Valka

Valka E u r o p e / L at vi a

M u n ic ip a lit y

www.valka.lv

Valka Municipality

ESTONIA

Valka

Salacgrīva

Valga

Valmiera

RUSSIA

Ventspils

RĪGA Jūrmala

Ogre

Jēkabpils

Rēzekne

Jelgava Liepāja

Daugavpils

LITHUANIA

Legend

Highways Railway tracks Natural gas pipelines

Cities Valka Municipality

BELARUS

Helsinki 57 min

Oslo 1 h 33 min

Stockholm 1 h 3 min Tallinn 51 min

Riga

Moscow 1 h 33 min

Copenhagen 1 h 24 min

Dublin

Vilnius

2 h 58 min

50 min

Minsk 1h

London 2 h 35 min

Berlin 1 h 33 min

Warsaw 1 h 12 min

Kiev 1 h 33 min

Paris 2 h 37 min

Chisinau 1 h 58 min

Bucharest 2 h 14 min

Madrid 3 h 53 min

Rome

Istanbul

2 h 49 min

2 h 45 min

Athens 3 h 7 min

Valletta 3 h 33 min

Valka Municipality

Valka Municipality – the Northern Gate of Latvia!

The municipality is compromised by the town of Valka and the rural territories of Ērģeme, Kārķi, Valka, Vijciems and Zvārtava.

The Valka Municipality: • Is located 157 km from Riga, the capital of the Republic of Latvia • Lies at a distance of 50 km from Valmiera, a national scale development centre • Has a border with the Estonian town of Valga • The distance to Tartu, the second largest city in Estonia, is 90 km • The distance to Tallinn, the Estonian capital, is 240 km

The territory of the municipality is crossed by many important road networks: • One of the main national motorways A3 (E264) Riga–Tallinn, which links the European Union countries with Russia • The regional roads of Valka–Smiltene, Valka–Rūjiena, Valka–Vireši • The railway Riga–Tartu on the Rail Baltica axis The Valka Municipality is one of 110 administrative municipalities in the Republic of Latvia.

Its area is 906.9 m2.

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“Valka and Valga as one town in two countries provides investors with wider possibilities to develop their entrepreneurship and to choose workforce.”

Vents Armands Krauklis Chairman of the Valka Municipality Council

Valka (LV)–Valga (EE) in Figures Valka Municipality

Valga county

Population

9864

30 590

Population of working age

5397 or 61%

19 271 or 63%

Available labour force

11.1%

7%

Under working age

Men Of working age

Women

Over working age

0

5000

10 000

15 000

20 000

25 000

30 000

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Main Industries in Valka Municipality

Main Industries Wood processing, Forestry – “Vārpas 1” Ltd., “Prestižs” Ltd., “A.G.V” Ltd., “Celīši un Partneri” Ltd., farm “Āres” (Latvia) Production of heat and electricity – “Enefit Power & Heat Valka” Ltd. (Estonia) Production of polyethylene foam products and air bubble sheets – “PEPI RER” Ltd. (Latvia) Metalworking – “Akords 3” Ltd., “Valkas MD” Ltd. (Latvia) Land amelioration, Peat extraction, Construction of small hydropower stations – “Valkas Meliorācija” Ltd. (Latvia) Production of spare parts for cars – “efn NORD” Ltd. (Germany) Sewing – “Elēģija Vīle” Ltd., “SG Valka” Ltd. (Latvia) Construction – “Valkas Būvnieks” Ltd., “MJ Eirobūve” Ltd., “Indrāni – V” Ltd. (Latvia) Food production – “Servilat” Ltd. (Latvia)

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Companies that have invested in Valka “efn NORD” Ltd. “The interest and courtesy of Valka Municipality furthered the decision of opening a plant in Valka 9 years ago. Over the years we have cooperated with the government and local businesses, and the cooperation has been positive.

Earlier this year, we moved into new premises, which now gives us the opportunity to develop and expand our production, and create new jobs.”

Kristīne Simonova General Manager at “efn NORD” Ltd.

“Enefit Power & Heat Valka” Ltd. “Valka Municipality was very responsive and supportive during the project realisation stage. Enefit in close collaboration with the Council developed a project that turned into a successful example of cooperation between the EU Cohesion Fund, a foreign investor and the local government.”

Kalev Martin Chairman of the Board at “Enefit Power & Heat Valka” Ltd.

“PEPI RER” Ltd. “Valka Municipality ensures complex support for local and foreign investors to develop and promote their businesses.”

Imants Šteins Chairman of the Board at “PEPI RER” Ltd.

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Municipality Offers to Potential Investors

Professional Human Resources

Higher education • Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (50 km from Valka Municipality) Study programmes: Business Administration, Communication and Media, Governance, Engineering, Information Technologies, Tourism. www.va.lv/en • University of Tartu (90 km from Valka Municipality) Study programmes: Business Administration, Medicine, Applied Measurement Science, Baltic Sea Region Studies, European Union–Russia Studies, Financial Mathematics, Philosophy, Quantitative Economics, Semiotics. www.ut.ee/en • Cēsis Affiliate of Riga Technical University (90 km from Valka Municipality) Study programmes: Computerised Control of Electrical Technologies, Power and Electrical Engineering. www.rtu.lv/en

Vocational education • Valga County Vocational Training Centre On the basis of basic education it is possible to obtain the qualifications of car mechanic, log house constructor and joiner, social worker, home servicing specialist and shop assistant, cook and dressmaker, and logistics customer service specialist.

