Expert discussion and panel: NIMBYism – Challenges and Roadmap to Cooperation in Large Development Projects

The British Embassy in Riga together with the British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia and KPMG Latvia, is extending invitation to an expert discussion and panel on the topic – NIMBYism – Challenges and Roadmap to Cooperation in Large Development Projects: UK and Latvia Experience. The event will take place on March 25 at the KPMG Latvia office from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, please register HERE.

The term NIMBYism (Not In My BackYard) refers to public attitudes towards the development of large infrastructure projects, where the need for such projects is generally acknowledged, but objections are raised to their location in one’s “backyard”, namely in property, municipalities, natural areas, etc. Stakeholders in Latvia are increasingly encountering significant resistance from local communities for such projects, which highlights a possible lack of instruments to deal with the effective management of such projects into the community.

The purpose of the discussion is to exchange insights on effectively addressing NIMBYism obstacles by sharing UK and Latvian experiences, challenges, solutions, tips & tricks, and strategies for enhancing cooperation among businesses, communities, and legislators; to drive development.

Kristīne Zvirbule, Executive Director of BritCham Latvia, emphasizes: ” Great Britain possesses significant experience in addressing and navigating NIMBYism across various sectors. That’s why we’ve invited British experts to share their best practices in working with local communities for successful projects. Our goal is to create a productive discussion for Latvian entrepreneurs, policymakers, and communities to foster future cooperation.”

AGENDA

Venue and time: KPMG Office, Roberta Hirša iela 1, 14.00 – 17.00

Expert Discussion and Panel led by KPMG Latvia

The working language of the event will be English.

14:00 – 14:05 Introduction by Paul Brummell, The British Ambassador.

14:05 – 14:15 Toms Nāburgs, Head of the Wind Energy Association.

Developers perspective.

14.15 – 14.25 Gunārs Valdmanis, Director of the Energy Market Department at the Ministry of Climate and Energy.

Balancing Interests of Stakeholders in the Renewable Energy Sector: Existing Practices and Future Perspectives.

14:25 – 14.35 Kristīne Kedo, Head of the Spatial Planning Policy Division within the Spatial Planning and Land Management Department, VARAM.

Involvement of stakeholders and public participation within spatial planning process- possibilities and challenges.

14:35 – 14:50 Emilien Dang, Chief Technical Officer at RB Rail AS.

Ēriks Diļevs, Head of Branch in Latvia at RB Rail AS.

From Idea to Construction of Rail Baltica: Challenges and Lessons Learned to Date.

14:50 – 15:10 Scott Hamilton, Principal Consultant at GMC Ltd (UK).

International Lessons Learned in Building Strong Relationships Between Communities and Renewable Energy Projects.

15:10 – 16:00 Panel discussion

16:00 – 17: 00 Networking