COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Latvia Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union
Date: 2025-07-08
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: Latvia, administrative transparency, corruption, democracy, freedom of the press, human rights, independence of the judiciary, pluralism in the media, rule of law, whistleblowing

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 8.7.2025  SWD(2025) 914 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Rule of Law Report                     Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Latvia Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Rule of Law Report                       The rule of law situation in the European Union {COM(2025) 900 final} - {SWD(2025) 901 final} - {SWD(2025) 902 final} - {SWD(2025) 903 final} - {SWD(2025) 904 final} - {SWD(2025) 905 final} - {SWD(2025) 906 final} - {SWD(2025) 907 final} - {SWD(2025) 908 final} - {SWD(2025) 909 final} - {SWD(2025) 910 final} - {SWD(2025) 911 final} - {SWD(2025) 912 final} - {SWD(2025) 913 final} - {SWD(2025) 915 final} - {SWD(2025) 916 final} - {SWD(2025) 917 final} - {SWD(2025) 918 final} - {SWD(2025) 919 final} - {SWD(2025) 920 final} - {SWD(2025) 921 final} - {SWD(2025) 922 final} - {SWD(2025) 923 final} - {SWD(2025) 924 final} - {SWD(2025) 925 final} - {SWD(2025) 926 final} - {SWD(2025) 927 final} - {SWD(2025) 928 final} - {SWD(2025) 929 final} - {SWD(2025) 930 final} - {SWD(2025) 931 final}  
 
 
ABSTRACT 

The justice system in Latvia continues to perform efficiently, with the  the overall length of 
proceedings  remaining  broadly  stable.  The  need  for  further  safeguards  to  protect  the 
appointment procedure for judges of the Supreme Court from undue influence, has not been 
addressed.  The  new  Judicial  Academy  was  established  and  became  operational.  Turnover 
among  judicial  assistants  remains  high,  and  the  judiciary  is  facing  difficulties  to  fill  all 
vacancies for judges. Further efforts are being made to improve workload distribution among 
judges. The Economic Court continues to handle cases efficiently, despite an overall increase 
of caseload and a temporary reduction of active judges. 

Work  has  started  to  prepare  the  anti-corruption  action  plans  for  2026-2027.  Investigations 
and  prosecutions  of  corruption  offences  are  carried  out  efficiently,  while  there  are  some 
concerns  as  regards  high-level  corruption.  The  electronic  system  for  asset  declarations 
continues  to  work  effectively,  and  an  automatic  declaration  checking  tool  has  been 
developed.  The  framework  to  prevent  conflicts  of  interests  of  public  officials  is  being 
strengthened.  Reflections  are  ongoing  in  Parliament  as  regard  updating  ethical  rules  for  its 
Members and the implementation of the existing codes of ethics in the public institutions has 
been evaluated. Some steps were made regarding legislation on lobbying, such as the setting 
up  of  a  simplified  lobby  register  on  an  interim  basis.  Amendments  to  the  rules  on  political 
party financing strengthen the criminal liability rules for  illegal financing. The Government 
plans  to  amend  implementation  of  the  legislation  on  the  protection  of  whistleblowers 
following  an  evaluation  of  its  implementation.  Reforms  are  being  undertaken  to  address 
challenges related to public procurement, which remains an area at high risk of corruption.   

The  regulator  for  audiovisual  media  services  (NEPLP)  continues  to  operate  independently. 
Self-regulation  mechanisms  are  available,  but  their  effective  application  is  limited.  The 
public service media maintains its independence through well-established safeguards. Public 
service media Latvian Television and Latvian Radio were merged. Amendments to the Press 
Law  will  make  registration  of  mass  media  service  providers  and  beneficial  ownership 
information  mandatory.  The  Freedom  of  Information  Law  guarantees  the  right  to  access 
information  held  by  public  institutions.  The  professional  environment  for  journalists 
continues to be overall safe, but there has been a deterioration in the online environment. 

Operating conditions for civil society remain overall open and stable.  

1 

 
 
 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS 

Overall, concerning the recommendations in the 2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia has made: 

•  No  progress  on  taking  measures  to  ensure  adequate  safeguards  against  undue  political 
influence  in  the  existing  appointment  procedure  for  Supreme  Court  judges,  taking  into 
account European standards on judicial appointments. 

•  Some progress on continuing work on the effective implementation of the legislation on 

lobbying, including the setting up of a special lobby register 

On this basis, and considering other developments that took place in the period of reference, 
in  addition  to  recalling  the  relevant  commitments  made  under  the  Recovery  and  Resilience 
Plan, it is recommended to Latvia to: 

•  Take measures to ensure the adequate safeguards against undue political influence in the 
appointment  procedure  for  Supreme  Court  judges,  taking  into  account  European 
standards on judicial appointments.  

•  Ensure the effective implementation of the legislation on lobbying, including as regards 

the special interim lobby register. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
I. 

JUSTICE SYSTEM1  

Independence  

The  level  of  perceived  judicial  independence  in  Latvia  continues  to  be  average  among 
both the general public and companies. Overall, 42% of the general population and 41% of 
companies perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly or very good’ 
in  20252.  The  perceived  judicial  independence  among  the  general  public  has  slightly 
decreased in comparison with 2024 (43%) and has significantly decreased in comparison with 
2021 (56%). The perceived judicial independence among companies has slightly increased in 
comparison  with  2024  (40%),  although  it  has  significantly  decreased  in  comparison  with 
2021 (53%). 

There has been no progress  on the recommendation to introduce adequate safeguards 
in the appointment procedure for judges of the Supreme Court3. In 2022, Parliament had 
initially  rejected  a  candidate  to  the  post  of  Supreme  Court  judge  amid  a  political 
controversy4.  Parliament  does  not  have  to  state  reasons  for  its  decision  not  to  appoint  a 
candidate,  and  there  is  also  no  judicial  review  of  its  decision5.  After  a  second  vote  in 
Parliament  in  October  2023,  the  candidate  was  eventually  elected  and  assumed  office  in 
January  20246.  Even  though  the  case  is  regarded  as  isolated,  it  pointed  to  a  lack  of 
consistency with European standards which recommend that the appointing authority follows 
in  practice  the  recommendations  or  opinions  of  an  independent  and  competent  authority 
drawn in substantial part from the judiciary7. No steps have been taken to introduce adequate 
safeguards in the appointment8. Therefore, no progress was made on the 2024 Rule of Law 
Report recommendation.  

Quality  

The  new  Judicial  Academy  was  established  and  became  operational.  Prepared  over 
several  years  also  with  support  of  the  Commission’s  Technical  Support  Instrument,  and  a 
reform  under  Latvia’s  Recovery  and  Resilience  Plan9,  the  Judicial  Academy  became 
operational  on  1  January  2025.  The  recruitment  process  for  its  director  was  completed  in 
February  2025,  after  the  Judicial  Council  had  approved  the  relevant  conditions  and 
procedures. The Judicial Academy is designed to serve as a single training centre for judges, 

1   An overview of the institutional framework for all four pillars can be found here. 
2   Figures 50 and 52, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard and Figures 49 and 51, 2023 EU Justice Scoreboard. The 
level  of  perceived  judicial  independence  is  categorised  as  follows:  very  low  (below  30%  of  respondents 
perceive judicial independence as fairly good and very good); low (between 30-39%), average (between 40-
59%), high (between 60-75%), very high (above 75%). 

3   The 2024 Rule of Law Report recommended Latvia to ‘take measures to ensure adequate safeguards against 
undue  political  influence  in  the  existing  appointment  procedure  for  Supreme  Court  judges,  taking  into 
account European standards on judicial appointments’. 

4   2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, pp. 3-4.  
5   2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, pp. 3-4.  
6   2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, p. 4.  
7   2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, pp. 3-4.  
8   For  example,  such  legal  safeguards  could  include  Parliament’s  obligation  to  state  reasons  and  judicial 
review of its appointment decision. Country visit Latvia, President of the Supreme Court and President of 
the Judicial Council. 

