Business discussions – international, national and regional view on the development of Rēzekne SEZ

In scope of the event “Rēzekne SEZ – with a View to the Future” on September 8th Rēzekne Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Authority organized business discussions to debate on future development perspectives of the zone. Participants of the event were entrepreneurs, representatives of state and municipal institutions as well as local and foreign cooperation partners of Rēzekne SEZ.

The focal point of the event was Rēzekne SEZ and its future development perspectives, which were reviewed from regional, national and international perspectives. Discussions provided insight into opportunities offered by Rēzekne SEZ – available tax incentives and support of zone authority in implementation of investment projects as well as the performance indicators of Rēzekne SEZ enterprises in past few years.

The Manager of the Development Department of Rēzekne City Council Mr Georgijs Orlovs presented Rēzekne City Council projects for promotion of entrepreneurship that are to be implemented until 2020. As emphasized in the presentation, aim of Rēzekne City Council projects is to ensure qualitative business infrastructure in Rēzekne i.e. premises, access roads, engineering communications, for potential investors. Special attention during the event was devoted to projects that envisage construction of production complex on 1 Viļakas Street and reconstruction of a building, creating office and production premises on Atbrīvošanas aleja 155a-K1. Rēzekne City Council projects for reconstruction of road surface and engineering communications on Maskavas, Varoņu, Noliktavu, Viļakas and Komunāla Streets in Rēzekne City were also discussed in the presentation.

Meanwhile Head of Development Planning Department of Rēzekne Municipality Council Ms Anna Jaudzema provided insight into initiatives of Rēzekne Municipality for improvement of business environment. During the event available business resources in Rēzekne Municipality, municipality initiatives for decrease of bureaucracy and possibilities offered by Establishment “LEARN” for business starters were presented. Furthermore, special attention was devoted to Rēzekne Municipality Council infrastructure development projects implemented until 2021, including project for creation of industrial network, in which 5 road sections in Rēzekne SEZ will be renovated.

In scope of business discussions debates on the available state support instruments also took place with participation of the Director of Regional Policy Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MEPRD) Mr Raivis Bremšmits and Head of Latgale Region of Finance Institution “ALTUM” Ms Vita Pučka. Insight into plan of MEPRD to introduce additional labour tax incentives for enterprises of special economic zones of Latgale (Rēzekne SEZ and Latgale SEZ) was provided during the event. Furthermore, the representative of MEPRD introduced future initiatives of the Ministry that would allow municipalities to extend additional assistance to entrepreneurs in form of state treasury loans and eased process of expropriation of municipal immovable property for enterprises that had made investments in it. Meanwhile, the representative of Finance Institution “ALTUM” presented finance instruments that are already available for entrepreneurs – loans, risk capital, export and loan guarantees etc. These finance instruments are available for business starters as well as existing enterprises that would like to extend their professional activity.

In conclusion of the discussion Regional representative of World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) in Europe and CIS countries Ms Nika Manukova provided an insight into global perspective of the development of Rēzekne SEZ and other world free and special economic zones. Presentation introduced participants of the discussion to World FZO, its work and possibilities offered for the development and improvement of work of free zones as well as expansion of businesses operating in the free zones. One of the topics of the presentation were global tendencies in the work of free zones that creates necessity to establish closer cooperation between free and special economic zones and to acquire contemporary digital solutions in the work of the zone.