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The Latvia country profile provides a concise overview of key trends across three dimensions: environment and climate; socio-economic change; and system change (energy, mobility and food) in the country. It highlights the main developments and challenges in these areas, including measures to support progress towards sustainability in Latvia. An assessment for each of the three dimensions was prepared by national experts from the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) in Latvia, based on 20 established indicators from the EEA or Eurostat.

Latvia is characterised by a diverse landscape that includes forests, waters and meadows. Forests cover more than half of Latvia’s territory and play a crucial role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. However, over the past five years, Latvia has experienced the growing impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns are putting pressure on ecosystems, agriculture and rural livelihoods.

In response, Latvia is working to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation into all environmentally related economic sectors. Latvia has implemented policies aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture practices and enhancing soil health. Notable progress has been made in the transition to renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain. The transport sector remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, making it one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To address this, Latvia is investing in the expansion of public transport systems and improving cycling infrastructure. While these initiatives are promising, their full implementation requires additional financial support and long-term planning.

To achieve the European Green Deal objectives by 2030, Latvia needs to continue a systemic transformation. Successful implementation of the European Green Deal will require financial resources, administrative burden reduction, public participation and the identification and application of innovative solutions. It should be noted that recent political decisions to invest in renewable energy sources and enhance waste management have been beneficial steps towards a more sustainable future. However, they have also created new challenges and added pressure on natural capital.

Latvia has also strengthened its environmental monitoring and data collection systems and increased its investment in climate research and innovation. Public awareness of environmental challenges has grown in recent years, though continued education and outreach efforts are needed to ensure broad societal support for climate and environmental action. Ultimately, Latvia must navigate a delicate balance between economic growth and environmental protection, ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

1Environment and climate2Socio-economic change3System change
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Summary assessment

This section is dedicated to an in-depth examination of the subject of water, as it is not addressed in any other assessment area. Latvia’s water and water-related ecosystems are crucial for supporting a wide range of biodiversity, from fully aquatic species to those reliant on these habitats, and also for providing essential resources for terrestrial life. In addition, the ecological water quality indicates impacts caused by several essential economic sectors, such as industry, agriculture and forestry.

Due to its geographical location and natural weather conditions (the amount of precipitation exceeding the amount of evaporation), the river network in Latvia is very dense. Latvia’s 64 000 km2 of territory contains about 12 400 rivers and 2 256 lakes. A well-prepared drainage network, including many straightened rivers, ensures suitable territory for agriculture and urban development. Due to the presence of bogs and forests, many Latvian waterbodies, especially lakes, have high levels of organic matter.

Given the changing climate and Latvia’s economic development, improving the water quality status is challenging. Only one third of surface waterbodies (i.e. rivers and lakes) are in good/high ecological status according to monitoring data reports. The main pressures on affected water bodies are nutrient pollution from diffuse sources and hydromorphological alterations (straightening, barriers and water level changes).

Approved river basin management plans for each of the four international river basin districts include selected cost-effective measures to improve water ecological and chemical quality. However, in some cases, conventional measures should be replaced by innovative approaches; for example, within the LIFE GoodWater IP project, the reconstruction of drainage systems is done in parallel with establishing spawning areas, sedimentation ponds and artificial wetland areas. These solutions help to reduce nutrient pollution and to keep biotopes in good quality.

Latvia, nestled in the heart of the Baltic region, is charting a complex path towards sustainability, making notable progress in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In 2022, the environmental goods and services sector in Latvia reached a gross value added of EUR 1.3299 billion, a 59.2% increase since 2014. This growth, driven by investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, has contributed to a slight uptick in the sector’s share of GDP. Employment and productivity in the sector are also increasing, which indicates the technological modernisation of the sector.

Despite the improvements indicated by the EU Eco-Innovation Index, Latvia still lags behind the EU average in areas such as investments in eco-innovation and energy efficiency. This highlights the need for stronger policies to drive sustainable innovation and to cut fossil fuel dependence.

The energy crisis of 2022 exposed the vulnerability of many Latvian households, particularly those with lower incomes. A significant portion of the population struggled to adequately heat their homes, highlighting the need for targeted social support measures, increasing energy efficiency and switching to safer energy resource suppliers.

Moreover, Latvia’s Gini coefficient remains relatively high compared with other EU Member States. While Latvia has made some progress in reducing inequality, achieving the 2030 goal of a Gini coefficient below 30 will require sustained efforts.

To reconcile its environmental ambitions with its social and economic goals, Latvia must adopt a holistic approach that considers the interconnectedness of these issues. Key policy priorities in this area include the following points.

  • Latvia plans to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy while ensuring access to energy for all by further promoting investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
  • Latvia will strengthen social safety nets, providing targeted support for vulnerable households, particularly during periods of economic hardship.
  • Latvia plans to enhance innovation and technological development, and support research and development in green technologies.

Nor can we forget about global problems that also affect Latvia, such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Latvia’s socioeconomic success will depend on its ability to make bold policy decisions and adapt to a rapidly changing world.

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The food system

Since 2005, GHG emissions from the agriculture sector in Latvia have increased by 22.5%, a figure that is still 55.2% less than in 1990. Latvia’s renewed national energy and climate plan envisages that, with additional measures in 2030, GHG emissions from the agricultural sector will only be 21.5% higher than in 2005. This means that agriculture sector GHG emissions are expected to be lower than the current situation.

Within the framework of the EU common agricultural policy, financing from EU funds in the form of basic income support to farmers in Latvia continues. Its objectives include ensuring a stable supply of safe, high-quality and affordable food to the population. Environmental and climate requirements have been reinforced by the receipt of subsidies from 2023, and through voluntary schemes for receiving support for the implementation of environment- and climate-friendly practices.

