After regaining independence, Latvia has sought to develop towards the western welfare growth direction. We have demonstrated that by joining the European Union and other international organizations and by working to improve the position in various international ratings. Higher education system should be the driving force for country's development, modernization and openness. By denying opportunity for internationally recognized experts to take positions in higher education management we slow down the development processes and limit opportunities for students.

AmCham Latvia opposes statements of the Minister of Education, reflected in the media that by ignoring the language requirements Latvia could lose its attraction. First of all, the higher education institutions in Latvia should be seen as an export opportunity that attracts talents to Latvia. Second, development and promotion of high-quality, modern, open and internationally recognized higher education institutions in Latvia, on the contrary, will strengthen the Latvian students' attraction to Latvia, and they will not be searching better education opportunities abroad.

AmCham Latvia supports openness of Latvian higher education system and participation in international scientific processes. Being aware of the security and education quality risks, AmCham supports reasonable restrictions to the education system. However solutions must be found that would enable higher education institutions to continue the modernization process. In this case, AmCham Latvia would support such language rules for higher education that would be based on the European Union Member States' languages.