9    Latvia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan contains a reform on the establishment of the Judicial Academy.  

3 

 
 
 
court  staff,  prosecutors,  assistant  prosecutors  and  investigators10.  It  replaces  the  previous 
privately  organised  Judicial  Training  Centre.  It  is  under  discussion  whether  the  Judicial 
Academy could also provide training to candidate judges11.  

Turnover among judicial assistants remains high, and the judiciary is facing difficulties 
to  fill  all  vacancies  for  judges.  Salaries  for  judges,  prosecutors  and  court  employees  have 
increased  from  2022  onwards12.  These  increases  were  reflected  in  an  overall  court  budget 
increased  in  2024  by  7.7%  compared  to  202313.  In  2024,  the  State  Audit  Office  noted  that 
there are not sufficient candidates to fill vacancies in the judiciary14. The Judicial Council has 
taken up the issue with universities and is also looking into offering parts of the training for 
judicial  candidates  via  the  newly  established  Judicial  Academy15.  As  regards  judicial 
assistants, despite the possibility for long-term employment16, their positions continue to be 
filled by judicial candidates on a temporary basis. Low salaries17  and the  perceived lack of 
career  prospects  in  the  judiciary  are  among  the  reasons  given  by  stakeholders  for  not 
attracting sufficient judicial assistants18. The Council of Sworn Advocates also pointed to an 
attractive private sector19. The State Audit Office also observed that the situation of judicial 
assistants  remained  unsatisfactory,  leading  to  very  high  turnover  rates,  with  up  to  41%  of 
assistants leaving each year in Riga20. 

Further  efforts  are  being  made  concerning  adequate  workload  distribution  among 
judges. A report by a Judicial Council working group in November 2024 had recommended a 
redistribution of the workload for land registry judges. Following this report, the creation of a 
new position of ‘court lawyers’ within the judiciary, to be possibly assigned with some tasks 
–  in  particular  of  an  administrative  nature  –  currently  carried  out  by  judges,  is  being 
discussed21.  The  Judicial  Council  working  group  discarded  the  idea  of  creating  separate 
categories  of  specialised  judges.  Therefore,  the  current  structure  of  judges  in  the  courts  of 
general jurisdiction specialising in the course of their career, and being allowed to change it, 

10   Latvian  Government  (2025a),  written  input,  p.  6.  The  Judicial  Council  is  in  discussions  to  make  the 
academy responsible also for training of candidate judges, see above. Country visit Latvia, Judicial Council. 
For  details  on  the  appointment  of  the  director  of  the  academy,  a  short  report  was  published,  see  Court 
Administration  (2025).  In  early  May  2025,  the  director  of the  Judicial  Academy  informed  about  the  first 
months of its activities. Judicial Council (2025). 

11   Country visit Latvia, Judicial Council and Association of Judges.  
12   For example, in 2024, salaries for judges rose by further 6% and by 13% for prosecutors in regional offices 
and  12.8%  for  prosecutors  within  the  Prosecutor  General’s  Office.  See  in  detail,  also  on  the  calculation, 
2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, pp. 7 and 8.  

13   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p. 5. See also 2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, p. 7. 
14   State Audit Office, Performance Audit on the ‘Availability and  Development of Human Resources in the 
input  by  Latvia,  p.  5,  English  summary  available  at: 

Courts  of  Latvia’,  cited 
https://www.lrvk.gov.lv/en/getrevisionfile/29740-J2RD-kxrwjumAYd1ZQNdSJZjDb6mRsn_.pdf.  

in  written 

15     Country visit Latvia, President of the Supreme Court and President of the Judicial Council. 
16   Country visit Latvia, Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Council.  
17   Country  visit  Latvia,  Ministry  of  Justice,  State  Audit  Office,  Judicial  Council  and  Council  of  Sworn 

Advocates.  

18   Country visit Latvia, Council of Sworn Advocates. 
19   The majority of assistants leave their position in the judiciary for positions in the private sector soon after 

passing the exam for judges. Country visit Latvia, Council of Sworn Advocates. 

20   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p. 6. Country visit Latvia, Association of Judges. 
21   Latvian  Government  (2025a),  written  input,  p.  10,  and  country  visit  Latvia,  Judicial  Council  and 

Association of Lawyers.  

4 

 
 
 
is  to  be  maintained22.  At  the  same  time,  the  overall  qualification  of  land  registry  judges  to 
perform  judicial  tasks  remains  a  concern,  with  the  Judicial  Academy  envisaged  to  provide 
additional  training23.  Parliament  also  adopted  amendments  to  the  Law  on  Judicial  Power 
which  allows  judges  to  consider  additional  time  spent  on  training,  participation  in  judicial 
self-governing  bodies,  or  mentoring  of  new  judges  in  their  overall  workload.  Separately, 
modifications  to  the  selection  procedure  by  the  Judicial  Council  now  also  place  more 
emphasis  on  a  criterion  of  good  reputation,  and  candidates’  behavioural  skills.  In  addition, 
there was an online and social media campaign to highlight possibilities to obtain legal aid, 
and  legal  entities  were  entitled  to  exemptions  from  the  payment  of  certain  expenses  and 
security deposits by changes in the civil procedure law24. 

Efficiency 

The  justice  system  continues  to  perform  efficiently.  The  2025  EU  Justice  Scoreboard 
shows  that  the  length  of  court  proceedings  and  pending  cases  continues  to  be  among  the 
lowest  in  the  EU.  In  2023,  the  overall  length  of  proceedings  remained  stable  with  a  slight 
decrease25. In 2023, the number of pending administrative cases remained among the lowest 
in  the EU,  and for civil  and commercial cases, the number of pending  cases remains  low26. 
The clearance rate for civil, commercial, administrative and other types of cases overall stood 
at 101%, and in administrative cases further increased to 109%27.  

The Economic Court continues to handle cases efficiently, despite an overall increase in 
caseload and a temporary reduction of active judges. The Economic Court reported a 7% 
increase in commercial and a 6% increase in criminal cases in 2024. In light of an increase of 
cases pending for more than two years, the Economic Court requested additional staff.28 The 
time to resolve cases stood at 6.9 months, against 30 months in the rest of the judiciary. The 
Economic Court sees this as proof that it functions effectively, and provides added value to 
the justice system29.  

II. 

ANTI-CORRUPTION FRAMEWORK  

The  perception  among  experts,  business  executives  and  citizens  is  that  the  level  of 
corruption in the public sector is relatively high. In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index 
by  Transparency  International,  Latvia  scores  59/100  and  ranks  14th  in  the  European  Union 
and 38th globally30. This perception has been relatively stable over the past five years31. The 

22   Latvian  Government  (2025a),  written  input,  p.  10,  information  received  from  the  Association  of  Judges 

during the 2025 country visit.  

23   Country visit Latvia, Judicial Council.  
24   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p. 5.  
25   Figure  4,  2025  EU  Justice  Scoreboard,  the  estimated  time  needed  to  resolve  civil,  commercial, 

administrative and other cases in 2023 stood at 32 days compared to 34 in 2022. 

26   Figures 14 and 15, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard.  
27   Figures 9 and 11, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard.  
28   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p. 27. 39 cases have been pending for more than two years at 
the beginning of 2025, against 19 cases at the same time in 2024. Two judges requested a secondment to 
another position, leading to a temporary reduction of active judges. 

29   Country visit Latvia, Economic Court.  
30   The level of perceived corruption is categorised as follows: low (above 79); relatively low (between 79-60), 

relatively high (between 59-50), high (below 50). 

