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In his address to the Bureau meeting, Andris Jaunsleinis, the LALRG Chairman, noted that Latvia's priority is to promote digital Europe in order to boost new job creation and providetangible benefits for consumers.
“Most of us cannot imagine our everyday life without modern technologies and a high-speed internet. However, we as the representatives of local and regional governments are very aware of the fact that not all municipalities are able to benefit from these services. High-speed internet is often only available in cities and towns, and is an inordinately expensive service in many border and disadvantaged regions,” says Andris Jaunsleinis. He stressed that the availability of digital technologies is a prerequisite for citizens when choosing to live, work and study not only in cities, but also in rural areas.
The accessibility of high-speed internet and other IT solutions is essential for municipalities to provide e-Government services that allow more effective and citizen–friendly use of municipal resources and services.
“We should not consider the ICT sector as being separate from our everyday life in local and regional government. Information and communication technology is a fast-growing and integral part of every field. Even though peripheral municipalities in Latvia also face challenges in developing broadband infrastructure and access to high-speed internet, we have many best practices that we – both central government and local representatives – can share with others. We are ready to contribute to the development of e-Government services across the European Union,” commented the LALRG Chairman at the end of the debate.
The CoR President, Markku Markkula, stressed that the CoR has called on the EU to pay greater attention to the digital economy in its recently launched Investment Plan. Markku Markkula welcomed the move towards a digitalised Europe but added that the new Investment Plan must focus more on isolated regions and give a greater say to local and regional authorities.
Arnis Daugulis, Deputy State Secretary at the Latvian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, took the view that technology alone is not enough for digital development. Officials also need to grow and change because Digital Europe means not only that society is digitally educated, but also that businesses know how to use technologies and that ministers and Members of Parliament know about this field and understand its importance.
