Reports

This country policy profile on education in Latvia is part of the Education Policy Outlook series. Building on the first policy profile for Latvia (2017), it offers a concise analysis of where the education system stands today in terms of strengths, challenges and ongoing policy efforts, and how this compares to other systems. The profile brings together over a decade’s worth of policy analysis by the Education Policy Outlook, as well as the latest OECD data, relevant thematic and country-specific work and other international and national evidence. It also offers analysis of the Latvian education system’s initial responses to the COVID-19 crisis and provides insight into approaches to building greater responsiveness and resilience for the future

Ce rapport est une édition spéciale du Tableau de bord de l’OCDE sur le financement des PME et des entrepreneurs, publication phare de l’OCDE. Il examine en détail les conséquences du COVID-19 sur l’accès des PME au financement, ainsi que les mesures prises en conséquence par les pouvoirs publics. Il apparaît qu’avant la crise, les conditions de financement étaient globalement favorables pour les PME et les entrepreneurs, qui bénéficiaient de faibles taux d’intérêt, de critères accommodants d’octroi des crédits et d’une offre de plus en plus diversifiée d’instruments de financement. Mais la crise du COVID‑19 a profondément bouleversé l’accès des PME au financement. Plus particulièrement, l’effondrement brutal du chiffre d’affaires des entreprises a provoqué de graves pénuries de liquidités qui ont mis en danger la survie de bon nombre d’entreprises viables. Ce rapport fait état d’une augmentation de la demande de prêts bancaires au cours du premier semestre de 2020, et d’une stabilité de l’offre de crédit grâce à l’action des pouvoirs publics. Parallèlement, on a observé un recul d’autres sources de financement, en particulier l’apport de fonds propres au stade du démarrage. Le rapport réunit des données sur le périmètre et l’ampleur des mesures prises par les gouvernements dans le monde, et en précise les principales caractéristiques. Il décrit les principaux enjeux stratégiques du financement des PME qui se poseront au cours des prochaines phases de la pandémie ; il s’agira en effet d’éviter le surendettement des PME, de promouvoir une gamme diversifiée d’instruments de financement, de stimuler la création d’entreprises et de renforcer la résilience des PME par des mesures structurelles.

In order to pave the path to future success, Latvia has developed its Education Development Guidelines 2021-2027, which identifies key policy initiatives that are critical for skills development. The Guidelines outline how Latvia will equip its citizens with skills to flourish in work and in society. Evidence on the strengths and weaknesses of Latvia’s education and skills systems has informed the prioritisation of relevant policies in the Guidelines. A wide range of Latvian actors across ministries, levels of government, education and training providers, employers, trade unions, the non-profit sector and learners have been involved in the development of the Guidelines, demonstrating their commitment to work together to implement these initiatives. Looking to the future, more can be done to position Latvia to successfully implement the policy priorities and reach the targets encompassed by the Guidelines. As the COVID-19 crisis has reminded us, the future is uncertain and therefore all plans must be designed to be responsive and adaptable to overcome future challenges and seize future opportunities. Building on the OECD Skills Strategy Assessment and Recommendations phase, the Implementation Guidance phase has supported Latvia in the development of the Education Development Guidelines 2021‑2027 by providing guidance on selecting policy actions, improving Latvia’s indicator system, and selecting performance indicators.

Mitigating climate change requires aligning real economy investments with climate objectives. This pilot study measures the climate consistency of investments in transport infrastructure and vehicles in Latvia between 2008 and 2018, estimated at EUR 1.5 billion per year on average. To do so, three complementary mitigation-related reference points are used. Applying the criteria defined by the European Union Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities results in 4.2% of investments assessed as making a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation. Comparing actual greenhouse gas trajectories for each transport mode to a 2°C scenario from the International Energy Agency’s for the European Union and to projections from Latvia’s 5th National Communication to the UNFCCC, indicates 32% climate-consistent and up to 9% climate-inconsistent investments. The majority of investments volumes could at this stage not be characterised due to limitations relating to the granularity or coverage of the reference points. Comparing current trends to 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation targets nevertheless highlights future investment and financing challenges, especially for road transport. The methodology piloted in this study can be replicated and scaled up across countries and sectors, using different or complementary reference points specifically aligned to the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

This paper presents and discusses the general findings and key policy messages of the 2019 OECD Open, Useful and Re-usable data (OURdata) Index, and provides a detailed analysis of the results for each pillar and sub-pillar. Additionally, it assesses the main advancements and challenges related to the design and implementation of open government data (OGD) policies in OECD member and partner countries by comparing the results for 2019 with those of the 2017 edition. This policy paper contributes to the OECD work on the digital transformation of the public sector, including digital government and data-driven public sector and open government data.

La Lettonie a beaucoup amélioré ses performances environnementales et le bien-être de sa population. À la faveur d’importants investissements, la part des renouvelables et l’efficacité énergétique des logements ont progressé, les émissions de gaz à effet de serre ont baissé et l’accès aux services d’eau et de gestion des déchets s’est amélioré. La convergence avec les économies plus avancées de l’OCDE est toutefois loin d’être achevée. L’agriculture et la foresterie, qui sont l’un des piliers de l’économie, exercent des pressions grandissantes sur la biodiversité. La prise en compte systématique de celle-ci dans les politiques de développement économique devrait être une priorité. Pour accélérer la transition vers une économie bas carbone et circulaire, le pays devra investir massivement dans les infrastructures durables, faire progresser la prévention et le recyclage des déchets et renforcer les instruments économiques. Ceci est le premier Examen environnemental de la Lettonie, dont il évalue les progrès sur la voie du développement durable et de la croissance verte, en accordant une attention plus particulière aux déchets et à l’économie circulaire, ainsi qu’à la conservation et à l’utilisation durable de la biodiversité. Cette version abrégée contient le résumé, ainsi que l’évaluation et les recommandations officielles du rapport, qui reposent sur les trois chapitres consacrés aux évolutions et faits récents, à la gouvernance et à la croissance verte, ainsi que sur les deux chapitres qui examinent en détail la problématique des déchets et de l’économie circulaire, et celle de la conservation et de l’utilisation durable de la biodiversité. La version intégrale du rapport est disponible en anglais sur le site de l’OCDE.

Skills are the key to shaping a better future. Skills are central to the capacity of countries and people to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. Megatrends such as globalisation, technological advance and demographic change are reshaping work and society, generating a growing demand for higher levels of skills, as well as new sets of skills. OECD Skills Strategy projects provide a strategic and comprehensive approach to assess countries’ skills challenges and opportunities, and build more effective skills systems. The OECD works collaboratively with countries to develop policy responses that are tailored to each country’s specific skills needs. The foundation of this approach is the OECD Skills Strategy framework, which allows for an exploration of what countries can do better to i) develop relevant skills over the life course, ii) use skills effectively in work and in society, and iii) strengthen the governance of the skills system. This report OECD Skills Strategy Latvia: Assessment and Recommendations identifies opportunities and makes recommendations to strengthen the skills outcomes of students, foster a culture of lifelong learning, reduce skills imbalances in the labour market, and strengthen the governance of the skills system.

This profile provides a concise and policy-relevant overview of health and the health system in Latvia as part of the broader series of the State of Health in the EU country profiles. It provides a short synthesis of: the health status in the country; the determinants of health, focussing on behavioural risk factors; the organisation of the health system; and the effectiveness, accessibility and resilience of the health system. This profile is the joint work of the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in co-operation with the European Commission.