5 

 
 
 
2025  Special  Eurobarometer  on  Corruption  shows  that  80%  of  respondents  consider 
corruption  widespread  in  their  country  (EU  average  69%)  and  20%  of  respondents  feel 
personally  affected  by  corruption  in  their  daily  lives  (EU  average  30%).  As  regards 
businesses, 66% of companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 63%) and 
25%  consider  that  corruption  is  a  problem  when  doing  business  (EU  average  35%). 
Furthermore, 23% of respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter 
people  from  corrupt  practices  (EU  average  36%),  while  21%  of  companies  believe  that 
people  and  businesses  caught  for  bribing  a  senior  official  are  appropriately  punished  (EU 
average 33%)32. 

Work  has  started  to  prepare  the  next  Corruption  Prevention  and  Combating  Action 
Plan  2026-2027.  Implementation  progress  of  the  previous  2023-2025  Action  Plan  was 
discussed by an interinstitutional group set up by the Corruption Prevention and Combating 
Bureau (KNAB), with participation of civil society organisations and experts33. On this basis, 
the group is developing a 2026-2027 Action Plan for submission to the Cabinet of Ministers 
by November 202534. This short-term timeline was favoured to align with the timeline of the 
National Development Plan of Latvia for 2021-202735.  KNAB also plans to draft a long-term 
anti-corruption  policy  planning  document  starting  as  of  2028,  to  be  developed  in  2027  in 
accordance with the impact assessment of previous plans and a corruption risk assessment36. 
Civil  society  organisations  regretted  such  a  long-term  policy  planning  document  was  not 
already  being  put  in  place37.  Civil  society  organisations  also  advocate  for  enhanced 
communication and prevention activities on corruption by KNAB and the Government.  

The investigation and prosecution of corruption offences is carried out efficiently, while 
some  concerns  were  raised  as  regards  high-level  corruption.  2024  data  shows  that 
corruption offences are investigated and sent for prosecution efficiently by KNAB, as well as 
the Internal Security Bureau and the State Border Guard38. As regards high-level corruption, 
at  least  10  cases  are  ongoing39,  and  at  least  2  were  finalised  in  202440.  The  authorities 
highlighted  challenges  affecting  the  investigation  of  high-level  corruption  cases,  including 

31   In  2020,  the  score  was  57,  while,  in  2024,  the  score  is  59.  The  score  significantly  increases/decreases 
whenit  changes  more  than  five  points;  improves/deteriorates  (changes  between  4-5  points);  is  relatively 
stable (changes from 1-3 points) in the last five years. 

32    Data from Special Eurobarometer 561 (2025) and Flash Eurobarometer 557 (2025). 
33   KNAB  (2025),  Website.  KNAB  published  an  interactive  illustration,  presenting  the  current  state  of 
implementation of the national Corruption Prevention and Combating Action Plan for 2023-2025. As of 27 
March  2025,  43  actions  had been  implemented,  the  implementation  of  26  actions  was  in  progress,  seven 
actions were not implemented, for five actions implementation deadlines were not reached yet. 

34     KNAB (2025a), written input, pp. 6-7. 
35   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p.13. 
36    Latvian  Government  (2025a),  written  input,  p.13.  Latvian  Government,  additional  written  exchange 
following the country-visit. A final decision on the next policy planning period term has not been taken yet. 
The term will be decided when the new plan will have entered the drafting phase. 

37   Country visit Latvia, Transparency International.  
38   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p.22-23. KNAB initiated a total of 25 criminal proceedings and 
sent 19 criminal proceedings for prosecution. In 2024, the Internal Security Bureau sent five criminal cases 
related  to  corruption  offences  to  the  prosecutor’s  office  to  initiate  criminal  prosecution  against  officials 
from the  institutions subordinated to the  Ministry of Interior. As regards the State Border Guard, in 2024 
twelve criminal proceedings were initiated in connection to bribery against twelve  private individuals and 
eight criminal proceedings were sent to the prosecutor’s office for bribery of an official. 

39   Country visit Latvia, Prosecutor General’s Office. Latvian government (KNAB, ISB), written input, pp. 23-

24. KNAB (2025a), written input, p. 8. Prosecutor General’s Office (2025), written input, p. 2.  

40   Latvian government (ISB), written input, p. 24.   

6 

 
 
 
difficulties with gathering evidence from foreign jurisdictions41. Senior judges pointed at the 
low number of high-level cases being investigated42. Prosecution services highlight that there 
was a lack of high-level corruption cases between 2021 and 2024, and that in high-level cases 
it is difficult to coordinate with the many stakeholders involved, leading to long trials43. As 
for  in  the  previous  year,  no  EPPO  investigation  was  carried  out  in  2024  regarding 
corruption44.  

The framework on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in Activities of Public Officials is 
being  strengthened.  The  Law  on  Prevention  of  Conflict  of  Interest  in  Activities  of  Public 
Officials  was  further  amended  in  2024.  The  amendments45  provide  that  public  officials  are 
prohibited  from  making  decisions  or  undertaking  any  other  administrative  act  related  to  a 
spouse  or  partner  for  two  years  after  the  termination  of  the  legal  relationship.  The 
amendments also introduce new restrictions as regards beneficial ownership in a commercial 
company  by  public  officials,  as  well  as  new  incompatibilities  and  restrictions  with  the 
exercise of a public office.  In 2024, KNAB initiated and completed a significant number of 
cases46. An assessment is to be conducted at national level on corruption risks and conflict of 
interests, with participation of stakeholders as regards the methodology47.  In 2024, the State 
Chancellery,  KNAB  and  the  Ministry  of  Labour  started  working  on  a  draft  report  on  a 
‘cooling-off period for work in  the public sector’, with  the aim to  review the existing  legal 
framework and practice in Latvia and include experience in other countries48.  

The  electronic  system  for  asset  declarations  continues  to  work  effectively,  and  an 
automatic  declaration  checking  tool  has  been  developed.  89%  of  registered  officials  in 
Latvia in 2024 were required to submit current declarations for 202349. In the context of the 
verification of asset declarations by the State Revenue Service (SRS), most declarations have 
been  submitted  in  compliance  with  the  rules50.  In  2024,  459  infringement  procedures  were 
opened from among the 54 783 declarations submitted (0.7%) by officials required to submit 
a  declaration  for  2023  and  181  cases  of  those  opened  procedures  (39%)  resulted  in  an 
administrative  infringement  procedure  or  a  fine.  Frequently  detected  infringements  concern 
the misstatement of income, transactions or non-cash savings, as well as failure to submit the 
declaration  within  the  prescribed  time  limit.  Following  the  development  of  an  automatic 
processing tool in 202451, the Law on Administrative Liability was amended to allow for the 

41   Country visit Latvia, KNAB.  
42   Country visit Latvia, Economic Court.  
43   Country visit Latvia, Prosecutor General’s Office. 
44   European  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  (2025),  Annual  Report  2024,  p.  36.  See  also  in  2024  Rule  of  Law 

Report, Latvia, p. 13 

45   Amendments  to  the  Law  on  Prevention  of  Conflict  of  Interest  in  Activities  of  Public  Officials  of  15 
February 2024, in force as of 1 July 2024. Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in 
Activities of Public Officials of 12 December 2024, in force as of 11 January 2025. 

46   Latvian  Government  (2025a),  written  input,  pp.  16-17.  There  were  343  completed  departmental 
investigations  and  55  ongoing  departmental  investigations.  199  administrative  violations  cases  were 
opened, and 134 cases  resulted in a fine. 16 cases concluded that circumstances precluded administrative 
liability. 2 cases were transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department of KNAB for initiating criminal 
procedures. 

47   Country visit Latvia, Foreign Investors Council. 
48   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p. 14. 
49   The remaining 11% are covered by exceptions specified by law. 
50   State Revenue Service (2025), written input, pp. 7-8. In 2024, 54 783 officials were required to file an asset 

declaration and 63 608 declarations were effectively received. 

51    See already in 2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, p. 14. State Revenue Service (2025), ibidem.   

