Uldis Biķis: fund money allows you to move forward faster than competitors

You can always do something better because technology is evolving very fast. This is the next stage when it comes to the support system. Latvia has 1.8 billion euros from the Recovery Fund, and there will definitely be opportunities for entrepreneurs there as well – in digital transformation, energy efficiency issues, training, and connection with science. In our opinion, it is good that the interaction between companies and science is being sought in order to develop value-added products faster, it will definitely pay off, maybe not immediately, now, but definitely in the future. Clusters are being formed, to some extent they will be supported – in areas where science and business are combined – the economy and society will come back.

I think the goals are a little different each time, focusing on the issues that are relevant at the time, and rightly so. The focus now needs to be on transformation within the framework of the EU Green Course. We need to become much more digital, efficient, and only through this will we increase our ability to pay high salaries in a given workplace. As we say, create productive, well-paid jobs.

If there are opportunities, will the company use them?

Of course! There are no detailed regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers yet, and when they are, it will be more clear whether we can use the support. We hope that this will be the case for large companies as well, because they can also have investments with higher risk, slower financial return.

Returning to the current program, do you think that the goal of reducing differences, inequalities between regions in Latvia, perhaps in Europe as a whole, has been achieved?

In Latvia, this issue is definitely still relevant. Riga and the adjacent Pieriga make up about 60% of the national economy. Of course, regional issues are important. One of them is related to the state infrastructure – horizontal investment and support for all – road networks, faster highways, which are necessary to form connections, transport system with major cities in the regions.

There is certainly more that can be done, and this is also being said, for example, about the availability of housing in regional centers. Latvijas Finierim also has a subsidiary in Rēzekne, and it is clear that there is a lack of quality new housing there. Historic buildings are aging, but people’s demands have increased. Young families would definitely like to live better. The market needs to be moved by some means, and some support in this area will be available for the construction of apartment buildings, so that a quality fund can be set up in the regional centers, and opportunities for people will be expanded.

There are definitely opportunities in business that can do more. For example, we are considering the possibility of further developing our Rezekne company, to which we would be happy to attract support, if any.

What does digitalization, called the green course, mean in your industry?

Process development is one thing. We use a variety of data to make business decisions. The other is education.

Each workplace is equipped with machinery and technology. A person must have a level of knowledge that at least he is not afraid to work in specific jobs. This issue is topical in Latvia as a whole. Digital skills are increasingly valued, knowledge must be good enough. The technique is becoming more and more complex.

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