The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading a new tax on local credit institutions, LETA reports. Under the new law, credit institutions registered in Latvia and branches of foreign credit institutions will have to make quarterly solidarity contributions for the next three years. The tax will amount to 60% of their excess…
Latvian ministers informally discussed the possibility of cancelling the Rail Baltica railway project but decided against such a move, Prime Minister Evika Silina revealed, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Silina said that the government concluded that abandoning the project would result in a significant loss of invested resources. Moreover, the project will…
Latvia needs to set a maximum price cap on the Rail Baltica railway project, Prime Minister Evika Silina stated, LETA reports. Speaking at a meeting of a parliamentary committee of inquiry on the project, Silina stressed that the biggest problem right now was funding. She said that the Ministry of Transport was “painting visions” and…
The defence committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved President Edgars Rinkevics’s nomination of Brigade General Kaspars Pudans as the next commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reports. Pudans emphasised the need to develop Latvia’s defence capabilities further. Currently, Pudans serves as commander of the Latvian National Guard (LRZS). He…
Several well-known politicians in Latvia were employed as fake consultants by Riga’s municipal public transport company, Rigas Satiksme, according to LTV’s De Facto programme, LETA reports. A court in Riga has accepted Rigas Satiksme’s plea deal, which identifies 16 fictional consultants, including several members of the company’s board and municipal councillors. Some of them represent…
Latvia’s State Police has made the country’s largest ever drug bust near Aluksne, LETA reports. Police seized over 38,000 litres of chemical liquids used as precursors for the production of synthetic drugs. Police found more than one tonne of Clephedrone (4-CMC) with a market value of at least EUR 400mn at the illegal production facility…
The unemployment rate in the Baltic States was lowest in Latvia in August 2024, according to Eurostat data, LETA reports. Latvia’s unemployment rate stood at 7.0%, compared to 7.9% in both Estonia and Lithuania. Average unemployment in the EU stood at 5.9% and at 6.4% in the eurozone.
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments to ban advertising of beer and wine on radio and TV, Baltic News Network reports. The ban will apply to advertisements that include information on prices and discounts. The restriction is aimed at reducing the total consumption and negative impact of alcohol on young…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments freezing state funding for political parties for one year, LETA reports. Altogether 88 MPs voted in favour of the amendments. State support for political parties in 2025 will be calculated based on the minimum monthly wage in 2024. Altogether 13 parties received a total…