7 

 
 
 
SRS  to  adopt  a  decision  to  initiate  proceedings  and  impose  a  penalty  based  solely  on 
automatic data processing for an administrative offence for non-compliance with the deadline 
for submission of a declaration by a public official or failure to submit such a declaration52. 
Discussions  are  ongoing  on  the  need  to  amend  the  legal  framework  to  directly  provide  for 
sanctions  for  failure  to  update  the  declaration  within  one  month  after  a  non-compliance 
decision53.  

Reflections are ongoing in Parliament as regard updating ethical rules for its members 
and  the  implementation  of  the  existing  codes  of  ethics  in  public  institutions  has  been 
evaluated. There has been no further development on the setting up of a code of ethics of the 
Government, defined as an objective already since 202254. Instead, the Government mandated 
a study concerning implementation of the existing codes of ethics in public institutions. One 
key  recommendation  in  the  study  is  to  explore  a  harmonised  approach  on  principles  to  be 
included  in  the  code  of  ethics  of  Latvian  institutions55.  As  highlighted  in  the  study,  with 
around 120 public institutions having set up their own code of ethics56, there is no common 
understanding  on  the  principles  to  be  applied  and  their  practical  implementation.  In  2024, 
several  educational  events  on  ethics  were  organised,  including  by  the  Latvian  School  of 
Public  Administration  and  KNAB57.  As  regards  Parliament,  amendments  to  the  Code  of 
Ethics  of  members  of  Parliament  are  currently  under  consideration58.  As  part  of  this 
procedure, the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee is assessing whether to propose 

52   Amendments  to  Article  164  of  the  Law  on  Administrative  Liability.  The  amended  legislation,  which 
entered  into  force  on  1  January  2025,  stipulates  that  in  relation  to  an  administrative  offence  for  non-
compliance with the deadline for filing a declaration of a public official or failure to file such a declaration, 
the  SRS  may  adopt  a  decision  on  initiating  administrative  offence  proceedings  and  imposing  a  penalty 
based solely on automatic data processing. However,  in order to use such automated decision-making for 
declarations of public officials, amendments are required to the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in 
the Activities of Public Officials, as well as  the development and implementation of a  technical solution. 
These changes would be implemented no earlier than 2028/2029. 

53   State  Revenue  Service  (2025),  written  input,  p.  6.  Law  on  the  prevention  of  conflicts  of  interest  in  the 
activities of public officials, Chapter 6, §32. The legislation currently provides for administrative liability 
for public officials failing to submit their declaration within the prescribed time limit (i.e. upon taking up 
office,  annual  declaration,  at  the  end  of  duty  and  upon  leaving  office),  to  comply  with  the  submission 
procedures or for making false declarations in the declaration. However, administrative liability is not yet 
provided  for  in  case  of  failure  to  update  the  declaration  within  one  month  after  a  ruling  or  decision 
regarding the inclusion of false information in the declaration (as per §25(6) of the Law). If an amendment 
to the current legal framework is approved, amendments to the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in 
the Activities of Public Officials would also be required. 

54   Declaration  of  envisaged  activity  of  the  Cabinet  of  Ministers,  14  December  2022.  Annual  report  to 
Parliament  on  the  work  carried  out  and  planned  by  the  Cabinet  of  Ministers,  25  February  2025.  Country 
visit  to  Latvia,  State  Chancellery.  GRECO  (2023),  Fifth  Evaluation  Round,  Second  compliance  report, 
Latvia,  pp.  5-6,  Principles  and  standards  of  conduct  applicable  to  and  enforceable  for  Cabinet  members, 
political  officials  and  supernumerary  advisory  employees  as  well  as  for  various  categories  of  unpaid 
advisors in central government have not been elaborated. 

55   Transparency  International/Delna,  Ex  post  Evaluation  of  Public  Administration  Values  and  Ethical 

Requirements, 26.02.2025, p. 20.  

56   Ibidem, pp. 3-4.  
57   Latvian Government (2025a), written input, p. 14. KNAB (2024), p. 15. 
58   GRECO  (2021),  Fourth  Evaluation  round,  Addendum  to  the  Second  compliance  report,  Latvia,  p.  4, 
Recommendation for the Parliament to revise and update its code as well as to complement it with practical 
measures to provide guidance and counselling Parliament (2025), written input,  p. 2. Amendments to the 
Rules  of  Order  of  Parliament  (reg.  No  267/Lp14),  which  include  the  Code  of  Ethics  of  Members  of 
Parliament, are being considered within the Legal Affairs Committee. 

8 

 
 
 
amendments to the Code of Ethics specifically, as a result from research on the application of 
ethical standards in other parliaments59.  

Some  steps  were  made  regarding  legislation  on  lobbying,  such  as  the  setting  up  of  a 
simplified lobby register on an interim basis60. Work on the draft implementing rules and 
practical  implementation  for  a  permanent  system  is  still  ongoing  to  date,  with  a  three-year 
postponement announced for the start of operation, by 1 September 202861, in order to take 
into  account  the  proposed  EU  Directive  on  interest  representation  on  behalf  of  third 
countries62.  Once  the  system  will  be  fully  operational,  the  draft  implementing  rules  would 
provide for an extensive scope of information to be reported on and to be publicly available, 
including the description of the interest representation activity, covering its form, the public 
decision concerned and the desired outcome. The permanent  system  will  be  divided in  two 
parts: a Register of Interest Representation providing for a list of interest representatives and 
a System for Declaring Interest Representation for reporting activity. From September 2025 
until  September  2028,  a  simplified  interim  system  will  be  operating,  providing  for  a 
simplified list of interest representatives only but leaving public institutions to choose to what 
extent to disclose additional information on meetings on their website63. The need to provide 
for  administrative  liability  and  sanctions  in  case  of  non-compliance  will  only  be  assessed 
after  the  full  implementation  of  the  permanent  register  and  declaration  system64.  Since 
preparatory  work  for  the  full  implementation  of  the  interest  representation  registers  has 
substantially  advanced,  some  progress  was  made  on  the  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report 
recommendation, but the simplified interim system will need to be strengthened and clearly 
framed65.  

Amendments  to  the  rules  on  political  party  financing  strengthen  the  criminal  liability 
rules for illegal financing. In 2024, amendments to the Criminal Law were adopted, which 
reduced the threshold for criminal liability for illegal financing of political parties66 from 50 
to  10  official  minimum  monthly  wages.  According  to  KNAB,  this  50  monthly  wages-
threshold  was  too  high  to  allow  for  individual  persons  prosecution  for  illegal  financing  of 
political  parties67.  On  1  January  2025,  amendments  to  the  Law  on  Administrative  Liability 
entered  into  force,  extending  to  three  years  the  limitation  period  for  the  initiation  of 

59   Parliament (2025), written input, p. 2. 
60   The 2024 Rule of Law report recommended Latvia to ‘Continue work on the effective implementation of 

the legislation on lobbying, including the setting up of a special lobby register.’ 

61   2024 Rule of Law Report, Latvia, p. 15: the start of operation had been expected to be 1 September 2025. 
62   COM/2023/637 final. Country visit Latvia, Ministry of Justice. Latvian Government (2025f), written input, 

p. 1. 

63   Ministry of Justice (2025), written input, pp. 1-3.  
64   According  to paragraph  4 of the  transitional  provisions of the  Interest  Representation  Transparency  Law, 
the  Cabinet  of  Ministers  shall  assess,  in  its  2025  activity  report,  the  need  to  provide  for  administrative 
liability and sanctions in case of non-compliance.  

65   For now, the  scope of information to be reported in the interim system remains unclear, and  no reporting 
system on interest representation activity or mandatory reporting of meetings with interest representatives 
on the  website of public institutions is provided for in the interim system.  This does not sufficiently take 
into  account  international  transparency  standards  (including,  for  example,  OECD  Principles  for 
Transparency  and  Integrity  in  Lobbying  and  Influence:  OECD/LEGAL/0379,  Recommendation  of  the 
Council  on  Transparency  and  Integrity  in  Lobbying  and  Influence).  Country  visit  Latvia,  Transparency 
International/Delna and Foreign Investors Council in Latvia. Stakeholders also reported the interim system 
is not sufficient to ensure transparency and risks to undermine the equal treatment of companies.  
66   Amendments to the Criminal Law of 26 September 2024, entered into force on 22 October 2024.   
67   Latvian Government (2025), written input, p.21. Country visit Latvia, KNAB.  Latvian Public Broadcasting 

(2024). 

