On 29 September 2023, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, presented certificates to graduates from the 2023 autumn session of the Intensive Programme in European Law and Economics at the Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL).
Andris Pelšs urged the graduates to apply their newly-acquired knowledge and Latvia’s experience with adopting the European Union regulations and values in their work towards the development of their countries.
“Your skills will help strengthen freedom, democracy and the rule of law,” the State Secretary noted.
The Intensive Programme is one of the ways whereby Latvia provides support to countries in the European Union’s neighbourhood. Its aim is to promote knowledge and understanding among young professionals of partner countries regarding the legal, political and economic activities of the European Union, as well as the experience of Latvia as an EU Member State.
While being held in Riga with in-person attendance, the Intensive Programme also includes a study trip to Brussels, where the participants have the opportunity to meet officials from EU institutions. The autumn session brought together 21 young professionals representing the public administration, civil society and the academic sector from the countries and territories of the EU Neighbourhood Policy region, Western Balkans and Central Asia.
The six-week course Intensive Programme in European Law and Economics is jointly financed by the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United States of America.
Background information
The Riga Graduate School of Law has been successfully implementing the programmes in European Law and Economics for the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy region, Central Asia, and the Western Balkans since 2014.
Since its inception, the programme has been financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the development assistance policy funds earmarked in its budget, with contributions attracted from the USA. Support for the programmes run by the RGSL has previously been provided by Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
More than 600 participants from 20 partner countries and territories have graduated from the RGSL programmes since 2014. The young professionals will be able to use the acquired knowledge and experience to advance the development of their home countries.
