On 10 May 2022, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, launched the tenth session of the Intensive Programme in European Law and Economics, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-financed by the United States of America. The six-week course covering the structure, policies and initiatives of the European Union brings together 34 young professionals from the countries of Central Asia.
The Intensive Programme is implemented by the Riga Graduate School of Law in association with the University of Latvia, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, and the European Institute of Public Administration. For eight years, the programme has been supported by the government of the United States.
After a pause of two years, the Intensive Programme is to be held with in-person attendance. As part of their training, the young professionals will also do a study trip to Brussels, where they will be introduced to the work of EU institutions. The participants represent the public administration, civil society and the academic sector of the Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Background information
Since 2014, the interdisciplinary programmes in European Law and Economics have been implemented by the Riga Graduate School of Law for the benefit of regions prioritised by Latvia in association with the University of Latvia, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, and the European Institute of Public Administration.
The programmes are supported from the budget allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the implementation of development assistance policy, with financial contribution from the United States. In earlier years, support for programmes run at RGSL has also been provided by Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
More than 525 participants from 20 partner countries have graduated from the Advanced and Intensive Programmes since 2014. The graduates will be able to use their newly acquired knowledge and experience to promote the development of their home countries.