On Friday, September 17th, “Latvijas attīstībai” held its first-ever conference for municipal politics in Aizkraukle. The conference was attended by municipal councilors, heads of party regional branches, and party leaders. Among discussion topics were experiences of introducing administrative-territorial reform in municipalities, access to state and EU funds for municipalities, and creation of a new party institution, in which potentially municipal councilors, MP’s, and MEPs could be represented together.
“This is our first conference, and the reason why we gathered here is our big team, which has seen a significant increase in this year’s municipal elections. We are 99 municipal councilors, 6 Members of Parliament, 2 ministers, and we are represented in the European Parliament. Our work and results of it are the reasons why voters trust us, and why are we gather here today,” opening remarks were said by party co-chair and MEP Ivars Ijabs (“Renew Europe”).
Party co-chair and Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Artūrs Toms Plešs stipulated the importance of the work ahead, in every municipality locally and in the whole of Latvia. “Introduction of reform is our responsibility, and we have to show a good example to others. This is one of the reasons why people voted for us, and we must carry this work with honor. Municipal politics are the closest to people – we have to show this in our work as well so that people see that municipal councilors can change the lives of people for the better – this will help to boost electoral activity in the next elections.”
The goal of the conference for municipal politics is for councilors and members of the party regional branches to exchange their experience and knowledge, so that the best solutions and approaches, that was helpful in one municipality and might be helpful in other ones.
“For me and my colleagues, municipal councilors, now it’s the time to for implementation of our election programs. I am encouraging everyone to remember, that we are still one big team, even though the election marathon has ended. If there is a need for some advice, we are ready to give it to our colleagues and share our experience. However, in everyday work we have an additional responsibility – nowadays we do not just represent only ourselves, but also the whole “Latvijas attīstībai” team,” Cēsu district councilors and party co-chair Elīna Stapulone told.
“Latvijas attīstībai” plans to hold a conference on municipal politics at least once in a half a year, each time visiting a different district of Latvia.
