Analytics, Economics, EU – Baltic States, Latvia

Valdis Dombrovskis.

In prime minister's opinion, voting in favor of joining the EU, Latvia chose to take a responsible way, to introduce and follow EU rules, which have already significantly contributed to strengthening rule of law and democracy in Latvia, as well as to eradication of corruption.

"Our goal is to attain the same living standard as in the wealthy European countries in the course of the next five to ten years. It will be possible if we will manage to purposefully reform our state administration system, reduce administrative burden on small enterprises and stimulate the economy of Latvia through uptaking EU appropriations," Dombrovskis said.

Latvia's task in the coming five years is to strengthen its impact in the EU so that, along with other countries, it could successfully defend the interests of its residents and would actively participate in defining the "global agenda", the prime minister believes; Dombrovskis points out that Latvia already has a say in EU budget formation process, in discussions regarding energy policy, strategies to overcome the global economic crisis, EU enlargements and other current issues.

"The first five years in the EU strongly contributed to the economic growth of the country, it created better living conditions for hundreds of thousands of Latvian families and ensured inflow of several billions of euros in the economy of Latvia. We can now appreciate the advantages that Latvia's EU membership has has brought in the sectors of strengthening democracy, rule of law and human rights protection," the politicians said.

"However, Latvia still has a number of unused chances that we could have access to because of our EU membership, therefore I urge the government ministers and officials, residents and non-governmental organizations to grasp all the opportunities available, focusing on economic growth stimulation resources. The first five years have proved that working towards achieving the set goal and knowledgeable actions can allow also small countries to reach high aims," Dombrovskis said.

On May 1, Latvia's EU membership jubilee, Domrbvoskis thanked "everyone, who have strengthened Latvia's positions in the EU; all, who have contributed to Latvia's integration in the Union, allowing people of Latvia to benefit from the opportunities, offered by the EU." "I wish all and everyone to find energy and inspiration, when facing challenges so that later you would feel that your contribution helped to achieve the common aim," the prime minister wished.