Members were honored to join the luncheon with Egils Levits, President of Latvia who shared his main priorities for Latvia and engaged in a discussion about current issues affecting the business and investment climate. Among areas of importance for Latvia, the President highlighted education, digital skills and innovation that all require adequate commitment from the state. The next Three Seas Initiative Summit will be hosted by the President of Latvia in 2022 which will serve as a productive platform to accelerate digital, energy and transport connectivity.

Thanks to Rīga Stradiņš University members had an opportunity to join the first networking event this fall at the newly renovated RSU Anatomy Museum. The program included an excellent presentation and museum tour as well as delicious snacks and wine.

The AmCham Board and staff met for a strategic planning session at the Grand Hotel Kempinski on August 26. The board follows closely the key priority areas set in the beginning of the year, including fostering trade and investment and continuously raising awareness of economic opportunities between Latvia and the U.S., improving the investment and business climate in Latvia, getting prepared for the future of work and improving health outcomes of Latvia’s society.

On August 19, the healthcare work group members met for the first meeting after the summer break to discuss numerous topics: the biobank law, increasing public health funding, online meeting with the Minister of Health and healthcare Innovation Fund of the Recovery and Resilience Facility for Latvia. The work group also discussed latest developments of the five healthcare pilot projects of 2021.

On August 5, Daniels Pavluts, Minister of Health addressed members on the healthcare sector most pressing challenges. Among the main priorities remain vaccination in order to ensure open schools and open businesses. He reflected on the Digital Health Strategy as an ecosystem where the state institutions define the architecture and ensure governance principles, while the ecosystem feeds the architecture with the content. The Minister also appreciated the ongoing AmCham healthcare projects and is looking forward to co-hosting the second Health Data Summit this November.