Translated using ChatGPT service.
The delegation, led by President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis, included 130 representatives from businesses, universities, and municipalities. The visit, held in Berlin from October 14 to 16, achieved significant agreements to further develop intergovernmental economic relations in digitalization, energy, and military cooperation.
"Currently, only around 30% of public services are digitized in Germany, with some federal states having just 5%. By contrast, 91% of Latvian state and municipal services are available digitally, highlighting opportunities for Latvian tech companies in the German market. This intensive visit also showcased wide-ranging cooperation opportunities in 'green' energy, where Germany plans to use gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea for hydrogen transport in the future. This is also a chance for Latvia, as several hydrogen production projects are currently under development along the Kurzeme coast," emphasized Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.
The main areas identified for future cooperation with Germany, particularly in export and investment attraction, include digitalization, energy, construction (with a focus on wooden building construction, where Latvia can offer internationally competitive solutions), and military production development.
“Germany is our closest major economy, which enables faster collaboration compared to more distant markets. Already, we see that the investment portfolio managed by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) has reached 8 billion euros, with a significant portion related to Germany. Over the past year, interest from German investors has quadrupled. They find our digital solutions, expertise in wooden construction, and energy solutions appealing, as Latvia’s ports, due to their strategic location, can serve most existing and planned wind farms in the Baltic Sea,” noted LIAA Director Raivis Bremšmits, reflecting on the visit.
The visit led to agreements for reciprocal visits by German business delegations to Latvia. At the end of November, Bitkom, Germany's largest ICT industry association, has planned a visit to Latvia, bringing representatives of federal state technology and public sector organizations. The visit is expected to include companies interested in partnering with Latvian firms for new digital product development.
To strengthen Latvia-Germany cooperation, President E. Rinkēvičs and Minister V. Valainis met with representatives from around 90 German defense companies specializing in military optics, drones, and other defense products. Several German companies are interested in collaboration opportunities with Latvian suppliers, as well as establishing their production facilities in Latvia. Consequently, the German Security and Defense Association plans an extensive delegation visit to Latvia in the first half of next year.
The visit to Germany included representatives from Latvian companies and organizations such as TET, Mobilly, LMT, Nordic Homes, TIAMO group, Adventum Tech, Tilde, TESLA, ZZ Dats, WeAreDots, Tietovery, Zvaigznāja komnda, Apply, CMB, EdTech, Helmes, Brīvs, the University of Latvia, UberHint, Lielvārds, Datorium, Riga Business School, the German-Latvian Chamber of Commerce, the Latvian Wood Construction Cluster, and the IT Cluster, as well as representatives from municipalities and other institutions.
LIAA, in cooperation with the Latvian Embassy in Germany, organized this historically significant Latvian visit to Germany.
LIAA organizes the participation of high-ranking state officials in foreign visits as part of the EU-co-financed SME Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Program, with support from the European Regional Development Fund and national funding.