9 

 
 
 
administrative  proceedings  as  regards  violations  to  the  rules  on  political  party  financing. 
Experts,  public  authorities  and  civil  society  organisations  agree  that  the  framework  on 
political  parties  financing  is  solid  and  does  not  need  further  amendment68.  As  regards  the 
practical  application  of  the  rules,  experts  and  Parliament  identified  a  need  to  strengthen 
capacities of KNAB in that area69, including through certified auditors.  

The  Government  plans  to  amend  the  legislation  on  the  protection  of  whistleblowers 
following  an  evaluation  of  its  implementation.  In  2024,  the  number  of  whistleblower 
reports remained relatively stable70. As of 2026, the main point of contact for whistleblowers 
will be transferred to KNAB71. In practice, under the current institutional framework, over 40 
other public administration institutions receive whistleblowing reports, using their own point 
of contact and procedures. In 2024, an evaluation of the Whistleblowing Law was carried out 
under  the  coordination  of  the  State  Chancellery  and  in  consultation  with  other  institutions, 
covering  the  period  from  1  May  2019  until  1  April  202472.  The  report  of  the  State 
Chancellery  noted  certain  shortcomings  as  regards 
the  necessary  safeguards  for 
whistleblowers73.  Civil  society  highlighted  enhanced  shortcomings  with  ensuring 
confidentiality  and  adequate  protection  of  whistleblowers  at  municipal  level,  which  was 
identified  as  an  important  deterrent  factor74.  As  a  follow-up  to  the  evaluation  report,  the 
Government plans to present amendments to the Whistleblowing Law in 202575.  

Reforms  are  being  undertaken  to  address  challenges  related  to  public  procurement, 
which remains an area at high risk of corruption. Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption 
in the EU show that 27% of companies in Latvia (EU average 25%) think that corruption has 
prevented them from winning a public tender or a public procurement contract in practice in 
the  last  three  years76.  35%  of  businesses  perceive  the  level  of  independence  of  the  public 
procurement  review  body  (Procurement  Monitoring  Bureau)  as  very  or  fairly  good77.  The 
Single  Market  and  Competitiveness  Scoreboard  on  access  to  public  procurement  in  Latvia 
reports 28% of single bids for 2023 (EU average 29%). Restricted competition and prohibited 
agreements  among  bidders  remain  a  key  challenge  in  public  procurement  in  Latvia78.  High 

68   Country  visit  Latvia,  KNAB  and  Transparency  International/Delna.  OECD  Public  Integrity  Indicators, 

Regulatory framework for transparency in lobbying, conflict-of-interest and political finance. 

69   Country visit Latvia, Parliament. OECD Public Integrity Indicators, Political Finance Safeguards in Practice 
– User of oversight and prevention mechanisms for financing of political parties and election campaigns. 
70   Latvian Government (2025), written input, pp. 17-18. In 2024, KNAB received 60 complaints (compared to 
55 in 2022 and 52 in 2023) and 22 of them were subsequently recognised as whistleblowing cases. KNAB 
Annual Report 2024, pp. 17-18.  

71   Country visit Latvia, KNAB. Latvian Government (2025), written input, p. 17. 
72   State  Chancellery,  Information  Report  ‘Implementing  the  Law  on  Whistleblowing  -  ex-post  evaluation’, 

2024. 

73   This includes the  absence of a competent authority to turn to in case of breaches of the procedure by the 
whistleblowing contact point in the institutions, insufficient protection of whistleblowers against negative 
consequences, insufficient preventive safeguards in practice, challenges with ensuring confidentiality, and a 
lack of training of the whistleblowing contact points within the institutions. 

74   Country visit Latvia, Transparency International. 
75   Latvian Government (2025), written input, p. 17. 
76    Flash  Eurobarometer  557  on  Businesses’  attitudes  towards  corruption  in  the  EU  (2025).  This  is  2 

percentage points above the EU average. 
77   Figure 59, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard. 
78   Latvian Government (2025), written input, p. 24. Ministry of Finance (2025), written input, p. 2. Country 
visit  Latvia,  KNAB,  Transparency  International/Delna,  and  Foreign  Investors  Council  in  Latvia.  Public 
Procurement  Bureau,  Statistics  of  administrative  offenses  for  2024.  In  2024,  KNAB  opened  5  criminal 
cases regarding public procurement, and, within the Ministry of Finance, 416 complaints were received, and 

10 

 
 
 
 
risks  were  notably  identified  in  the  renewable  energy,  building  and  municipal  public 
procurement  procedures79.  The  State  Audit  Office  recommended  centralising  public 
procurement staff and procedures, thereby allowing enhanced capacities, higher salaries, and 
less  influence  or  transfer  to  the  private  sector  risks80.  As  a  result,  the  appropriate  changes 
were  already  established  within  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior81.  Despite  the  support  of  the 
Prosecutor  General’s  Office,  in  September  2024,  Parliament  rejected  amendments  to  the 
Criminal  Code  aiming  at  criminalising  prohibited  agreements  between  bidders  in  public 
procurement82. The amendments to the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in Activities 
of  Public  Officials  of  12  December  202483  provide  inter  alia  that  the  position  of  executive 
board member in a State-owned company is no longer compatible with the position of head 
of public entity, deputy thereof or civil servant, a restriction welcomed by investors84. Further 
amendments are pending to the Public Procurement Law and would provide for an electronic 
check  of  conflict  of  interests  between  the  members  of  the  procurement  commission  and 
candidates, through the synchronising of data from national registers of natural persons and 
enterprises and data collected by the State Revenue Service85. 

III.  MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM 

The  regulator  for  audiovisual  media  services  continues  to  operate  independently.  The 
Latvian  National  Electronic  Mass  Media  Council  (NEPLP)  is  the  audiovisual  regulator, 
composed of five members86 elected by the Parliament for a term of five years. The Electronic 
Mass Media Law87 sets the conditions for the appointment and termination of the mandate of 
members of the NEPLP or their dismissal by the Parliament. In 2024, the NEPLP gained two 
more staff members for its monitoring department88. Besides monitoring the electronic mass 
media market, the NEPLP designs the national strategy for the development of the sector, the 
latest  version  of  which  covers  the  period  from  2023  to  202789.  It  is  advised  by  a  Public 
Advisory Council made up of representatives of organisations working in the fields of media, 
education,  culture,  science  and  human  rights.  The  2025  Media  Pluralism  Monitor  (MPM) 

292 decisions were made. The ISB finished investigation in one case of illegally pre-negotiated terms and 
specification  in  2024.  The  Procurement  Monitoring  Bureau  maintains  and  updates  information  about 
liability 
at: 
https://www.iub.gov.lv/lv/administrativo-parkapumu-dati).   

regulation 

(available 

violations 

regular 

basis 

the 

for 

on 

of 

a 

79   Country  visit  Latvia,  Foreign  Investors  Council  in  Latvia  and  Transparency  International/Delna.  KNAB, 
2025,  Analysis  of  corruption  risks  in  Latvian  municipal  building  boards  –  Summary  of  the  Strategic 
Analysis Report.  

80   Country  visit  Latvia,  State  Audit  Office.  State  Audit  Office,  Effectiveness  of  Public  Procurement  in  the 

Interior, 8 November 2024. 

81    Latvia, 2025, Additional written input. Procedures for conducting joint procurements within the sector and 
with institutions subordinate to other ministries were established, the Information Centre of the Ministry of 
the Interior became the centralized procurement institution, and the list of goods and services to be procured 
centrally was expanded.  