On the basis of secondary education, there are courses for log house constructors, tailors, social workers, sales consultants, shop assistants for sales of foodstuffs and basic commodities, and transport management specialists. www.vkok.ee/en

Special education • Courses tailored to employer’s needs in cooperation with the State Employment Agency of Latvia.

• The Latvian-Estonian Institute ensures life-long education possibilities including Latvian, Estonian, English and other language courses.

Population in the working age according to educational level 11%

Higher education 21%

Vocational education 42%

Secondary education Primary education

26%

0

6

10

20

30

40

50

• Real estate tax relief from 25% to 90%.

• Indicative production costs – competitive on the regional scale: • Rent of municipal land: 1.5% from land value specified in the Cadastre per year • Rent of municipal premises: 1.5 EUR/m2* • Central heating: 50.09 EUR/MWh* • Cold water supply: 1.05 EUR/m3* • Sewerage: 0.67 EUR/m3* • Electric power: Free Electricity Market prices ranging 0.12–0.15 EUR/kWh* • Comfortable apartments for employees and their family members in municipality-owned apartment blocks. All conveniences (central water supply and sewerage; central heating; bath; central gas supply; cellar; front doors equipped with an entrance code; parking space).

* Costs for the year 2013/2014, excl. VAT, and subject to change

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Investment Offers – Manufacturing Enterprises

Industrial Zone “Parka Street District” • • • •

Total area: 78.0 ha Investment land: 1.1 ha and 4.0 ha Attractive location near the national road A3/E264 Utility networks (water supply, sewerage, district heating, power supply ) • Investment land intended for manufacturing industries

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Industrial Zone “Parka Street District”

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Industrial Zone “Poruka Street District”

Industrial Zone “Poruka Street District” • Total area/investment land 16.0 ha • Attractive location near the national road A3/E264 • Area includes the Historical Building of Valka Railway Station (500 m2) which has an international railway freight station code • Investment land intended for the development of a new zone for manufacturing industries

Industrial Zone “Rūjienas Street District” • • • •

Total area: 4.0 ha Investment land: 0.5 ha and 1.5 ha Attractive location near the national road A3/E264 Utility network (water supply, sewerage, district heating, power supply) • Investment land intended for the development of a new zone for manufacturing industries • Biomass Cogeneration Power Station of “Enefit Power & Heat Valka” Ltd., situated in this industrial zone offers district heating up to 5 MW capacity and district cooling up to 3 MW

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Investment Offers – Services Enterprises

Construction of a Long Distance Working Centre and/or Logistics Centre • Cross border cooperation: Estonian-Latvian border town Valga–Valka • Attractive location near the national road A3/E264 • Valka Railway Station has an international freight station code No 090204

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Investment land near Latvian-Estonian border: 4.0 ha

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Historical Building of Valka Railway Station: 500 m2

Construction of a Hotel • Necessary capacity: 100–200 people • Guaranteed accommodation for annual international culture, tourism and sport events organized by Valka Municipality Council (all seasons) • Tourism: Cross-border tourism opportunities, Via Hanseatica tourism route and various local tourist sites, for example, one of the oldest cone drying kilns in Latvia, Livonian order castle ruins from the 14th century, unique inland dune, the only chapel in Latvia, which you enter from one country, but exit from it into another country, the Deer Garden, Valka Local History Museum – a building which housed the Jānis Cimze Vidzeme Parish Schoolteachers’ Seminary from 1835 until 1890

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Valka Town centre: investment land 1.4 ha & historical buildings 1200 m2

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Complex of buildings 2.6 ha

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Building 1500 m2

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Valka Town recreation area near the Pedele River: investment land 2.5 ha

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Building near the industrial zone intended for a restaurant 300 m2 and an apartment hotel 720 m2

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Valka – an Attractive and Active Place

Valka is the place where Latvia begins. Valka is a town and municipality in Northern Latvia, on the border with Estonia along both banks of the River Pedele. It is a place where two countries converge. Valka's twin town is Valga, both together forming one city, but in two different countries. There are only six such locations in the world, and Valka is one of those. Valka Municipality is rich in forests, and the rural landscape charms with its subdued scenic beauty.

Various tourism, culture and sport events have become traditional in the municipality: • Valga–Valka Twin Town Festival • International Theatre Festival “Tālvils” • Joint concert of the Latvian and Estonian National Operas • Large Charity Border Market • Border Rock Festival • Cimze Music Days • International open tournaments in football, floorball, skiing, volleyball, cycling, badminton and triathlon

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Contact Information: Valka Municipality Council Bever朝nas iela 3, Valka, LV-4701, Latvia Phone: + 371 6472 2238 Fax: + 371 6470 7493 E-mail: novads@valka.lv Official website: www.valka.lv

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA

www.norwaygrants.org

www.varam.gov.lv