The Cities Alliance Program has approved a $458,000 grant to assist the eight cities in Latvia – Daugavpils, Jelgava, Jurmala, Liepaja, Riga, Rezekne, Valmiera and Ventspils to develop a CDS (City Development Strategy) program to support local economic development and the promotion of an entrepreneurial and competitive economy. Program timing 2003 – 2005.

The strategy for the CDS program is to focus on:

• devising local economic development strategies and action plans to encourage a healthy business environment and create the conditions that facilitate the establishment of new businesses and employment generation;
• improving governance structures in the cities, focusing on stakeholders participation and partnerships between local government and civil society including the private sector; and
• increasing the capacity of the key cities of the country to explore all potential follow-up investments as soon as they start their CDS program, including public-private partnership and the EU funds available for Latvia.