In Latvia, the application of green public procurement (GPP) criteria is mandatory in the procurement of food supply and catering services in state and local government institutions. According to the GPP quality requirements, food must be organically farmed, meet the requirements of the national food quality scheme or meet integrated farming criteria. In order to promote the consumption of sustainable food products in the public sector, separate mandatory GPP requirements have been set up for organically produced food.

Measures are being implemented to develop food quality schemes, taking into account consumer demand for quality food products and the interests of food producers in producing food products with high added value, and in accordance with the measures of the government action plan and the 2021–2027 national development plan, both of which aim for higher food standards by implementing measures to promote the availability of quality food. At the beginning of 2024, the national food quality scheme covered a wide range of food products (more than 900 products). The food quality schemes benefit both producers and consumers, while also promoting trade, economic growth and rural development in general.

In order for consumers to make informed choices of healthier food, Latvia supports the introduction of the harmonised ‘front of pack nutrition labelling’ scheme, which is an important element of the farm-to-fork strategy.

In order to promote the redistribution of food surpluses and reduce food waste, Latvia has developed and implemented laws and regulations regarding food donation. In development are ‘food donation guidelines’ for organisations wishing to participate in the donation and receipt of food.

Information is regularly prepared for the public about the meanings of and differences between the expiration date markers ‘best before’ and ‘use by’.

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The energy system

There are three energy networks – electricity, natural gas and district heating – that can directly or indirectly offer the same energy services. Due to historical circumstances, Latvia’s energy sector was closely connected with the Russian energy sector, and until 2022 more than 95% of it used natural gas. In addition, a significant part of Latvia’s electricity was imported from Russia. In 2022, the electricity trade with Russia ended, and the import of Russia’s natural gas has been forbidden since 2023. The synchronisation of the EU single system for the Baltic states was finalised on 8–9 February 2025.

Latvia has been experiencing significant social and behavioural shifts in response to the 2022–2023 energy availability and energy price crisis; thus, society and companies are investing more in energy efficiency for their buildings and technologies, in renewables self-production and in fuel switching. Latvia is seeing a surge in renewable energy installations, particularly in solar energy, as solar energy technologies have significantly fewer environmental impact assessment obligations and can be implemented more quickly. Heat pumps are becoming more popular for individual heating, mostly combined with solar photovoltaics. Energy storage technologies have also become increasingly important in the last few years, enabling better management of energy production and consumption patterns, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Moreover, one of the best energy efficiency measures is the implementation of smart metering technologies, which allow consumers to monitor and optimise their energy usage more effectively. As of now, 99% of electricity consumption is monitored by smart metering, and smart metering for natural gas consumption and district heating is gathering momentum (especially in new buildings).

Since the 2000s, one of the biggest drivers of renewable technologies – bioenergy and wind energy – has been feed-in tariffs (mandatory procurement), which together with the emissions trading system have significantly increased biomass and biogas capacities. These support programmes increased renewables capacity in industry and households, and started the development of wind power stations. Guarantees of origin for renewable electricity are also being used to create a market-driven approach to reducing GHG emissions, incentivising companies to invest in greener energy solutions.

The electricity market has been fully open in Latvia since 2015, and the natural gas market followed suit in 2023. Substantial work has also been invested in ensuring a sustainable, cost-reflective electricity tariff structure that incentivises the efficient use of networks. In addition, almost all wholesale market transactions take place in the electricity exchange.

Politically, Latvia has committed to ambitious renewables targets and is phasing out emitting technologies. The legislative framework has been strengthened to support the integration of flexible renewable energy sources into the energy system, mainly reducing the administrative burden on renewable projects.

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The mobility system

Concerning the mobility system in general, Latvia has seen a steady increase in social and behavioural changes – including a switch to public transportation, car-sharing and cycling, and the development of low-emission and zero-emission zones – among more and more of the population. While the impact is not yet sizeable, we expect it to have far more considerable effects on the mobility system of Latvia.

Widely accessible and affordable electric vehicles and widespread electric charging infrastructure are key assets for decarbonising the mobility system.

Latvia has several support programmes for the purchase of electric vehicles, with or without a home charging station, which favourably affects demand.

The EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation has been a major push towards expanding publicly available charging and refuelling infrastructure. Regarding national legislation, the Transport Energy Law was recently adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers and is awaiting entry into force.

Concerning public transport, the state policy is currently being developed in such a way as to transition the population from private road transport to public transport. The transport system must ensure local reach, using rail as the backbone of public transport, as well as fostering international connectivity within the EU core network.

The availability of public transport services in the Riga metropolitan area can be assessed as high. One of the main challenges of the Riga metropolitan area transport system is the relatively large number of private cars entering and leaving Riga due to workday commuting.

Rail transport plays an important role in the Riga metropolitan area. Fully electric trains run in the territory of the Riga metropolitan area and carry 89% of all public transportation passengers. This transportation mode plays a particularly important role inside the Riga metropolitan area, which has the highest population density and the widest-reaching railway network.

Concerning electric vehicle uptake, in 2023, the increase in demand for electric vehicles was 119% compared with the previous year, which can be explained by various new advantages for electric vehicles. First-time registration and the issuance of first-time number plates are free of charge for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are offered free parking in several places, are not charged for entry into Jurmala and are exempted from the annual vehicle operation tax.

Even though the car-sharing market in Riga has developed strongly in the last few years and the number of operators continues to grow, the demand is still greater than the supply.

Concerning railways, currently just 14% of the Latvian railway network is electrified. In the long term, the electrification programme envisages the electrification of all main railway lines. By 2030, Latvia plans to electrify 20% of the total railway network. The Rail Baltica project will be a standard-gauge high-speed, fully electrified railway line, which will integrate the Baltic states into the European railway network.