Thursday, April 16, 2026

Headlines

european union

One of those detained in the EPPO criminal proceedings could be the Deputy Director of the State Social Insurance Agency, Arvis Širaks

One of the 21 persons detained in the criminal proceedings initiated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) may be Arvis Širaks. He cannot be reached on his mobile phone today, and the VDAA landline is also disconnected. His deputy Jolanda Mustermane is also unreachable – there is silence on both of their phones. According to information available to Inc., Širaks has not come to work today. A VDAA representative of the Administrative […]

55 over 55: in which NGOs are the highest salaries and dependence on funds?

There are 30,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Latvia, of which only 1% receive funding through the Society Integration Foundation (SIF). Of these 300 organizations, fewer than half, that is 128 associations or foundations, have received SIF funding exceeding 50,000 euros over a three-year period. For 55 organizations, SIF funding has exceeded 100,000 euros. These are 55 NGOs whose activities, without state and various European Union (EU) […]

Amber Beverage Group asks to support companies that support Ukraine

The alcoholic beverage producer Amber Beverage Group, which owes the state several million, is calling on the Latvian government and European institutions to support companies that, by expressing support for Ukraine, have suffered direct economic losses because of their stance. “Almost four years after the start of Russian aggression, Amber Beverage Group continues to bear the costs of our principled support for Ukraine and peace in Europe,” says Amber Beverage Group’s CEO […]

The solution for obtaining biometric data for Estonian e-residents will be developed by a Latvian company

Latvian software developer X Infotech has won the tender for developing a technical solution to capture e-residents’ biometric data using mobile devices, announced the Information Technology and Development Center of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior (SMIT). Starting from 2027, the application under development will allow e-residency applicants to securely confirm their identity using a smartphone app. Submitting biometric data via the mobile app will make e-residency […]

The EP freezes the Mercosur deal and asks the EU Court of Justice to review it. Normally, this type of procedure takes 18–24 months. What else can happen?

The Mercosur deal, or the free trade agreement between the European Union and South America, provides for free trade without import tariffs, and the situation around it is ambiguous. Supporters of the agreement believe that it will open up wide opportunities for EU producers to export their goods to South America. In this respect, the main beneficiaries could be car manufacturers from Germany and other countries. Meanwhile, opponents of the agreement are concerned […]

Soft power ecosystem

In late autumn, when politicians traditionally heatedly debate budget issues, discussions arose on the agenda about whether the Society Integration Fund (SIF) should or should not be abolished. At that time, the association “Civic Alliance” pointed out that such an initiative should be seen as an attempt to weaken civil society and restrict democratic processes. Summarizing data on the organizations and media funded by SIF over the last three years, to the aforementioned […]

BlockBen will issue the first cryptocurrency in Latvia

The financial technology company BlockBen, which very recently received a license from the Bank of Latvia to provide crypto-asset services, will issue the first patented cryptocurrency CrowdX in Latvia and the European Union for the crowdfunding service provider SIA CrowdedHero. This cooperation marks a new era for blockchain-based crowdfunding in the European Union, since in Latvia no such token has been issued so far – neither before nor after […]

1 of 1000: An innovative Latvian technology company joins a prestigious European programme

The Latvian innovation startup SIA P-Agro Minerals was the only company from Latvia to be included in the European Commission’s Women TechEU programme, where only 40 out of 1107 applicants received funding of 75,000 euros – surpassing the 4% success threshold. Women TechEU is a two-year European Union funded initiative that supports women – founders and managers of knowledge-intensive companies across Europe. The aim of the programme is to create gender […]

When SIF is not enough…

Then the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) can also be used. In Latvia, the authority delegated for this fund is the Ministry of Culture. The managing authority of the fund is the Ministry of the Interior, while the auditing authority is the Ministry of Finance. This fund is mainly financed from European Union resources; however, it also requires national co‑financing, which makes up 25%. “The general objective of the project is through […]

MICA regulation: competitive “on paper”, in practice – nothing

Since mid-August, the number of licensed crypto-asset service providers in the European Union has increased by 52%, reaching 82 companies. Latvia, however, has not yet issued any licenses, as the Bank of Latvia has concerns about the potential market players’ reputation and level of maturity, the Head of Financial Technology at the Bank of Latvia emphasized at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Innovation Ecosystem Development of the Saeima Sustainable Development Committee […]