Ventspils is a city in Latvia that promotes itself as a center for both business and recreation. It has a port and airport that facilitate transportation and trade. The city aims to attract foreign investment and has established a special economic zone and technology park that offer tax reductions and incentives. Ventspils has several educational institutions that provide degrees related to business, IT, engineering, and law. It also has workforce training programs and available land for new companies to develop.

1. Ventspils – a City for
Business and Recreation
A City of Tomorrow!
www.Ventspils.lv
www.investinventspils.lv

4. • State of art passanger terminal
• Air-taxi and charter flights
• Distance from Ventspils 180km
• More than 60 daily flights to
world-wide destinations

5. • Lattelecom optical cable from Ventspils to Stockholm with a
capacity of 10 Gbps
• Baltic Fiber optical cable Ventspils – Gothland – Stockholm:
• Constructed in 2002 is the newest
cable in the Baltic Sea
• Consists of 68 fibers (manufac-
tured by Ericsson)
• Present theoretical capacity from
10 to 40 Gigabit/sec each fiber
• Used capacity is 5 Gigabit/sec
• The cable has 0% damage rate
and the operator guarantees a 99.7%
availability of an international IP
transit service

6. BQS -best quality systems by countries, 2009

8. Corporate Income tax in EU (%)
in 2010

13. Field of specialization Number of students (2010)
Business Administration and Bachelor level: 500
Management Master level: 60
Scientific Dr.level: 20
Information technologies Bachelor level: 150
Master level: 35
Translation studies (English, Bachelor level: 220
German, Russian) Master level: 85
Engineering (Electronics, Power Bachelor level: 90
and electrical engineering)
Law Bachelor level: 80

15. Ventspils Professional high-school
Ventspils Professional school provides middle level education in following
fields:
• Metalworking (engineering technician, welder (TIG) (MMA),
metalworking machinery mechanic, milling, turning, locksmith,
CNC technician)
• Energy (electrician)
• Electronics (soldering, telecom technician)
• Automotive (mechanics, car mechanician, mechatronics)
• Tourism services (catering, cook)
• Business administration (accounting)

16. Plastic parts prototyping (directprinting by
ABS and other materials) lab

17. 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Transport and n/a 4234 4899 4401 4210 4088 3831 3517
communications
incl. Port terminals 2799 2544 2734 2731 2616 2592 2382 2068
Manufacturing 1185 1199 1579 1756 1697 1753 1750 1995
companies
Total number of working places in Ventspils ~17.000
Since 2002:
• ~20 new (foreign and domestic) manufacturing companies have been
attracted to Ventspils.
• ~650 new jobs have been created in the attracted companies. By
reaching the planned capacity the companies would employ ~1900
people.
• 3 new port terminals have been established
•~ 200 jobs have been created in newly established terminals
• Port authority has invested more than 90 million euro in port
development projects. More than 20 million euro was attracted from EU
funds. Private companies have invested in port area more than 260
million euro.

19. More than 1000 ha available for
further development

20. 1
Location No.1 in the Ventspils High Technology Park (VHTP):
• Greenfield area ~4ha, with a possibility to extend
• Connections to comunal infrastructure (water, sewerage, municipal heating, electricity, telecom and internet) available
on the border of the site
• Available SEZ status
• Negotiable municipal/port authority investments into public infrastructure, like outside parking and logistics area,
communications from the site border till building, outside gardening, fencing etc.
• Possibility to use the VHTP Business Incubator and its business start-up support programmes.

21. Costs of the land:
Rent = 0,25% from cadastral value of the land per year
= 0,025 Euro for sq.m for year
Land tax = 1,5% from cadastral value of the land per year
= 0,15 Euro for sq.m for year
= in case of the SEZ status only 20% of total amount
Basic rules of the Land lease contract:
• Duration of the lease agreement 45 years with a possibility at
the end of the period to prolong it to another 45 years on the
same rules and conditions
• First refusal rights for the client
• General attitude: open for discussion to hear client’s
requirements and wishes to be implemented into the agreement

22. VHTP:
TECHNOLOGY PARK
 30 ha TERRITORY IN SPECIAL ECONOMIC
ZONE – TAX REDUCTIONS AND
INVESTMENT INCENTIVES
 SPECIALISATION: PRODUCTION AND
SERVICES IN HIGH TECHNOLOGY
BRANCHES – IT, E&E, MACHINE
ENGINEERING SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
 CLUSTERING WITH ASSOCIATIONS,
EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC
INSTITUTIONS, MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONS
AND OTHER PARTNERS

23. VENTSPILS HIGH TECHNOLOGY PARK
services
Business Incubator (1300m2 , 35 companies) Technology Park (3200m2, 6 companies)
1. Legal address and support to start a business in Latvia 1. Technical design and construction of premises
2. Infrastructure (premises, office equipment, access to
2. Renting office and production premises
laboratories)
3. Acess to laboratories/ projects with research
3. Front desk and secretariat
institutions
4. Organisation of training programmes for engineers/
4. Consultancy services:
technicians
- Marketing services 5. Consultancy services:
- Assistance with initial team building/ local
- Capital attraction services
headhunting
- Local headhunting - Development projects
- Development and testing of the first technologies/
- Networking
products
Age of the
< 1 year 1-2 years 2-3 years 3-4 years
company
Financial support
rate in the business Up to 85% Up to 60% Up to 40% Up to 10%
incubator

44. Overall Freezones of the Future 2010/11
Name of Economic Zone Country
1 Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone China
2 Dubai Airport Free Zone United Arab Emirates
3 San Luis Potosi Mexico
4 Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) Jordan
5 Free Port of Ventspils Latvia
... No other European zones within top 10
Best Port Zone
Best Cost Effectiveness Name of Economic Zone Country
Name of Economic Zone Country 1 Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone China
1 Clark Freeport Philippines 2 Tanger Free Zone Morocco
2 Togo Export Processing Zone Togo 3 Jaxport FTZ #64 USA
3 Chittagong Export Processing Zone Bangalore 4 Baltimore Foreign Trade Zone #74 USA
4 Free Port of Ventspils Latvia 5 Free Port of Ventspils Latvia
Best Promotion
Name of Economic Zone Country
1 Dubai Media City United Arab Emirates
2 Dubai Airport Free Zone United Arab Emirates
3 Dubai Knowledge Village United Arab Emirates
4 Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park- DuBiotech United Arab Emirates
5 Dubai Studio City United Arab Emirates
6 Lodz Special Economic Zone Poland
7 Free Port of Ventspils Latvia

46. Igors Udodovs
Phone.: +371 636 02334
Mob. phone. +371 29107398
E-mail: igors.udodovs@vbp.lv
www.portofventspils.lv
www.investinventspils.lv