The conferences are organised in line with one of the priorities of the Latvian Presidency - Digital Europe. They aim to promote discussion on current events and tendencies related to the opportunities provided by information and communication technology for modernising public governance.

The focus of SEMIC 2015 (05.05.2015) will be on semantic technologies which enable the effective and productive exchange of information between different information systems. The most common examples in this field are e-government and public e-services which European citizens use on a daily basis. The conference is organised by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in cooperation with the European Commission.

During CONTACT RIGA 2015 (06.05.2015) participants will discuss current events and tendencies in the modernisation of public governance through the application of information and communication technologies. This conference aims to facilitate international dialogue between the information technology sector and representatives from public authorities, by evaluating and comparing the best examples from Latvia and other EU Member States and seeking opportunities for closer interaction to develop a more effective system of public services. CONTACT RIGA 2015 is organised by the Latvian IT Cluster in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.

SEMIC & CONTACT 2015 will bring experts and practitioners together with policy-makers whose interests and duties are related to the application of technologies in public governance.