On 21 March, the President of Latvia held a meeting with the National Competitiveness Commission (hereinafter referred to as 'the Commission') at the Riga Castle to discuss the results of its first six months of work.
The first working meeting between the Commission and the President of Latvia took place in December 2023. The Commission identified a broad range of target issues that must be addressed to enhance competitiveness in higher education, business, and science. Three lines of priority action were agreed upon to guide the first phase of work. These included proposals to attract foreign lecturers more effectively in areas of strategic importance to Latvia, to research the needs of Latvia's largest exporting companies in terms of supporting their competitiveness, and to make better use of public data in research and innovation.
In the field of higher education, the Commission has worked in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science to draft amendments to the Law on Higher Education. These amendments are aimed at removing barriers and facilitating long-term cooperation with foreign lecturers and researchers. The amendments have been submitted to the President of Latvia for consideration. The Commission's proposal seeks to enhance the flexibility of national language requirements for foreign experts to attract highly qualified academic staff from abroad and foster a more international higher education environment in Latvian universities. This proposed change would simultaneously enhance the diversity of the academic curriculum and raise the quality of the delivery of study programs. President Rinkēvičs and the Commission agreed to continue their collaborative efforts toward the execution of this proposal.
In the domain of business competitiveness, the Commission informed the President that it intends to carry out a joint study with the Ministry of Economics on Latvia’s largest exporting and most innovative companies. This study will seek to identify the primary challenges and future growth needs of these companies, accounting for the present geopolitical context. The results of the study will be used to improve existing programs of the Ministry of Economics or to launch new initiatives.
In the field of science and research, the Commission suggests expediting the implementation of data sharing and reuse solutions in public administration. This would enhance the effectiveness and quality of public services, while also promoting research and innovation. The Commission suggests initiating trial data-sharing projects with public authorities, such as the State Revenue Service and the Central Statistical Bureau.
The Commission will continue its work in the three priority areas and explore additional lines of action and proposals.
For information:
The National Competitiveness Commission was established by President Edgars Rinkēvičs on 4 October 2023. It serves to support the President of the Republic of Latvia in fulfilling the functions outlined in the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia and to develop proposals for enhancing the country's competitiveness in the areas of education, science, and entrepreneurship.
