The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments further limiting alcohol sales and advertising as of 1 August 2025, LSM reports. Under the amendments, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be permitted from 10am to 8pm on Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 6pm on Sunday, thus reducing the availability of…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved the state budget for 2025, LSM reports. The budget foresees revenues of EUR 18.4bn, while expenditure is planned at EUR 19.7bn. The estimated budget deficit will thus amount to EUR 1.3bn or 2.9% of the GDP. The key budget priorities are internal and external security and competitiveness. The…
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…
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…
A public petition in Latvia is collecting signatures to restrict or ban US entrepreneur Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (former Twitter), in Latvia, BNS reports. The author of the legislative initiative, Gvido Grava, notes that an increasing volume of disinformation is being spread on X. He points out that X fails to comply with…
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…
The Latvian government is discussing possible changes to second-tier pension funds, LETA reports. The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, will consider a public initiative opposing the government’s plan to reduce automatic second-tier pension contributions, LSM reports. The petition collected the necessary signatures in record short time. The government has proposed transferring 1% of second-pillar pension funds…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed amendments mandating the country’s largest banks to provide in-person customer service and to maintain a network of ATMs outside big cities as of 2026, LSM reported. The new rules will apply to Swedbank, SEB, Citadele, and Luminor. Currently, the big banks have no permanent customer service points in…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, is discussing proposed amendments that would stop recognising Russian education certificates obtained after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, LSM reports. Under the amendments proposed by the opposition National Alliance, education certificates issued in Russia after 24 February 2022 would no longer be recognised in Latvia. National Alliance MPs…