The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is a partner in the project “Prosper BSR” or “Promoting Perspectives for Promising Potential Workforce in the Baltic Sea Region” which aims to promote the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the labour market and business in the Baltic Sea Region.

The experience exchange meeting “Employment of Ukrainian refugees in Latvia: past experience and future opportunities” was organised on Thursday, 6 June, and brought together different organisations to share experiences and discuss next steps to promote the employment of Ukrainian refugees.

Memoranda of Understanding were signed with the Ministry of Economics, the State Employment Agency, the State Revenue Service, the Society Integration Foundation, the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments, and the association “Tavi draugi”. The signed Memoranda of Understanding reaffirm the commitment of the respective organisations to work actively for the integration and employment of Ukrainian refugees.

The Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jānis Endziņš states: “The signing of the Memoranda of Understanding is an important step that strengthens cooperation between various institutions and organisations. It symbolises a shared commitment to creating a favourable environment for the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the labour market and business environment. This initiative will not only help refugees find jobs and develop their talents, but will also enrich the Latvian labour market with new, skilled workers.”

The LCCI hopes that these Memoranda of Understanding will promote broader cooperation and the implementation of practical solutions that will help Ukrainian refugees to successfully integrate into Latvian society and economic life.

The project “Prosper BSR” is implemented within the scope of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme in cooperation with the lead project partner Hanse Parlament in Germany, as well as partners from Lithuania, Poland, and other countries to develop a common approach and sustainable solutions.

The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is the largest business association in Latvia with around 6000 members, representing micro, small, medium, and large enterprises from all regions and industries of Latvia (~2700 direct members and ~3300 members from sectoral and regional entrepreneur unions). The annual turnover of the individual member enterprises of the LCCI exceeds EUR 17 billion. More than 90% of members are private equity firms, while by size most members have 6–50 employees.

The LCCI is a politically neutral and independent organisation striving for a better business environment and economic development in order to improve the well-being of the Latvian people and it also provides practical support to its members, helping to improve the competitiveness of enterprises and find new business partners in Latvia and abroad.

The LCCI is a member of the international network of chambers of commerce and industry, i.e. the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which have several hundred years of experience and unite twenty million entrepreneurs all over the world.

The union is also one of the oldest Latvian public organisations – the LCCI has been the voice and support of entrepreneurs for almost 90 years!