82   Via Baltica (2024). Country visit Latvia, Foreign Investors Council in Latvia. 
83   Ibid. The amendments provide for new incompatibilities and restrictions with the exercise of public office.   
84   Country visit Latvia, Foreign Investors Council in Latvia. 
85   Ministry of Finance (2025), written input, pp. 1-2. 
86   Down from 9 members in its previous configuration, where each member represented a political party. 
87   Section 56 of Electronic Mass Media Law. 
88   Information received from the NEPLP in the context of the country visit to Latvia. 
89   https://www.neplp.lv/lv/media/5421/download?attachment 

11 

 
 
 
went  down  to  a  very  low  risk  (10%)  for  the  independence  and  effectiveness  of  the  media 
authorities90.  

Self-regulation mechanisms are available, but their effective application is  limited.  The 
Latvian Media Ethics Council, which represents 90%91 of media companies and is supported 
by the Ministry of Culture, examines complaints on ethical violations committed by the media 
and  provides  an  opinion  in  the  event  of  restriction  of  media  freedom  or  freedom  of 
expression.  It  can  also  express  opinions  on  issues  related  to  threats  to  or  influence  on  the 
media,  the  deterioration  of  the  state  of  the  media  industry,  editorial  autonomy  or 
independence92.  The  Latvian  Journalists  Association,  the  Latvian  Journalists  Union  and  the 
Advertising Association are also responsible for promoting and defending professional codes 
of  ethics.  According  to  the  MPM  2025,  self-regulation  is  considered  partly  effective,  with 
codes of ethics being often declarative, and with no compliance mechanisms93.  

The  public  service  media  maintains 
independence  through  well-established 
its 
safeguards. The Public Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP) oversees the public service 
media, with the aim of ensuring its editorial independence. It has three members approved by 
the  Parliament  and  operates  independently  in  accordance  with  the  Law  on  Public 
Electronic  Mass  Media  and their Management94, which provides specific safeguards for its 
independence95. The Public Electronic Mass Media Council is responsible for overseeing the 
code of ethics for public service media. According to the 2025 MPM, ‘independence of public 
service media’ remains stable at low risk (24%)96. 

Public  service  media  Latvian  Television  and  Latvian  Radio  were  merged.  The  merger 
took  effect  on  1  January  2025,  creating  a  new  entity  called  Latvijas  Sabiedriskais  medijs 
(Latvian  Public  Media).  A  new  board  of  five  members,  appointed  in  November  2024  in 
accordance with the Law on Public Electronic Mass Media and their Management, will focus 
on  setting  up  a  new  administrative  and  financial  joint  structure.  It  will  also  appoint  a  new 
editor in chief, who is to be approved by the SEPLP but should remain fully independent. The 
Media  Policy  Guidelines  for  2024–2027  aim  to  ensure  the  development  of  public  media, 
aligning  its  funding  levels  with  European  averages,  and  establish  a  more  predictable  and 
transparent  financing  model.  Latvian  Public  Media  operates  outside  the  advertising  market, 
and  it  will  be  funded  by  the  state  budget  at  0.13%  of  GDP  in  2025  and  2026,  under  the 
principle that funding cannot be lower than in the previous year. The level of funding will be 
re-assessed in light of the application of the European Media Freedom Act97. The increase in 
financial  resources  will  focus  on  fostering  investigative  journalism  and  ensuring  the  digital 
transformation process98, aiming at reaching a wider audience, including younger citizens and 
minorities in Latvia. Latvian Public Media has a well-functioning self-regulation system, with 

90   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, Latvia, p. 11. 
91   Country visit Latvia, Ministry of Culture. 
92   Country visit Latvia, NEPLP. 
93   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, Latvia, p. 10. 
94   Law on Public Electronic Mass Media and their Management, adopted on 19 November 2020. 
95   Article 12 and Article 13 of the Law on Public Electronic Mass Media and their Management. 
96   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, Latvia, p. 24. 
97   Country visit Latvia, SEPLP. 
98   Country visit Latvia, PSM. 

12 

 
 
 
editorial guidelines, a code of ethics, internal quality management and one ombudsperson99, to 
whom the audience can file complaints.  

Amendments  to  the  Press  Law  will  make  registration  of  mass  media  service  providers 
and beneficial ownership information mandatory. The Law on the Press and Other Mass 
Media100 (the Press Law)  establishes the obligation for the Register of Enterprise to register 
mass media in the Mass Media Register it maintains 101. Registration is upon application and 
there  is  no  monitoring  or  data  verification,  and  thus  the  register  is  not  complete  and  up  to 
date102.  In  view  of  the  requirements  of  the  EMFA  regarding  the  development  of  national 
media ownership databases, the Ministry of Culture is drafting amendments to the Press Law 
that  will  make  registration  of  mass  media  service  providers  and  their  services  mandatory. 
Electronic mass media service providers must provide information on their beneficial owners 
and  any  changes  in  such  ownership  to  the  NEPLP,  which,  however,  is  not  responsible  for 
press and online news outlets. The Media Policy Guidelines for 2024–2027 include an action 
on enhancing information about media ownership. There has been no change as regards media 
concentration rules,  however amendments are necessary on the  assessment  of media market 
concentrations.  NEPLP  does  not  have  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  market,  since  it  only 
collects data on electronic media market, and not on the press. The 2025 MPM remains stable 
at medium-low risk (40%) for transparency of media ownership103. 

The  Freedom  of  Information  Law  guarantees  the  right  to  access  information  held  by 
public  institutions.  Access  to  information  is  also  guaranteed  by  the  Law  on  the  Press  and 
Other Mass Media, which establishes the right for the press to access information held by the 
state bodies and public authorities104. Latvia has ratified the Council of Europe Convention on 
Access to Official Documents105. Although the MPM 2025 refers to some issues about public 
institutions withholding information in response to requests based on freedom of information 
legislation, it considers the protection of right to information a low-risk area106. 

The  professional  environment  for  journalists  continues  to  be  overall  safe,  but  a 
deterioration  in  the  online  environment  is  observed.  Strengthening  journalist  and  media 
professionals’ safety is a priority under the Government’s Media Policy Guidelines for 2024–
2027. In spring 2024, the Ministry of Culture established a multi-stakeholder working group 
to develop an action plan on safety for journalists and other media professionals in Latvia and 
commissioned  a  study  that  came  up  with  proposals  for  improving  the  situation,  including 
regulatory  changes,  such  as  the  transposition  of  the  anti-SLAPP  Directive107.  In  December 
2024, LŽA also announced an ‘Alarm Button’, a system designed for journalists to report any 
form  of  violence  in  a  quick  and  easy  way.  While  journalists  in  Latvia  work  mainly  in 
favourable  conditions,  they  report  worsening  conditions  in  the  online  environment108.  This 

99   Country visit Latvia, PSM; ENNHRI (2025), p. 295-296. 
100   Law of 20 December 1990 on the Press and Other Mass Media. 
101  The  registered  information  about  mass  media  also  includes  details  about  the  owner  (founder)  and  the 

publisher of the mass medium (both legal entities and natural persons). 

102   NEPLP (2025), written input, p. 15. 
103   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, Latvia, p. 17. 
104   Law of 20 December 1990 on the Press and Other Mass Media.  
105   The Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (CETS No. 205), also known as the 

Tromsø Convention, entered into force on 1 December 2020. 

106   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, Latvia, p. 13. 
107   The  Latvian  Journalists’  Association  (LŽA)  won  a  tender  for  the  National  Focal  Point  of  the  Council  of 

Europe’s ‘Journalists Matter’ Campaign. 

