Only 4% of multi-apartment houses in need of renovation in Latvia have been renovated, according to the State Audit Office (LRVK), LSM reports. Latvia has over 39,500 multi-apartment houses, of which at least 26,600 need renovation. Martins Abolins, member of LRVK’s council, noted that more than half of all multi-apartment houses in the country were…
An influenza epidemic has begun in Latvia, the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) announced on 8 December 2025, LETA reports. According to data from the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory (NMRL), the share of positive samples for influenza has risen sharply to 18.1%, which exceeds the epidemic threshold of 10%. SPKC reminded that vaccination…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, will begin work on legislation to improve consumer protection against financial fraud, Anda Caksa, chairwoman of the parliament’s budget and finance committee, announced, LETA reports. Speaking after a meeting with representatives of the Finance Latvia Association (FNA), Caksa said that legislative changes were needed so as to require mobile operators…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments to introduce a reduced 12% value-added tax rate on selected basic food products in 2026, LETA reports. Under the amendments, the lower VAT rate will apply to various bread products, milk, poultry meat, and eggs. The reduced VAT will apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June…
The three Baltic States have joined Finland, Ireland, Poland, and Sweden in urging the EU to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, LETA reports. The seven member states sent a joint letter to European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa to express support for the EC’s proposal…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading the state budget for 2026, LSM reports. Altogether 52 MPs voted for and 42 against the budget bill. This is the current coalition government’s third budget. The government foresees annual revenues of EUR 16.1bn, which would be EUR 944.6mn more than in 2025. Budget expenditures…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading draft laws accompanying the state budget for 2026, LETA reports. MPs will now begin discussing the draft budget. The government’s budget priorities are national security, support for families with children, and high-quality education. Revenues are planned at EUR 16.1bn and expenditures at EUR 17.9bn. The…
Latvia’s state real estate management company, Valsts Nekustamie Ipasumi (VNI), plans to complete the construction of a fence along the full stretch of the country’s border with Russia by the end of 2025, LSM reports. Only around 6 kilometres of the fence remains to be built in areas of difficult terrain along the border. VNI…
Gender equality in Latvia worsened sharply in 2025, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality’s (EIGE) Gender Equality Index, LETA reports. Latvia ranked 24th out of 27 EU member states on the index in 2025, which was down from 19th place in 2024. Latvia scored 56.7 points on gender equality, which was down from…