This year, a total of €44.32 million has been planned for road construction in the Kurzeme region, including €27.35 million from the state budget and €16.97 million from European Union funds. Explaining the planned works, the state-owned company “Latvian State Roads” (LVC) indicated that, due to rising prices of energy resources, raw materials, construction materials, and construction products, the funding allocated for road construction projects in the region is insufficient. To prevent the deterioration of roads, the Ministry of Transport (SM), in cooperation with LVC, is considering the following crisis solutions: reducing the scope of construction works, simplifying construction methods, and compensating for the reduced construction volume through routine maintenance activities.
Taking into account that Liepāja will be the European Capital of Culture in 2027, the Ministry of Transport has established a working group, the task of which is to analyze solutions to ensure the expected increase in travel intensity. At the same time, the most significant challenge is the availability of additional funding, as regional transportation is provided under long-term contracts, and currently there is no separate funding for the provision of transport services for the European Capital of Culture events. Therefore, timely exchange of information and active involvement of stakeholders in setting priorities, jointly seeking solutions for attracting additional funding, are important.
Promoting the development of the region, with the financing of the Recovery Fund of 3.24 million euros, it is planned to complete the broadband electronic communications infrastructure development project in the Kurzeme planning region this year. In total, at least 1240 objects in the Kurzeme region will be provided with a connection to the very high-performance electronic communications network - households, companies, hospitals, educational institutions, etc. In turn, in order to agree on the priorities of the communications sector for 2028-2034, the Ministry of Finance continues to organize discussions, involving social and cooperation partners, including the Kurzeme planning region.
