Investment and Development Agency of Latvia

Investment and Development Agency of Latvia
Latvian: Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra
Logo of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia
Agency overview
Formed1 February 2004 (2004-02-01)[1]: 5 
Preceding agency
  • Latvian Development Agency
TypeDirect administration institution
JurisdictionGovernment of Latvia
Headquarters
Employees280 (end of 2025)[1]: 23 
Agency executive
  • Ieva Jāgere[3], Director General
Parent department
Ministry of Economics (Latvia)
Websitewww.liaa.gov.lv/en

The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA; Latvian: Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra) is a direct administration institution under the authority of Latvia's Minister of Economics. It promotes foreign investment and exports, administers business and innovation support programs, implements tourism policy, and coordinates implementation of Latvia's national image policy.[4] The agency also serves as a first point of contact for prospective investors and assists with market entry, partner identification and site searches.[5]

History and organization

The Latvian Development Agency was established in 1993.[3] Under a government reorganization approved in December 2003, it was replaced by LIAA, which began operations on 1 February 2004. Since 1 January 2013, the agency's legal status and functions have been governed by Cabinet Regulation No. 857.[1]: 5 

The Latvian Tourism Development Agency was merged into LIAA in 2016, transferring implementation of state tourism policy to the agency.[3] In 2024, LIAA was reorganized to concentrate more staff on investment attraction and export promotion. A new structure took effect on 16 December, reducing the number of posts by 35 and the total workforce by 15 percent while increasing the number of employees assigned to investment and export work.[6]: 7 [7]

Investment and export promotion

LIAA acts as a one-stop shop for prospective investors and provides assistance with market entry, partner identification and site searches. It supports Latvian exporters through trade missions, national stands, business-to-business events and consultations on foreign markets.[3][5][1]: 14 

LIAA reported that implementation began on 31 investment projects with its involvement in 2025, with a combined value of €1.01 billion and 1,350 planned jobs.[8] During the same year, it organized 22 national stands and 60 trade missions, and identified 505 export projects and inquiries for Latvian companies.[1]: 14 

Tourism and national image

The Ministry of Economics develops and coordinates national tourism policy, while LIAA implements it and promotes Latvia domestically and abroad.[9] The tourism function was transferred to LIAA when the Latvian Tourism Development Agency was merged into it in 2016.[3]

LIAA's statutory duties also include participation in national image policy and coordination of its implementation. Its tourism activities include destination marketing, support for tourism product development and participation in international events.[4][9]

Business and innovation support

LIAA administers state-funded and European Union-funded programs for business incubation, innovation, technology transfer, digitalization and start-up support.[4][1]: 12–14  In 2025, the business incubation program operated through 22 LIAA offices in Latvia, including separate technology and creative-industry offices in Riga. During the year, 145 companies received financial support through the program.[1]: 13–14 

In July 2024, payments under a start-up support program were temporarily halted because Latvia had not amended its rules after a new European Union de minimis regulation took effect. The government changed the rules in August, allowing LIAA to resume processing applications and raising the maximum aid amount from €200,000 to €300,000.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūras 2025. gada publiskais pārskats [2025 public report of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia] (Report) (in Latvian). Investment and Development Agency of Latvia. 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Home". Investment and Development Agency of Latvia. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Organisation". Investment and Development Agency of Latvia. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūras nolikums" [Regulations of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia]. Likumi.lv (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 "The institutional and governance framework for FDI and SME linkages". Strengthening FDI and SME Linkages in the Baltic States (Report). OECD Publishing. 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūras 2024. gada publiskais pārskats [2024 public report of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia] (Report) (in Latvian). Investment and Development Agency of Latvia. 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Latvia's investment agency might dismiss 30 employees". Latvian Public Media. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "LIAA boasts record investment numbers in Latvia in 2025". Latvian Public Media. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Latvia". OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 (Report). OECD Publishing. 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Government rectifies its start-up support goof". Latvian Public Media. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2026.


This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.