In the first half of 2025, Liepāja City Council plans to start implementing the Project "Construction of infrastructure to support entrepreneurship of regional significance in Liepāja, Stage 1", which aims to develop Liepāja's public business infrastructure and increase the amount of private investment in the functional area of the city by investing in the development of entrepreneurship in accordance with the municipality's development programme. In order to promote the development of the integrated social, economic, environmental, including cultural heritage, tourism of the local area, as well as to promote safety in functional urban areas for merchants and residents of the city, an appropriate infrastructure is necessary for the development of entrepreneurship, with convenient accessibility to the areas (including rainwater drainage, lighting, pedestrian and cycling path infrastructure in compliance with environmental accessibility guidelines) and appropriate engineering communications. The project and investments in public infrastructure will support the improvement of the business environment, provide easy and fast access to jobs, regional services and facilities, and improve urban security. The project foresees the following main activities and sub-actions:Activities that are not subject to commercial support: The section of ‘Raiņa’ Street and its related infrastructure, including the reconstruction of ‘Raiņa’ Street from Riga to Poolina Street, pedestrian pavements and cycling paths, environmental accessibility solutions, green solutions (lawn restoration, tree protection), reconstruction and construction of rainwater drainage and traffic organisation assets; reconstruction and construction of street lighting system and construction of low-voltage networks to promote public safety by installing video surveillance cameras; Construction supervisionOperations outside the budget: reconstruction of overground and underground communications infrastructure, without increasing the technical parameters characterising its service capacity, including reconstruction of water supply and domestic sewerage; reconstruction and construction of water supply and domestic sewerage infrastructure (increase of capacity parameters), design, author supervision and cost-benefit analysis.The result of the implementation of the project shall reach the following result indicators by 31 December 2029: Beneficiaries of the developed public infrastructure – 10 merchants; increase of the labour wage fund in private merchants – EUR 580 000; private non-financial investments in intangible investments and fixed assets – EUR 773 163.63.The total eligible costs of the project and the financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF):oThe total eligible costs amount to EUR 1 780 066.21, including EUR 1 780 066.21 public eligible and EUR 0.00 private eligible, of which EUR 620 320.77 of public eligible costs will be provided by the Municipality, while EUR 1 159 745.44 of the total eligible costs of the project will be covered by ERDF financial support, which for the project is set at 65.15%.The total implementation time of the project:The implementation of the project is planned from the 1st quarter of 2025 and commissioning is planned for the 2nd quarter of 2027.