Latvia is a small country located in northern Europe, bordered by Estonia, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania. After over 50 years of Soviet rule, Latvia gained its independence in 1991 and joined the European Union in 2004. The country is known for its picturesque countryside, dense forests, and stunning beaches along its 500-kilometer coastline. Latvia’s capital city, Riga, is a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture, lively nightlife, and cosmopolitan atmosphere. The country has a population of around 1.9 million, with most people living in urban areas. The official language is Latvian, a Baltic language spoken by the majority of the population, but many people also speak English, Russian, and German. The Latvian economy has undergone significant growth and transformation since independence. The country is a member of the eurozone and has a highly skilled workforce, making it an attractive destination for foreign investors. The economy is based on a mixture of industries, with a strong focus on manufacturing, agriculture, and services. The country is also known for its IT sector, and Riga is home to a number of international technology companies. Latvia has a rich cultural heritage, with a history that dates back to the 12th century. The country celebrates many festivals and holidays throughout the year, including the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, which takes place every five years and attracts thousands of performers and visitors. Overall, Latvia is a vibrant and diverse country with a range of cultural, economic, and natural attractions that make it an intriguing destination for tourists, expats, and investors alike.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this book provides valuable practical insight into both public supervisory legislation concerning insurance and private insurance contract law in Latvia. An informative general introduction surveying the legal, political, financial, and commercial background and surroundings of insurance provides a sound foundation for the specific detail that follows. The book covers all essential aspects of the law and regulation governing insurance policies and instruments. Its detailed exposition includes examination of the form of the insurance company and its reserves and investments; the insurance contract; the legal aspects of the various branches of property and liability insurance; motor vehicle insurance schemes; life insurance, health insurance, and workmen's compensation schemes; reinsurance, co-insurance, and pooling; taxation of insurance; and risk management and prevention. Succinct yet eminently practical, the book will be a valuable resource for lawyers handling cases affecting Latvia. It will be of practical utility to those both in public service and private practice called on to develop and to apply the laws of insurance, and of special interest as a contribution to the much-needed harmonization of insurance law.

This book comprehensively surveys Latvia's recent past and prospects for the future, placing modern events in historical perspective. The authors address the country's evolution from the movement against the Soviet state to contemporary politics.

The report provides a detailed diagnosis of the youth labour market and education system in Latvia from an international comparative perspective, and offers tailored recommendations to help improve school-to-work transitions.

This Selected Issues paper examines the prospects for Latvia continuing to rapidly reduce its distance from the productivity frontier. It looks at the empirical record of countries that have in the past attained a similar relative level of income to that of Latvia at present, to gauge the plausibility of the forecast for Latvia’s medium term GDP growth of about 4 percent per year. It highlights that more than one-third of the countries reaching a similar stage of development managed to sustain higher subsequent growth. The paper also confirms the importance of investment and structural reforms for Latvia’s future convergence, using a sector-level analysis.

Latvia’s public employment service, the State Employment Agency (SEA), is undertaking a modernisation of its service delivery. This review discusses the SEA’s digitalisation needs and strategy to guide its modernisation efforts. It provides a detailed assessment of the SEA’s digital infrastructure and key recommendations concerning its IT system, analytical capacity and digital tools for jobseekers and employers. This report on Latvia is the fourteenth country study published in this series.

Latvian: An Essential Grammar is a concise, user-friendly guide to the basic grammatical structures of Latvian. Presenting a fresh and accessible description of the language, this engaging grammar uses clear, jargon-free explanations to set out the complexities of Latvian in short, readable sections. Key features include: clear grammar explanations frequent use of authentic examples pronunciation guide, bibliography and subject index. This is the ideal reference source both for those studying Latvian independently and for students in schools, colleges, universities and adult classes of all types to back up their studies.

This international review of the national youth policy in Latvia, like preceding reviews, aims to fulfil three distinct objectives: - to advise on national youth policy; - to identify components which might combine to form a harmonised approach to youth policy across Europe; and - to contribute to a learning process in relation to the development and implementation of youth policy. The Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe embark¬ed on its international reviews of national youth policy in 1997. Latvia, at its own request, is the fourteenth country to be the focus of an international review. This report goes from the historical back¬ground through to the present day and includes information gather¬ed by the international review team as well as its analyses and recommendations concerning the development, perspectives and challenges for the future of youth policy in Latvia.

Like many OECD countries, Latvia is taking an innovative, user-centred approach to improving legal and justice services by strengthening the judicial sector and law enforcement authorities This report reviews the commercial, legal and regulatory framework in Latvia.