The Latvian government has extended the enhanced border protection regime on the border with Belarus for another six months until 30 June 2026, LSM reports. The regime, which is in force in certain parishes and municipalities along the border, was due to expire at the end of 2025. The enhanced control regime was declared due…
Less than half of Latvians saw their income rise in 2025, according to a Norstat survey for Luminor Bank, LSM reports. In the survey, 41% of Latvian residents reported that their income had increased in 2025. Specifically, 27% said that their income had increased by up to 10%, another 10% by 10-15%, and 7% by…
Latvia’s GDP will grow by 1.7% in 2025, according to the Bank of Latvia’s revised macroeconomic forecast, LSM reports. In June 2025, the central bank projected 1.2% GDP growth in 2025. The new forecast expects economic growth to accelerate thanks to increased domestic and external demand. The GDP will grow by 2.8% in 2026, by…
Latvia must be fully ready to dismantle railway tracks going to Russia if necessary, Foreign Minister Baiba Braze stated, LSM reports. However, she said that it would make no sense for Latvia to do so unilaterally. Latvia will coordinate the issue with Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland. Earlier, the presidents of the three Baltic States…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics expressed doubts about Russia’s readiness for peace in Ukraine, LETA reported. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Evika Silina, Rinkevics said that Latvia fully supported both security guarantees for Ukraine and efforts to achieve peace. He noted that the positions of the United States, Europe, and Ukraine were…
Latvia’s Riga Regional Court has overturned a lower court ruling in a bribery case involving the state-owned railway company, Latvijas Dzelzcels (LDz), BNS reports. The court found LDz’s former CEO, Ugis Magonis, and Estonian businessman Oleg Ossinovski guilty of bribery, sentencing Magonis to 2.5 years in prison and Ossinovski to a fine of EUR 151,700….
Average housing prices in Latvia rose by 8.4% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to provisional data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. Prices of new dwellings increased by 3.8% and old dwellings by 9.4% over a year. Compared to the second quarter of 2025,…
Latvia’s State Police now has authority to impose penalties on drivers without having to stop their vehicle, LSM reports. Police can issue automatic traffic fines for violations detected by mobile and stationary speed cameras and radars as of 11 December 2025. Drivers can appeal the automatic fines within one month of notification.
Latvian universities will begin switching to spring admission for new students, LSM reports. In 2026, around half of all institutions of higher education in Latvia will accept students into some study programmes in spring instead of summer, according to Andris Teikmanis, chairman of the Council of Higher Education (AIP). Previously, admission to universities began in…