Local Government and Entrepreneurship

Under the leadership of the Local Government in Keila Municipality on  the 8^th of June 2017 a conference took place in Laulasmaa focusing on  “Collaboration of Local Governments and Entrepreneurs: How to Achieve  more Prosperity and Economic Growth in Estonia”. At the center of the  debate was the possible collaboration of local governments and  entrepreneurs in developing the business environment. The existence of  employment opportunities and the competitiveness of businesses are  directly influencing the economic development and the prosperity growth  in the region. The Republic of Estonia faces a decline of the workforce  as well as an ageing population. The achievement of economic growth with  a smaller workforce creates the need to deal with the productivity of  businesses and the growth of a competitive advantage. In the course of  the conference, answers were sought to the questions, which factors are  to be prioritized when supporting businesses and which are the  appropriate measures for their advancement, taking into account the  economic developments in Estonia, the European Union and beyond. It was  discussed which support and environment local governments in cooperation  with the entrepreneurs can offer to raise the standard of living for the  people and how to grow the interest and knowledge of the stakeholders to  implement the development potential of Keila municipality. The  conference included presentations by: Jaan Alver, Keila municipality  leader, Virve Jõgeva, GLAMOX HE AS management, Siim Kallas, former  vice-president of the European Commission, Heiti Hääl, Alexela Group  chairman of the council and Aare Tark, attorney at law and president of  the Union of Estonian Family Enterprises. Geomedia consultant Rivo  Noorkõiv helped to prepare as well as moderated the conference.