May 2022

On the path to bigger income in the future – news in Latvia’s Pension Law

Too often than not residents in Latvia do not follow their pension, because in most cases the word pension is something they associate with the far future. Additionally, people sometimes do not understand how their pension is calculated. In reality, however, it is all simple – the future pension «grows» little by little every day. The pension amount depends on two main indexes: residents’ paid tax amount and how much the saved up money is able to earn residents...

February 2021

Latvian pensioners most at-risk of poverty in European Union

Latvian pensioners are the most at risk of suffering poverty among all European Union member states, according to data published by Eurostat February 3. Based upon data from 2019 the proportion of pensioners aged over 65 who are deemed to be at risk of poverty was between 10% and 30% in the majority of EU Member States. The four countries with an at-risk-of-poverty rate above 30% in 2019 were Latvia (54%), Estonia (51%), Bulgaria (36%) and Lithuania (35%). In...

November 2020

Latvia. Constitutional Court to decide on minimal old age pension amount

On Wednesday, 4 November, a court hearing was commenced during which it is planned to decide on the current old age pension amount’s compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia. In accordance with Europe’s Reviewed Social Charter, the minimal old age pension amount in Latvia should be at least EUR 341 a month, whereas currently it is EUR 80, as reported by the Ombudsman’s Bureau. Ombudsman Juris Jansons turned to the Constitutional Court over the non-compliance of...

July 2020

Constitutional Court rules benefits for pensioners are inappropriate in Latvia

The court admitted that a specific point of the 22 December 2009 Cabinet of Ministers requirements, which details the amount of the state social security benefit for unemployed persons and seniors as inconsistent with the Constitution. The Constitutional Court also concluded this requirement as null and void as of 1 January 2021. The ruling is final and is not subject to appeal. The challenged norm states the state social security benefit amount for persons disabled from childhood is EUR...

May 2020

Latvian prime minister admits need to review retirement pension system

State Audit has concluded the retirement pension system costs the state budget EUR 74 million annually, but the amount of commitments or the amount needed to pay retirement pensions in the future is estimated at EUR 4.5 billion. State auditor Elita Krūmiņa pointed towards problems uncovered in the retirement pension system, urging to review it. Commenting on State Audit’s conclusions, Kariņš admitted the retirement pension system should be reviewed. However, specific proposals, he said, should come from Welfare Ministry....

December 2019

Latvia. Investments in Sustainable Pension Plan Exceed 2 Million Euro

At the end of May, Citadele Bank’s subsidiary, CBL Asset Management, created Latvia’s first pension plan whose pension savings are invested in businesses which are the most sustainable in their respective industries: protecting the environment, taking care of their employees and acting responsibly in the long term. In just over six months, Latvia’s first pension plan based on responsible investments has been able to attract a relatively large amount of attention from the public, and currently, total assets have...