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Estonian minister calls for increased cross-border cooperation between local authorities in Valka-Valga

BC, Tallinn, 26.02.2019.Print version
Estonian Minister of Public Administration Janek Maggi is to attend in the town of Valga on Tuesday the introduction of a study into the readiness of the local population for the creation of a cross-border Estonian-Latvian local government, informed LETA/BNS,

The minister pointed out that cross-border cooperation should be improved both on a national as well as municipal level. 

Maggi said it is a welcome improvement that active discussions are held in the society on the topic of border regions' development and that various solutions and suggestions are proposed for discussion.


"It is also good that local residents' opinions are studied," Maggi said. "The more we know about border residents' expectations and concerns, the better we are able to solve them."


The minister pointed out that the study identified marginalization as one of the problematic aspects, which is felt more keenly in rural areas than in cities. 


"This reaffirms the knowledge we had and the need to allocate funds for that purpose. I also see room for increased cooperation both on national as local governments' level. Developing joint transportation services is an example of improving cross-border cooperation," Maggi said. 


With the help of financing from the Interreg Europe program supporting cooperation between Estonia and Latvia, bilateral development projects have been implemented for several years in the the twin towns Valga and Valka on the two states' border. The Estonian town and rural municipality of Valga are currently actively cooperating with the Latvian town of Valka in the provision of services and implementation of cross-border projects.


Starting from 2007, Valga has participated in eight projects financed from the Interreg project and received a total of 4.42 mln euros from the European Regional Development Fund. The region also receives additional support from the Interreg Baltic Sea region program as well as the Interreg Central Baltic program, providing Valga and Valka and opportunity to participate in international projects.


As part of a development program for Southwest Estonia, the budget of which for 2019-2022 is 3.2 mln euros, the state intends to foster entrepreneurship in the region, improve the labor market situation and support the development of a branding strategy. Currently, the main objectives to be supported as part of the program have been set and requirements for eligibility are being established.


The study financed by the European Parliament and carried out by Saar Poll sought to examine the attitudes and the components thereof of the border residents of Estonia and Latvia with regard to the creation of a cross-border local government.






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