6th EU âÀ“ Latvia Association Committee Brussels, 18 June 2003
Joint Press Release [18 Jun 2003]

The 6th meeting of the EU-Latvia Association Committee took place in Riga on 18 June 2003. This Committee was set up under the EU-Latvia Europe Agreement, which entered into force in 1998, and includes representatives from the European Commission, the EU Member States and the Latvian Government. Its purpose is to review all aspects of EU-Latvia relations. The Delegations were headed respectively by Mr Andris Ķesteris, the Under-secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and by Mr Camós Grau, Head of Unit of the Latvia Team in the European Commission.

This last Association Committee focused on Latvia's preparations for accession and specifically on the implementation of outstanding issues regarding commitments made in negotiations, or in the context of Latvia's Accession Partnership as well as under the Europe Agreement.

The discussions covered a range of various issues. Regarding horizontal issues, the EU side welcomed the comprehensive administrative reforms which were under way, but insisted on much swifter and thorough implementation, which however required sufficient budgeting, particularly important in order to establish a stable structure and the necessary administrative capacity to allow Latvia to fully ripe the benefits from its accession to the EU.

Urgent attention needed to be paid to the establishing the necessary implementing structures in the area of the reforms of the judiciary, which were delayed. While institutional steps taken concerning the integration of non-citizens into Latvia's society were welcomed, continued efforts are necessary in this area which is of particular importance for Latvia. The Committee also discussed the implications of the education reform, confirming the need to apply a sufficient flexible and pragmatic approach in implementing this reform.

The Committee discussed progress made and outstanding issues to be tackled without delay in a number of acquis areas, including mutual recognition of professional qualifications, environment, agriculture, veterinary and phytosanitary, including food safety, as well as competition and telecommunication. The EU delegation took note of the progress made by Latvia, both in legislative and institutional terms in the fight against corruption and money laundering, the protection of intellectual property rights, and underlined the need that the newly established institutions become more effective.

The Delegations reviewed also the progress of economic reforms in Latvia, and the EU Delegation welcomed the successful macroeconomic developments. Further efforts to improve the business environment, including strengthening SME policies, to continue enterprise restructuring and to complete privatisation. Particular emphasis was put on regional policy and the institutional structures and the administrative capacity necessary for implementation, monitoring and control of Structural and Cohesion funds.

The EU delegation underlined the urgent need for progress within the short period until accession regarding the adoption of legislation and the reinforcement of administrative capacities in the maritime transport sector, the strengthening and modernising the administrative capacity and in particular IT interconnection in the taxation field as well as on computerisation and interconnectivity regarding customs.

The Association Committee noted further deepening of bilateral co-operation and trade relations. The Delegations welcomed the decision on regional aid maps and discussed state of play on bilateral investment treaties.

Whiles recognising the need to continue working together within the framework of the Europe Agreement until accession, both Delegations took the occasion of this 6^th and last meeting of the Association Committee, to draw a very positive balance of this kind of meetings under the Europe Agreement, in view of the results achieved so far, and taken into account that works started only in 1997.

(end of text)