Egils Levits wished Portuguese and Slovenian ambassadors successful EU presidency in the first and second half of the 2021 respectively. He confirmed Latvia’s commitment to provide a meaningful contribution to both EU presidencies and work towards better Europe in the future.
On the 2021 outlook for Europe and Latvia, President Levits stressed that the first six months of the next year will still be dominated by the fight against the pandemic across all EU member states, but the end of the year promises to bring the long-awaited economic recovery. He emphasised the importance of economic restructuring because ‘2019 is not coming back, we have to adjust to the new normal and maximise the impact of EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility’.
According to the President, we must make the best use of European Green Deal, aligning economic policies with green goals: ‘Greening and digital transformation should be prioritised more, our investment policies must have stronger emphasis on these targets. We must make extra effort to make sure our democracy is not weakened by the digital transformation’.
2021 looks to be a good year for enhancing the already solid transatlantic partnership, which is absolutely key for Latvia and EU as a whole.
Belarus and future of EU’s Eastern Partnership Initiative was another topic widely discussed by the President and EU ambassadors during the meeting.
In conclusion, participants agreed that 2021 will be a big year for Latvia, as it will mark 100 years since the de jure recognition of its independence. Many countries will mark the 100 years since establishment of diplomatic relations with Latvia. Latvia will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the restoration of its national independence.
