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On 16 June 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a memorandum of cooperation with the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University and Rīga Stradiņš University to draw on the universities’ expertise, research and innovation capacity, infrastructure and talent during Latvia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2028. The Secretariat of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will coordinate the implementation of the memorandum.
“Latvia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union is a national undertaking that provides an opportunity to showcase Latvia internationally as a safe, open and innovation-oriented country. The involvement of universities will help us draw on the potential of our academic community in preparing for and delivering the Latvian Presidency,” emphasised the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže.
The memorandum of cooperation aims to foster closer collaboration between the government and the academic community so that the expertise and practical capacity of Latvian universities can be utilised as extensively as possible in the preparation of the Presidency. The involvement of higher education institutions in shaping the Presidency includes the opportunity to contribute to the Presidency’s programme, showcase Latvia’s science, research, and innovation landscape, and engage students and young professionals in the Presidency’s volunteer programme to help provide venues for additional events.
During the Presidency in the second half of 2028, approximately 250 events at various levels will take place in Latvia, including meetings of heads of state and government, ministers, and experts, as well as sectoral conferences and seminars. It is expected that up to 20,000 representatives from across the European Union will visit Latvia over the six-month period. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating the preparation of the Presidency’s substantive priorities, which are scheduled to be finalised shortly before the start of the Presidency in 2028.
The Secretariat of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the planning, delivering and overseeing Presidency events in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Latvia to the European Union, sectoral ministries, and the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.
This will be Latvia’s second presidency. The first took place in 2015.
