Kuldīga, a city in Latvia with its scenic beauty and cultural heritage, as well as a wide business potential, was the place Norwegian business experts visited from April 23 to 26 to share their experience and also listen to the opinions of Latvian entrepreneurs and local government representatives about the role of the entrepreneurship in our countries.

On April 24, a tour around Kuldīga was organized for the guests, during which they enjoyed both the history of Kuldīga, seeing the churches, ancient streets and the Needle Tower and factory, as well as the natural beauty – the city parks and the pearl of Kuldīga – the waterfall Ventas rumba, where they could watch the “flying fishes”.

The visit of SIA “Stiga RM” left a bright impression on the Norwegian guests. A visit to the Kalķu Street quarter and the businesses located there (Duna brewery, Curonia Coffee Roasters, Klavins Piano piano workshop) did not leave anyone indifferent.

The main purpose of the visit was to participate in the business forum “The role of entrepreneurship in the development of the region” jointly organized by the Kurzeme planning region and LIAA Kuldīga business incubator.

Within the framework of the forum, together with the project partners, we looked back at what has been done in the project so far. At the mid-term event of the project, the partners presented the results of the implemented activities, current events and future challenges. It was a great satisfaction that the event was attended by several entrepreneurs who have already received support through the activities implemented within the project and evaluated it very positively.

Various business issues were discussed in the forum discussions – whether business skills should be learned already at school, in how many steps it is possible to get from a start-up to an exporting company and how to successfully attract investments, as well as how important innovation is in everyday life and in crisis situations.

The purpose of the business forum was to create a common vision of how business can support the region, as well as to identify obstacles and opportunities for business development. It was important to find commonalities and differences between our countries in the area of business development. The participation of Norwegian experts provided valuable experience and perspective from a different point of view, and also helped to identify global trends and opportunities that could also be applied to our region.

The visit ended on a very positive note. The guests were very grateful for what they saw and experienced.

The visit was organized within the framework of the project no. LV-LOCALDEV-0004 “Entrepreneurship support measures in the Kurzeme Planning Region” (“Entrepreneurship in Kurzeme”). The project is co-financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, through EEA grants in the Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Cultural Cooperation program.

More information:
Viktorija Reine
Kurzeme Planning Region project coordinator
E-mail: viktorija.reine@kurzemesregions.lv