108   Country visit Latvia, Latvian Association of Journalists. 

13 

 
 
 
issue  particularly  affects  female  journalists109,  as  well  as  journalists  working  for  the  public 
service media110. According to stakeholders, cooperation of online sites with law enforcement 
authorities to address this issue is not always effective111 and some journalists voiced distrust 
in  the  mechanism  of  cooperation  established  by  the  2020  memorandum  of  cooperation 
between the police and two journalists’ associations112, invoking a lack of effective action by 
the  police113.  In  May  2025,  the  Corruption  Prevention  and  Combating  Bureau  (KNAB) 
requested  Latvia’s  news  agency  LETA  and  the  Baltic  Centre  for  Investigative  Journalism 
Re:Baltica to provide explanations regarding published content about the municipal elections 
of 7 June114. The  Council  of  Europe’s  Platform  to  promote  the  protection  of  journalism 
and  safety  of journalists registered this case as the only new alert since the publication of the 
2024  Rule  of  Law  Report,  under  the  category  of  acts  having  chilling  effects  on  media 
freedom115.  The  same  alert  was  published  on  the  Mapping  Media  Freedom  platform.  The 
2025  MPM  indicator  for  journalistic  profession,  standards,  and  protection  remains  stable  at 
medium-low risk (44%)116. 

IV. 

OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES 

Less than half of the companies surveyed in Latvia express high levels of confidence in 
the effectiveness of investment protection.  37% of companies are very or fairly confident 
that investments are protected by law and courts117. The main reasons among companies for 
their  lack  of  confidence  are  the  frequent  changes  in  legislation  or  the  concerns  about  the 
quality of the law-making process118. 37% perceive the level of independence of the national 
competition  authority  (Competition  Council)  as  very  or  fairly  good119.  Foreign  investors 
perceive some developments as negatively impacting the business environment, such as the 
handling of large-scale public contracts120. Draft amendments to the Competition Law have 
been  consulted  with  several  institutions  after  the  previous  Chairman  of  the  Competition 
Council resigned and appointed the next interim head without clear selection procedure. The 
amendments would allow the Minister of Economics to appoint an interim Chairperson and 
Council  members  until  permanent  appointments  are  made.  KNAB,  FICIL,  the  State 
Chancellery, and the Competition Council, have opposed these changes due to concerns over 
transparency  and  political  influence121.  Decisions  issued  by  authorities  are  reviewed  on  the 
merits by courts of first and appellate instances. 

109   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, p. 15.  
110   Country visit Latvia, Latvian Association of Journalists and the Latvian PSM.  
111   Civic Alliance Latvia (2025), written input, p. 17; country visit Latvia, Latvian Association of Journalists. 
112   Country visit Latvia, Latvian Association of Journalists. 
113  The  State Police indicated that before each public event or protest, an assessment of the possible risks of 
endangering  public  order  and  security  is  taking  place,  which  allows  for  increased  attention  to  threats  to 
journalists and for taking measures to ensure personal and public safety. 

114   KNAB requested precise information about editorial processes, such as the selection criteria for the political 
parties, interviewees and cities mentioned, the name of the person coordinating the editorial and publication 
work, or the source of funding for the content. Re:Baltica was also asked about its future publication plans. 

115   Council of Europe, Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, Latvia. 
116   2025 Media Pluralism Monitor, p.11. 
117   Figure 54, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard. 
118   Figure 55, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard. 
119   Figure 60, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard.  21% of the surveyed investors perceive the quality, efficiency or 

independence of justice as a reason for the lack of confidence in investment protection.  

120   Country visit Latvia, FICIL.  
121   Competition Council (2025). 

14 

 
 
 
On 1 January 2025, Latvia had 9 leading judgments of the European Court of Human 
Rights  pending  implementation,  an  increase  of  1  compared  to  the previous  year122.  At 
that  time,  Latvia’s  rate  of  leading  judgments  from  the  past  10  years  that  had  been 
implemented  was  at  79%  (compared  to  83%  in  2024;  21%  remained  pending),  and  the 
average time that the judgments had been pending implementation was 1 years and 3 months 
(compared  to  1  years  and  9  months  in  2024)123.  The  oldest  leading  judgment,  pending 
implementation  for  3  years,  concerns  the  interference  with  the  applicants’  right  to  the 
peaceful enjoyment of their possessions for being unable to use or access their property since 
late 2005 because it was arbitrary designated as a water supply protection zone without any 
compensation  or  allocation  of  another  plot  of  land  to  them  124.  As  regards  the  respect  of 
payment deadlines, on 31 December 2024 there were 2 cases in total awaiting confirmation 
of payments (compared to 0 in 2023)125. On 16 June 2025, the number of leading judgments 
pending implementation had decreased to 8126.  

Operating  conditions  for  civil  society  remain  overall  open  and  stable.  Civic  space  in 
Latvia continues to be considered as open127. An amendment to the law on associations and 
foundations  makes  daily  operations  easier  for  civil  society  organisations,  such  as  by 
facilitating  online  meetings128.  Civil  society  organisations  in  Latvia  are  not  fully  satisfied 
with the national rules governing the administration of public funds, including EU structural 
funds,  with  concerns  about  how  the  public  interest  is  taken  into  account129.  In  2024,  the 
Ministry of Finance had planned to subject all associations and foundations without ‘public 
benefit status’ to corporate income tax in an effort to combat misuse of these forms of legal 
persons. This would have affected many civil society organisations, which frequently do not 
have  this  status.  Following  objections  by  civil  society  organisations,  the  plans  were  not 
pursued further130. 

122   For  an  explanation  of 

the  supervision  process,  see 

the  website  of 

the  Council  of  Europe, 

https://www.coe.int/en/web/execution/the-supervision-process.   

123   All figures calculated by the European Implementation Network  (EIN) and based on the number of cases 
that are considered pending at the annual cut-off date of 1 January 2025. EIN (2025), written input, pp. 5-6. 
124 European Court of Human Rights, judgment of 21 September 2021, application no. 73105/12, Berzins and 

Others v. Latvia, pending implementation since 2021.  

125   Council of Europe (2025), p. 157.   
126   Data according to the online database of the European Court of Human Rights (HUDOC). 
127   Rating  given  by  Civicus,  Latvia.  Ratings  are  on  a  five-category  scale  defined  as:  open,  narrowed, 

obstructed, repressed and closed. 

128   Civic Alliance Latvia (2025a), written input, p. 16., and Civic Alliance Latvia (2025b), p. 8.   
129   Civic Alliance Latvia (2025), written input, p. 18.  
130   Civic Alliance Latvia (2025), written input, p. 18, and country visit Latvia, Civic Alliance Latvia.  

15 

 
 
 
 
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order* 

* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2024 Rule of Law report 
can 
https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-rule-law-report-targeted-
found 
stakeholder-consultation_en.  

be 

at 

Cabinet of Ministers (2022), Declaration of envisaged activity of the Cabinet of Ministers. 

Cabinet of Ministers (2025), Annual report to the Saeima on the work carried out and planned by the 
Cabinet of Ministers. 

Centre for Media Pluralism and Freedom (CMPF), Media Pluralism Monitor 2025. 

Civic Alliance Latvia (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

Civic Alliance Latvia (2025), supplementary written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.  

Civicus, Monitor tracking civic space – Latvia, https://monitor.civicus.org/country/latvia/. 

Competition Council, Website, https://www.kp.gov.lv/en. 

Competition  Council,  Press  release  (2025),  ‘The  work  of  the  Competition  Council  will  be  further 
chaired by Ieva Šmite’, 16 January 2025, https://www.kp.gov.lv/en/article/work-competition-council-
will-be-further-chaired-ieva-smite. 

Court Administration (Tiesu Administrācija) (2025) Laila Jurcēna appointed Director of the Academy 
of 
iecelta  Laila  Jurcēna),  18  February 
2025https://www.ta.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/par-tieslietu-akademijas-direktori-iecelta-laila-jurcena. 

(Par  Tieslietu  akadēmijas  direktori 

Justice 

European  Commission  (2023a),  Proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  establishing  harmonised  requirements  in  the  internal  market  on  transparency  of  interest 
representation  carried  out  on  behalf  of  third  countries  and  amending  Directive  (EU)  2019/1937, 
COM/2023/637 final.   

