Public and Private Partnership, Latvia

Introduction

In recent years, public-private partnerships have evolved as vehicles to finance public infrastructure, buildings, equipment and environmental projects across the EU.  This form of partnership has also gained increased importance across the Baltic states. 

According to data released by the European Investment Bank, since 2004, an estimated 1,200 public-private partnerships have been signed with a total value exceeding EUR 185 billion.  Following reduction in the extent of nation-wide funding, public-private partnership is increasingly being perceived as a means of securing project development in challenging areas.   

Our law firm provided instrumental advice on the successful implementation of the first ever public-private partnership in the Latvian capital Riga – the municipal residential property development project “Dreilini-2”. 

Our Law Office has accumulated substantial experience in rendering legal services to public authorities and private companies in planning, funding and implementation of nationally and locally coordinated building and development projects.

Services

Our principal public-private partnership practice areas include:

• Feasibility analysis and advice regarding public-private partnership and its options
• Advice on contractual relationship between the public sector and private sector counterparties
• Advice, drafting and negotiation of the necessary legal documentation
• Advice on legal title relationships under all phases of the project
• Drafting and negotiation of development agreements and cooperation agreements with other instrumental public and private participants
• Reconciliation of public-private partnership projects with public institutions
• Advice on real estate purchase or lease
• Assistance with solicitation of tax exempt status for the project

Our Experience

We pride ourselves in having represented our clients or having advised clients on a number of key transactions involving public-private partnerships.  The track record of our practice in this area includes, among others, the following landmark transactions:

We advised on successful implementation of the first ever public-private partnership project in the city of Riga – the municipal residential property development project “Dreilini-2”.

We acted as legal counsel in relation to a development of commercial apartment property project which was realized in the form of public-private partnership, including evaluation aspects of tender documentation and strategic partner selection.

Our legal experts routinely assist local municipality, along with the bodies and commercial entities it operates, in relation to a wide array of public-private partnership projects.

Our lawyers provided counselling to a domestic public agency in relation to collaboration aspects of a public-private partnership, which involved selection aspects of the appropriate partnership model and preparation of the accompanying legal documentation.