achieve a more coordinated approach to preservation, prevention of pollution, and use of the Baltic Sea.