In the first quarter of this year, the Latvian economy as a whole exceeded its pre-crisis level, with exports rising by almost 18% compared to a year ago. In 2020, goods were exported from Latvia to 197 countries worldwide. The largest export partners are Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Germany, and Sweden, which account for half of the total export volume. At the same time, in order to determine how to increase the competitiveness of Latvian exporting companies, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) is launching a series of discussions to explore the problems and challenges in exports through conversations with entrepreneurs.

LIAA director Kaspars Rožkalns highlighted the problems facing exporters: "How to trust an unknown partner in the digital age, how to carry out process certification, how to replace exhibitions and travel with other tools and instruments, and how to achieve better results. We have a great many companies that export well-known products such as, for instance, timber, metalworking firms, mechanical engineering, and electronics. Not all of these companies know how to fully utilise the opportunities of the digital age."