2021. gada 13. jūlijā ceļā uz Taškentu, lai apmeklētu augsta līmeņa starptautisko konferenci “Centrālā un Dienvidāzija: Reģionālā savienotība. Izaicinājumi un iespējas”, devās augsta līmeņa delegācija no Latvijas. Uzbekistānas vēstnieks Latvijā pavada augsta līmeņa delegāciju no Latvijas uz Taškentu 2021. gada 13. jūlijā Foto: Embassy of Uzbekistan in Latvia Delegāciju Rīgas lidostā pavadīja Uzbekistānas vēstnieks Latvijā H. E. Kadambajs Sultanovs. Delegācijas sastāvā bija Zemkopības ministrs Kaspars Gerhards, Latvijas Ārpolitikas institūta direktors Andris Sprūds, Lauksaimnieku Organizāciju Sadarbības Padomes valdes loceklis Guntis Gūtmanis...
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July 2021 political briefing: European Commission endorses Latvia’s €1.8 billion recovery and resilience plan
On June 22, President of European Commission Ursula der von Leyen visited Riga to endorse Latvia’s recovery plan under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF), as the European Commission has adopted a proposal for a decision to provide €1.8 billion in grants to Latvia. The plan includes 6 components: green transition, digital transition, inequality reduction, health, productivity, and rule of law. More than a half of planned investments of Latvia are dedicated to two priority areas: green and climate objectives...
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July 2021 Economy Briefing: The Latvian Tax Reform and its Impact on Business
With the entry into force of the Latvian tax reform of 2021, entrepreneurs and employees of various sectors are uncertain about their further activities, considering the mandatory state social insurance tax, which employers must pay starting from 1 July 2021. The most disadvantaged of this reform are the self-employed, micro-enterprises, royalty recipients and part-time workers in several jobs. Although the reform has already entered into force, business associations maintain a strong position and continue to protest after 1 July. The...
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July 2021 social briefing: Pension System in Latvia
The recovery of Latvian independence in 1991 raised a big question regarding the sustainable pension system in the country. Until 1995 attempts to build the system were not successful but later with the help of the World Bank Latvia has built the pension system, which still functions. It took six years to implement the concept in reality. Today Latvia has a three-level pension system, where the first one is the state compulsory scheme of non-refined pensions, the second one is...
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Outcomes of Latvia local elections 2021: record low voter turnout, new electoral districts and digital solutions
On June 5, 2021 local elections took place in Latvia in 40 new municipalities. Mainly regional and national political parties who were in power before, were able to save their status quo, however some new local parties were elected through alliances with big actors. The most dramatic outcome of these elections is voter turnout, which is extremely low – only 34,01% of eligible voters took part in elections2021, making it the lowest percentage since restoration of independence of Latvia. The new solution aimed at increasing...
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UN assessment of the human rights protection development in Latvia
In this briefing, the main points of UN evaluation of human rights protection certain suggestions for Latvia are analyzed. The main groups of people, on whose rights the accent was made in the Universal Periodic Review were women, children, persons with disabilities, minorities and indigenous people. It was a long way for Latvia since the first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in 2011 and a lot of improvements have been made in the field of human rights protection. However,...
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Employment of graduates of higher education institutions in Latvia
Among young people in Latvia, there is a high level of emigration. This is a great challenge for the country as a whole as the problem of ageing society becomes more obvious and alarming. Therefore, the question of graduates employment and income is very important to keep young people from moving abroad. In this briefing, the analysis of graduates structure and level of income is provided to understand what are the prospects for Latvian graduates. By conducting yearly monitoring of...
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Economic Forecast and Financial Sector Development inspires optimism for Latvian Economic Recovery
As European Union is starting to get back on track after the pandemic and economic forecast by European Commission is also becoming more optimistic. Latvian indicators in this forecast are not the exception. In this briefing, figures provided by the EC Spring 2021 Economic Forecast are analysed. Also, the financial sector is playing a big role in the recovery of the country after the pandemic, so understanding the trajectory of its development is essential. Considering that the financial sector in...
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Public dissatisfaction with the organisation of the vaccination process in Latvia is growing
In January, the Vaccination Project Bureau was established as a unit of the Ministry of Health which reported directly to Health Minister, with the aim of implementing a unified vaccination strategy against Covid-19. However, it faced different obstacles and following public criticism. As its effectivity is put under question, it led to several attempts of officials to decide on the future of institution. This briefing analysis public criticism of the vaccination process in Latvia and main challenges of Vaccination Project...
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World fairs as Latvia’s Development Tool on the International Arena
World Expo is the biggest world fair, providing opportunities for every country to show what it can bring into this world. Moreover, despite the chance to demonstrate the country’s technological achievements this event helps to find partners on both economic and political grounds. A country may benefit from participation by attracting foreign investments, expanding local business abroad or attracting high potential entrepreneurs to the country. However, participation in World Expo is state-funded and is rather expensive, especially for such a...
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