2^nd EU Latvia Association Committee

Joint Press Release

Riga, 16 June, 1999

The 2^nd meeting of the EU-Latvia Association Committee took place in Riga on 16 June 1999. This Committee was set up under the EU-Latvia Europe Agreement, which entered into force in 1998, and comprises representatives from the European Commission, the EU Member States and the Latvian Government. Its purpose is to review all aspects of the EU-Latvia relations and to prepare for the ministerial level Association Council which meets once a year. The Delegations were headed respectively by Ms Catherine Day, Director for relations with Central Europe in DG I A at the European Commission, and Mr Andris Kesteris, Under-secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.

The meeting focused on Latvia's preparation for accession and specifically on the implementation of Latvia's Accession Partnership, which sets out priorities for these preparations. The discussions covered a wide range of issues including the integration of minorities into Latvian society, the draft Language Law, public administration reform and bilateral trade in agriculture. The EU side noted solid progress in Latvia's alignment with EC legislation in key areas such as industrial and intellectual property, state aids and competition, as well as in alignment of technical regulations and standards. The EU Delegation noted Latvia's considerable efforts in the area of customs and tax administration, however, stressed the need for progress in the implementation of public administration reform with a view to preparing the Latvian administration for EU membership.

The Delegations reviewed the status of economic reforms in Latvia, including the restructuring of certain sectors, privatisation and the investment climate. In this context, both Delegations noted further deepening of bilateral co-operation and looked at how to further improve trade relations. In particular both sides recognised the need to work together in the framework of the Europe Agreement in the agricultural field and agreed on the need for further consultations on Latvia's recent decision to introduce safeguard measures for pork.

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