Young professionals from partner countries complete studies in European law and economics supported by Latvia

On 19 November 2019, 56 young professionals from the European Neighbourhood Policy region, Western Balkans and Central Asian countries graduated from the autumn semester of the Intensive and Advanced Programmes in European Law and Economics. At the commencement ceremony, a congratulatory address was delivered by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, and she called on the representatives of the partner countries to make use of their knowledge to strengthen the dialogue and economic cooperation, thereby supporting sustainable development of their countries.

The Parliamentary Secretary underlined that Latvia aims at sharing its best practice and experience to ensure support for the closest partners and promote cooperation; therefore, training for representatives of partner countries run by Riga Graduate School of Law has been supported for five years. The training provides the young professional with the opportunity not only to gain new knowledge but also to reinforce their network of contacts, which is especially important in a globalised world, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica noted. Therefore, it is a special pleasure, she added, that including graduates from this autumn semester, the alumni network of the programmes in partner countries now has 369 members.

Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica thanked Norway and Sweden for their financial support for implementation of the programmes in the present courses, as well as Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) and its partners – the University of Latvia, the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs and the European Institute of Public Administration – for their professional efforts to ensure the training.

This autumn in Latvia, young professionals representing civil society, public administration and the academic sector from 16 countries and territories – Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Palestine, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan – took part in the Intensive and Advanced Programmes.

One trainee from Latvia also took part in the Intensive Programme. During the training course, the students gained an insight into the functioning of the European Union and Latvia’s experience of transition and reform. In addition to lectures and seminars, the participants visited public institutions and agencies in Latvia and went on a study trip to EU institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Background information

The interdisciplinary programmes in European law and economics have been implemented in Latvia since 2014, and they are run by Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL). The three-month Advanced Programme and the six-week Intensive Programme have received financing from the development assistance policy funds earmarked in the budget of Latvia, and contributions have also been provided by international donors – Norway, the United States America, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In total, 369 participants from the European Neighbourhood Policy region, Central Asian and Western Balkans countries have graduated from the Advanced and Intensive Programmes since 2014.