Photo source: Ministry of Economy of Latvia
On December 3, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) and the National Digital Development Agency signed a protocol of agreement with Microsoft. This agreement reaffirms Latvia’s commitment to working with Microsoft to develop a national center for artificial intelligence and advance other key digital initiatives.
“The need to streamline public administration, optimize costs, address human resource shortages, meet citizens’ expectations for modern communication solutions with public administration and reduce environmental impact are the main drivers of the adoption of AI and other digital tools,” said the Minister of Economy. Viktors Valainis. “Our collaboration with Microsoft will support Latvia’s ambition to become a digital leader in the Baltics and Europe. This year, the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) will launch its first pilot project focused on process digitalization in partnership with Microsoft.
This memorandum aims to promote the adoption of artificial intelligence and digital solutions to modernize public administration processes and improve Latvia’s innovation and technology ecosystem. Such cooperation will not only accelerate the delivery of public administration services, but also improve their quality, efficiency and accessibility for citizens and businesses.
“This collaboration extends beyond technology; it aims to help Latvia thrive in a digital-first economy,” said Leonid Polupan, country manager for the Baltics and Ukraine at Microsoft. “By leveraging Microsoft’s advanced AI solutions, such as Azure AI Services, Machine Learning Operations and Model as a Service, we are equipping Latvian businesses and organizations with the tools to effectively create, deploy and scale innovations in AI material. This collaboration aims to improve technological capabilities, stimulate economic growth and open doors for Latvian companies to be competitive and successful in local and international markets.– he concluded.
More than 91% of public sector services in Latvia are available online. This year, Latvia scored 88.22 points on the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), surpassing the EU average of 79.4. Latvia ranks 6th among EU member states in the extent of digitalized services available to its citizens.
The success of digitalization in Latvia is a synergy of several factors: targeted strategic planning, a strong information and communication technology sector, adequate infrastructure, close cooperation between the public and private sectors and responsiveness of public administration to innovation, economics and competition in the telecommunications market.
Inga BerzinaMinister of Smart Administration and Regional Development, emphasized: “The memorandum signed today marks a new chapter in Latvia’s digital transformation and innovation journey. It provides a strategic framework to modernize public administration, foster business innovation and facilitate knowledge exchange by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies. Under this memorandum, we will improve public administration processes, develop e-services and help businesses take advantage of AI-based opportunities, while prioritizing environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies . This collaboration represents an important step in strengthening Latvia’s competitiveness within the EU and globally.”
The first initiative of this collaboration with Microsoft will be the launch of a pilot project aimed at integrating AI solutions into LIAA processes. This project will focus on optimizing areas such as project evaluation, with the aim of significantly reducing review times and streamlining decision-making to improve support for entrepreneurs.
Additionally, the collaboration encompasses the development of several strategic areas, including the digital transformation of public administration and the integration of artificial intelligence solutions to streamline administrative processes and improve data analysis capabilities. The National Center for Artificial Intelligence project will provide a platform for developing cutting-edge technologies and solutions, leveraging Microsoft’s expertise and best practices. These initiatives aim to help businesses adopt AI-based innovations and strengthen their competitiveness.
