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

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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
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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.
2
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.
3
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.
4
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
Courts of Latvia’, cited in written input by Latvia, p. 5, English summary available at:
https://www.lrvk.gov.lv/en/getrevisionfile/29740-J2RD-kxrwjumAYd1ZQNdSJZjDb6mRsn_.pdf.
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.
5
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).
6
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.
7
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.
8
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.
9
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).
10
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
11
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 for violations of the regulation on a regular basis (available at:
https://www.iub.gov.lv/lv/administrativo-parkapumu-dati).
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
12
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 its independence through well-established
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.
13
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.
14
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).
15
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.
16
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 be found at https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en.
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 Justice (Par Tieslietu akadēmijas direktori iecelta Laila Jurcēna), 18 February
2025https://www.ta.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/par-tieslietu-akademijas-direktori-iecelta-laila-jurcena.
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.
European Commission (2025f), Latvia’s recovery and resilience plan,
https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-
facility/country-pages/latvias-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en
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.
17
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 (available for download online on KNAB website:
https://www.knab.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/knab-analize-norada-uz-augstiem-korupcijas-riskiem-
buvinspektoru-darbiba).
KNAB (2025e), KNAB provides an opportunity for the public to follow the implementation of the
Plan of Measures for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption,
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.
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 Monitoring Bureau (2025), Procurement challenging,
https://www.iub.gov.lv/en/services/public-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.
18
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’
(Iekšlietu nozares publisko iepirkumu efektivitāte),
https://www.lrvk.gov.lv/lv/revizijas/revizijas/noslegtas-revizijas/problemas-un-iespejas-publisko-
iepirkumu-attistibai.
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 International/Delna (2025), Corruption Perceptions Index 2024,
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024.
Transparency International/Delna (2025), Ex post Evaluation of Public Administration Values and
Ethical Requirements (Valsts pārvaldes vērtību un ētikas prasību ex-post izvērtējums),
https://ppdb.mk.gov.lv/database/valsts-parvaldes-vertibu-un-etikas-prasibu-ex-post-izvertejums/.
Via Baltica (2024), Latvia: MPs fail to criminalise corruption in public procurement,
https://viabaltica.fi/latvia-mps-fail-to-criminalise-corruption-in-public-procurement/.
19
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)
• Internal Security Bureau
• Judicial Council
• Latvian Public Media (successor to: Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) and Latvijas Radio
(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,
• International Commission of Jurists
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• JEF Europe
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• Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association.
• Transparency International