Latvian Prime Minister on EU cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries in the knowledge-based economy, IT and "smart" energy

Met dank overgenomen van Lets voorzitterschap Europese Unie 1e helft 2015 (Lets voorzitterschap) i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 10 juni 2015.

On 10 June in Brussels, a business forum took place within the framework of the meeting of the Heads of State of European Union, Latin American and Caribbean states.

At the business forum, Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma i noted with satisfaction that the meeting was being held during the Latvian Presidency, since one of the Presidency's priorities is an engaged Europe. The EU and Latin America are strong partners linked by an intensive political dialogue and historical, cultural and economic ties. EU trade with the region has doubled over the last decade to reach almost EUR 210 billion in 2014, while 34% of EU direct investment now goes to the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The EU has signed trade agreements with 26 states in the region and is also satisfied with the implementation of the Association Agreements with Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Central America. The implementation of the Framework Agreement for Trade and Economic Cooperation with Argentina has been successful.

"It is time," said Laimdota Straujuma, "to develop our cooperation in the fields of the knowledge-based economy, IT and so-called "smart" energy. We need to move forward with an economic model that would allow companies, countries and regions to be competitive on the world market, create new jobs and enhance the quality of life. To this end, Latvia supports the smart specialisation approach, by choosing the knowledge-based economy, biomedicine, IT, smart technologies and energy as areas of specialisation".

The Prime Minister said that the Latin American and Caribbean states could become an attractive market for innovative European companies.

Informing the business forum about the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council, she drew attention to Latvia's priorities and the results achieved, such as approval of the European Fund for Strategic Investments and the founding of the European Energy Union to increase the EU's competitiveness and create a business-friendly environment.

According to the Prime Minister, "EU cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean states in the field of sustainable energy can be advanced. We should support projects in the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency". She added that the continuation of the digital agenda is crucial for countries' economies and the well-being of people. During the Latvian Presidency, progress has been made on a number of digital agenda issues and the European Commission has launched the EU's digital strategy.

Laimdota Straujuma expressed her hope that it will be possible to expand cooperation between the EU and Latin American and Caribbean countries in the field of information and communication technologies, as this would significantly help people in the social services sector and reduce the digital divide between the two regions.