The supervisory board of Latvia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), has appointed Raitis Nespors as the company’s new board chairman for a five-year term, LSM reports. Nespors served as member of Vivi’s management board in 2021-2024. Also, the supervisory board appointed Zane Abolina as a new member to Vivi’s board. Marcis Kaulins continues…
Most banks in Latvia will be eligible for rebates on so-called solidarity tax payments in 2025, according to the Bank of Latvia, LETA reports. The central bank noted that the growth of lending has been appreciably faster in 2025. Therefore, most banks will qualify for discounts on their solidarity contributions, amounting to 25-100%. The new…
Business sentiment in Latvia improved in all economic sectors in September 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s (CSP) latest survey, LSM reports. The business confidence indicator was 4.8% in retail trade, which was up 1.5 percentage points from August 2025. Business confidence stood at 1.7% in services (up 1.3 points), negative 3.5% in manufacturing…
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid a working visit to Latvia on 8 July 2025, LSM reported. He held talks with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics and Prime Minister Evika Silina. Steinmeier highlighted Germany’s special connection and historical and cultural ties with Latvia. Speaking about bilateral cooperation on security policy, he noted that Latvia was beginning to…
Latvia’s Riga International Airport (RIX) served more than 3.3 million passengers in the first half of 2025, which was 5% more than in the same period of 2024, LSM reported. The number of flights increased by 3% to 30,378. The airport’s cargo turnover rose by 9% to 9,194 tonnes.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed “grave alarm” at the decision of the three Baltic States, Finland, Poland, and Ukraine, to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, BNS reported. Türk stressed that the international convention, which has over 160 state parties, was a crucial tool in “responding to…
Almost a third of consumers in Latvia still pay in cash, according to a report from financial technology platform Adyen, Labs of Latvia reports. The data showed that 29% of Latvian consumers prefer to pay in cash. Around a third of those aged 30 and those aged 60 as well as a quarter of 20-year-olds…
Latvia’s National Armed Forces (NBS) intends to recruit an additional 500 professional soldiers, Baltic News Network reports. NBS plans to recruit altogether 8,000 professional soldiers over 2025. The Defence Ministry has allocated up to EUR 7.7mn of state budget funds for military staff salaries in 2025. Another EUR 6.5mn will be needed in 2026. The…
The Latvian government may have to take additional austerity measures to implement the ruling coalition’s policy priorities, Prime Minister Evika Silina stated, LETA reports. Earlier, ministries submitted proposals to cut altogether EUR 150mn in public sector spending in 2026. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Silina said that the sum might not be enough to…