Employment cooperation between the Estonian and Latvian twin border towns of Valga and Valka will help ensure good working conditions and stability for the local population, Latvian Minister for Welfare Janis Reirs said at the presentation of a project promoting cross-border labor market integration and employment, ERR News writes.
According to Reirs, in post-crisis Latvia, it was important to prevent people from leaving the country and stability was the main precondition for this, but it does not matter whether a Latvian has a job in Valga, Estonia or an Estonian works in Valka, Latvia — the main thing is that these people do not have to emigrate.
The minister also said that sometimes taking a look at what happens in “the neighbor’s backyard” can give one insight about how to tackle this or that issue.
State Employment Agency of Latvia director Evita Simsone said that the project under the INTERREG Estonia-Latvia program will be implemented by the State Employment Agency of Latvia, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the local governments of the towns of Valga and Valka.
Simsone said that the Estonian and Latvian employment authorities have already been cooperating closely, in particular in Valga and Valka, where crossing the border is a daily routine for many local residents.
