Posts Tagged ‘Latvia’
MILA Members Demonstrate Artificial Intelligence Solutions for the Public Sector
On March 4, 2026, the Latvian Artificial Intelligence Association (MILA) organized the event “AI Solutions for Latvian Municipalities”, which attracted strong interest from public sector representatives across Latvia. More than 40 participants attended the event in person at the University of Latvia Library in Riga, while over 400 participants joined online.
The event was organized by MILA in collaboration with AI Salon Riga, the University of Latvia Artificial Intelligence and Computing Center, and the Latvian Municipal ICT Association.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 6 Mar
Read MoreNIB strengthens SME financing in Latvia through ALTUM
NIB has signed a loan agreement of EUR 50 million with JSC Development Finance Institution ALTUM to support SMEs across Latvia. The funding will be used for a wide range of SME investments, including equipment purchases (such as agricultural machinery, production machinery, and equipment for service providers), property investments (including agricultural or production facilities), as well as working capital loans.
The programme primarily targets loans below EUR 1 million, with a dedicated portion for smaller loans (below EUR 250,000) aimed at SMEs in rural areas. Typical investments include equipment and heavy vehicles for forestry, agriculture, and manufacturing, as well as construction or renovation of facilities for smaller service providers.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 3 Mar
Read MoreOpen arms Nato’s Baltic members agree to open their borders in the event of an emergency
The eight Nato countries bordering the Baltic Sea, together with Iceland and Norway, have pledged to open their borders to each other’s citizens should they be forced to flee in the event of a disaster. The agreement is an extension of a patchwork of arrangements among some of the countries in the region and will make it possible to co-ordinate responses and establish uniform procedures for doing so.
The bear not in the room is Russia. The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it does not intend to invade Nato countries, but western intelligence agencies have advised their governments to be ready for everything from small-scale shenanigans to an outright invasion. Military collaboration has long been a way to signal to their populations that they are doing what they can to prevent such things from happening. Now, civil-defence agencies are showing they will be taken care of in the event they do.
RELATED ARTICLE } Swedes preparing to receive Bornholm refugees
Read MoreSurvey: AI inequality gap is emerging in Latvia
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into everyday work processes in Latvia. However, the labor market’s overall preparedness for these changes remains insufficient. A representative survey conducted in February 2026 by the research company Norstat, commissioned by ERDA and the Future of Work Institute, shows that only 23% of employed respondents have received training in artificial intelligence over the past 12 months, highlighting a significant skills development challenge in the labor market.
In only 16.2% of cases was the training provided by the employer, while a substantial share of employees acquired knowledge at their own expense. This means that more than three-quarters of Latvia’s workforce operate in an AI-driven environment without systematic support.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Mar
Read MoreTwo more container shipping lines have added the Port of Riga to their routes
At the beginning of this year, two new container cargo lines have started operating in the Port of Riga. The ships of the British company Ellerman City Liners will connect the Port of Riga with the ports of Gdynia, Teesport, Tilbury and Rotterdam. Meanwhile, ships of the leading international sea container carrier company Hapag-Lloyd will operate on the route Wilhelmshaven-Hamburg-Klaipeda-Riga-Rauma-Helsinki-Wilhelmshaven. Vessels of both shipping lines will call the Port of Riga once a week.
Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s top global container shipping companies. Its fleet boasts 305 modern container ships with a total transport capacity of 12.5 million TEUs (20-foot container units) per year. The company employs 17,400 employees in more than 400 representative offices across 140 countries. The strategic addition of the Port of Riga to Hapag-Lloyd’s extensive network provides clients with faster, more reliable delivery solutions and enhanced global connectivity. This integration makes it easier to reach more international destinations directly from Riga.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 17 Feb
Read MoreKeeping up with the Nordics Baltics staying the course against corruption
When it comes to corruption rankings, there are the Nordics and then there is everyone else. Again this year, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden ended in a log jam at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual ranking of perceived corruption in the public sector. Germany rounded out the top 10. The Baltic states (Estonia: 12; Lithuania: 28th; Latvia: 37) are showing that despite some setbacks (including the resignation of Lithuania’s prime minister last year amid a corruption scandal), that they, too, take corruption seriously.
Transparency International, which has produced the report each year since 1995, cautions against easing up against corruption, even in the Nordic countries, but, in the Baltic region, the trends at least are with them: countries with the best records are generally democratic and highly digitalised.
READ MORE
That will show the path for Poland (52). To be sure, it has shown improvement since PiS, an illiberal regime that dismembered the country’s civil-society infrastructure, was voted out of office in 2023, and it finds itself solidly in the top third of the table.
Progress, though, has been modest, due to what has been deemed insufficient efforts to undo the damage done by PiS. Russia (157) finished level with Chad, Honduras and Zimbabwe. An outlier in a sea of outliers.
NIB to finance upgrades to Riga water systems
NIB has agreed on a credit facility of up to EUR 50 million with SIA Rīgas ūdens to support a 2025–2028 investment programme for wastewater treatment and clean-water infrastructure. The aim is to improve service reliability and quality and to cut non-revenue water.
The total programme cost is EUR 235 million and is also co-financed by a EUR 70 million loan from the European Investment Bank, as well as funding raised through green bond issuances.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 12 Feb
Read MoreThe best business idea at the Icebreakers’26 festival will receive €10,000
The author of the most promising idea in the business idea competition at this year’s Icebreakers’26 business opportunity festival will receive €10,000 to support the development of their entrepreneurial venture.
Icebreakers’26 will take place at the University of Latvia’s (UL) House of Science in Torņakalns on March 5. The festival’s central theme is “Change the Rules of the Game,” accentuating the audacity to think and act differently in order to create innovations and develop entrepreneurial skills. It is a theme that encourages participants to challenge conventions, step out of their comfort zones, and seek new solutions that drive change in business, research, and society. It encourages the use of knowledge, creativity, and collaboration as a foundation for sustainable development—and participants to not merely follow trends, but actually change the rules of the game.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 4 Feb
Read MoreSlovenian company NGEN Group enters Latvia: will develop energy storage project using Tesla technologies
At a media event hosted today by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, it was announced that the Slovenia‑based energy company NGEN Group is entering the Latvian market with a €50 million investment.
According to information provided by investors, a deal has been concluded whereby NGEN Group has become the 100% owner of SIA “Liepāja ESS” to implement a stand-alone grid-connected battery energy storage project with a capacity of 100 MW and a storage capacity of 200 MWh in Grobiņa parish, Dienvidkurzeme region, at the Grobiņa substation. Construction work is planned to be completed this year.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 3 Feb
Read MoreMILA Joins the European Commission’s “Apply AI” Stakeholders’ Catalogue
We are proud to announce that the Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) has officially joined the Apply AI Alliance Stakeholders’ Catalogue.
This catalogue serves as the European Commission’s “official phonebook” of trusted organizations. It is the primary resource used by the Commission to identify stakeholders for shaping AI policy, participating in sectoral workshops, and attending annual AI Office gatherings.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Feb
Read More