European Commission (2023b), Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard.   

European Commission (2024), 2024 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation 
in Latvia.  

European Commission (2025a), 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard. 

European  Commission  (2025b),  Flash  Eurobarometer  554,  Perceived  independence  of  the  national 
justice systems in the EU among the general public. 

European  Commission  (2025c),  Flash  Eurobarometer  555,  Perceived  independence  of  the  national 
justice systems in the EU among companies.   

European Commission (2025d), Flash Eurobarometer 557, Businesses’ attitudes toward corruption in 
the EU. 

European Commission (2025e), Special Eurobarometer 561, Citizens’ attitudes towards corruption in 
the EU.  

Commission 

Latvia’s 
European 
https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-
facility/country-pages/latvias-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en 

resilience 

recovery 

(2025f), 

and 

plan, 

European Court of Human Rights (2021), judgment of 21 September 2021, application no. 73105/12, 
Berzins and Others v. Latvia. 

European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (2025), State of the rule of law in Europe, 
Reports from the National Human Rights Institutions, Latvia, https://rule-of-law.ennhri.org/.  

European Public Prosecutor’s Office (2025), Annual Report 2024. 

16 

 
 
Group  of  States  against  Corruption  (GRECO)  (2021),  Fourth  Evaluation  round,  Addendum  to  the 
Second compliance report, Latvia. 

GRECO (2023), Fifth Evaluation Round, Second compliance report, Latvia.   

Judicial Council (2025) ‘Academy of Justice informs the Judicial Council about the first months of its 
activity’,  12  May  2025,  https://www.tieslietupadome.lv/en/article/academy-justice-informs-judicial-
council-about-first-months-its-activity. 

Latvian Government (2025a), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.  

Latvian Government (2025b), written input concerning the single market dimension. 

Latvian Government (2025c), additional written input by the Ministry of Economics 

Latvian Government (2025d), additional written input by the Ministry of Finance. 

Latvian Government (2025e), additional written input by the Financial Intelligence Unit. 

Latvian Government (2025f), additional written input by the Ministry of Justice. 

Latvian Government (2025g), additional written input by KNAB. 

Latvian Government (2025h), additional written input by the Prosecutor General’s Office.  

Latvian Government (2025i), additional written input by the State Chancellery. 

Latvian Government (2025j), additional written input by the State Revenue Service.  

Latvian  Public  Broadcasting  (2024),  Latvian  political  party  faces  renewed  illegal  financing 
allegations,  11  April  2024,  https://eng.lsm.lv/article/politics/politics/11.04.2024-latvian-political-
party-faces-renewed-illegal-financing-allegations.a549997/.  

KNAB (2025a), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

KNAB (2025b), additional written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.  

KNAB (2025c), annual Report 2024. 

KNAB (2025d), Analysis of corruption risks in Latvian municipal building boards – Summary of the 
Strategic  Analysis  Report 
on  KNAB  website: 
https://www.knab.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/knab-analize-norada-uz-augstiem-korupcijas-riskiem-
buvinspektoru-darbiba). 

download 

(available 

online 

for 

of  Measures 

KNAB  (2025e),  KNAB  provides  an  opportunity  for  the  public  to  follow  the  implementation  of  the 
Corruption, 
Prevention 
Plan 
https://www.knab.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/knab-nodrosina-iespeju-sabiedribai-sekot-lidzi-korupcijas-
noversanas-un-apkarosanas-pasakumu-plana-izpildei#korupcijas-noversanas-un-apkarosanas-
pasakuma-plana-2023-2025-gadam-izpildes-vizualizacija.  

Combating 

and 

the 

for 

of 

NEPLP, Website, https://www.neplp.lv/lv. 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Recommendation of the Council 
on Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying and Influence, OECD/LEGAL/0379. 

OECD Public Integrity Indicators, Website, https://oecd-public-integrity-indicators.org/.  

Parliament (Saeima) (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.  

Procurement 
https://www.iub.gov.lv/en/services/public-procurement-challenging.  

Monitoring 

(2025), 

Bureau 

Procurement 

challenging, 

State Audit Office (2022), Audit Report Is the Public Administration Reform Plan 2020 proceeding as 
planned and is the intended effect achieved? (Vai Valsts pārvaldes reformas plāns 2020 norit saskaņā 
ar plānoto un tiek panākts iecerētais efekts?), https://www.lrvk.gov.lv/lv/revizijas/revizijas/noslegtas-
revizijas/vai-valsts-parvaldes-reformas-plans-2020-norit-saskana-ar-planoto-un-tiek-panakts-
ieceretais-efekts.  

17 

 
 
State  Audit  Office  (2024a),  Performance  Audit  on  the  Availability  and  Development  of  Human 
Resources  in  the  Courts  of  Latvia,  cited  in  written  input  by  Latvia,  English  summary, 
https://www.lrvk.gov.lv/en/getrevisionfile/29740-J2RD-kxrwjumAYd1ZQNdSJZjDb6mRsn_.pdf. 

State  Audit  Office  (2024b),  Audit  Report  on  ‘Effectiveness  of  Public  Procurement  in  the  Interior’ 
efektivitāte), 
publisko 
(Iekšlietu 
https://www.lrvk.gov.lv/lv/revizijas/revizijas/noslegtas-revizijas/problemas-un-iespejas-publisko-
iepirkumu-attistibai.   

iepirkumu 

nozares 

State  Chancellery  (2024),  Information  Report  Implementing  the  Law  on  Whistleblowing  -  ex-post 
evaluation  (Informatīvais  ziņojums  -  Trauksmes  celšanas  likuma  istenosanas  ex-post  izverte  jums), 
https://www.mk.gov.lv/lv/media/21975/download?attachment.   

Transparency 
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024. 

International/Delna 

(2025), 

Corruption 

Perceptions 

Index 

2024, 

Transparency  International/Delna  (2025),  Ex  post  Evaluation  of  Public  Administration  Values  and 
Ethical  Requirements 
izvērtējums), 
https://ppdb.mk.gov.lv/database/valsts-parvaldes-vertibu-un-etikas-prasibu-ex-post-izvertejums/.    

(Valsts  pārvaldes  vērtību  un  ētikas  prasību  ex-post 

Via  Baltica  (2024),  Latvia:  MPs  fail 
https://viabaltica.fi/latvia-mps-fail-to-criminalise-corruption-in-public-procurement/.  

to  criminalise  corruption 

in  public  procurement, 

18 

 
 
Annex II: Country visit to Latvia 

The Commission services held virtual meetings in February 2025 with: 

•  Association of Journalists  
•  Association of Judges  
•  Bar Association (Council of Sworn Advocates) 
•  Civic Alliance Latvia 
•  Competition Council   
•  Constitutional Court  
•  Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) 
•  Court Administration 
•  Delna – Transparency International Latvia  
•  Economic Court  
•  Foreign Investors’ Council in Latvia (FICIL)  
• 
•  Judicial Council  
•  Latvian  Public  Media  (successor  to:  Latvijas  Televīzija  (LTV)  and  Latvijas  Radio 

Internal Security Bureau 

(LR)) 

•  Ministry of Culture  
•  Ministry of Economics 
•  Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
•  Ministry of Justice 
•  National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) 
•  Ombudsperson’s Office 
•  Prosecutor General’s Office 
•  Public Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP) 
•  Saeima (Parliament)  
•  Society Integration Foundation 
•  State Audit Office 
•  State Border Guard 
•  State Chancellery 
•  State Revenue Service 
•  Supreme Court  

* The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings:  

•  Amnesty International 
•  Araminta 
•  Civil Liberties Union for Europe  
•  Civil Society Europe  
•  European Civic Forum  
•  European Partnership for Democracy 
•  European Youth Forum, 
• 
• 
•  JEF Europe 

International Commission of Jurists  
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) 

19 

 
 
 
•  Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association. 
•  Transparency International  

20