On Thursday, 2 October, Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis made a regional visit to Zemgale, where he met with family business representatives from various sectors and participated in the opening of a conference dedicated to cybersecurity.
The Minister visited the city and municipality of Jēkabpils, where he met with representatives of the food processing and manufacturing company “Kafeja Alīda”, the organic farm SIA “Spāres-L”, and the trading, agricultural production and construction company “Sedumi”. V. Valainis expressed satisfaction with the entrepreneurs’ ability to find their niche and successfully grow, contributing not only to their own business development but also to the progress of the entire region.
The Minister also met with the management of the glued timber construction company “Easy Wood” and visited the Viesīte parish farm “Kalna Dambrāni”, which is engaged in dairy farming, beef cattle farming, grain cultivation, and forestry.
At the end of the visit to Jēkabpils, V. Valainis gave an interview to the newspaper Brīvā Daugava.
On 2 October, the Minister of Economics also participated in the opening of the conference “Cybersecurity and ICT Growth: Business Readiness and Innovation Creation” in Jelgava. During the conference, the research centre SKDS presented a study on the digital security of Latvian companies and their exposure to cyber risks. The event was organised by SIA “Bite Latvija” in cooperation with the Green and Smart Technology Cluster and the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies / “EIT Food Hub Latvia”.
“Right now, as we speak, a cyberattack is taking place against Latvia’s critical infrastructure. Our institutions are successfully repelling it, proving that we can stay one step ahead. Living next to an aggressor state – Russia – such attacks happen every day, but they only make us stronger. Latvia has excellent digital solutions, and more than 1,100 companies have already used state support for digitalisation, investing 79 million euros,” emphasised Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis at the conference opening.
Regional visits are an important step toward strengthening mutual understanding and building closer ties between state administration and the regions. They allow not only for a deeper understanding of the needs and development potential of local communities but also promote dialogue and trust.