The objective of this Publication is to analyse the influence of the Presidency of Latvia at the EU Council on the indicators of the tourism industry in the regions of Latvia. Taking into consideration the geopolitical situation created as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Latvia, especially its regions, experienced a substantial drop in the tourism indicators in 2014. For example, the occupancy rate of overnight accommodations in Riga – in 2013 the average occupancy rate was 63%, but in 2014 – only 58.66%, in the regions of Latvia – in 2013 the average occupancy rate was 52.75%, but in 2014 – 49.3%. Therefore the tourism industry looked with hope towards the anticipated Presidency of Latvia at the EU Council in the first half-year of 2015. In the preparation process of the Publication the available articles and experience of other countries and the data of inquiry of the entrepreneurs of overnight accommodations and catering industry in the regions of Latvia were analysed. The results of the research reveal similar tendencies between the experience of the presidency period in Latvia and Lithuania and can serve as basis for improvement of the situation during presidency of other countries.

In Latvia, the global business services sector accounts for 2.3 % of GDP, and its share in total service exports is 8 %, while the turnover of the sector in 2019 was estimated at EUR 400 m, which indicates that the global business services sector in Latvia is an important component of the national economy. The global business services sector in Latvia has developed relatively recently, so it has not yet been sufficiently assessed and researched. The aim of the research is to describe the factors affecting the development of the global business services sector in Latvia. The research concluded that the global business services sector in Latvia was promoted by such factors as the availability of labour and low labour costs, as well as a relatively favourable business environment. The potential of the global business services sector in Latvia is also characterized by its advantageous geographical location, especially from the perspective of Scandinavian investors (including in terms of cultural similarities), as well as the foreign language skills of potential employees. The establishment of the Association of Business Service Leaders in Latvia (ABSL Latvia) (the only such an association in the Baltic States that defends the interests of this sector) is also an important driver for the development of the sector.

In the European Union, including Latvia, catering services are the largest industry in the hospitality sector. The industry of catering services generates the largest part of value added and the majority of jobs in the hospitality sector. The research hypothesis is that the development of catering enterprises is unequal across the regions of Latvia, and various factors having different correlative interrelations affect it. The research aim is to investigate the factors affecting the development of catering enterprises in Latvia. According to the research result, low-turnover micro enterprises dominate in the industry of catering services in Latvia, and the number and proportion of enterprises of this size tend to increase. Medium and large catering enterprises in Latvia are concentrated in Riga region. The geographic distribution of catering enterprises in the regions of Latvia is uneven: the highest concentration of enterprises is in Riga region. In the period of 2005-2010, the number of enterprises has increased in the regions but these changes were insignificant. In Latvia, the number of catering enterprises per 1000 inhabitants significantly lags behind that in other European countries. A correlation analysis showed that household expenses on restaurants, cafes, and hotels (r=0.97); the number of visitors in tourist accommodations (r=0.93); food expenses of foreign overnight travellers (r=0.91); the number of foreign visitors in tourist accommodations (r=0.74); and household expenses on food and non-alcoholic beverages (r=0.65) affected the turnover of catering enterprises in Latvia. However, the number of residents (r=0.78) and the average net monthly wage of employees (r=0.53) affected the number of catering enterprises in Latvia. An analysis of the factors affecting the development of catering enterprises showed that during the economic crisis, households in Latvia concentrated their economic resources for satisfying their primary needs by reducing their expense on eating outside their home. The overnight traveller expense on food declined in Latvia, thus, the demand for services of catering enterprises also fell. After comparing the number of visitors in tourist accommodations in the regions of Latvia and the number of catering enterprises in the regions of Latvia, a causal relationship was observed – the number of catering enterprises was greater in the regions having a greater number of visitors in tourist accommodations.

There are several aspects which are critical for the successful formation of an inclusive information society – accessibility, skills and content. In this article these aspects are analyzed as well as the projects which have made their contribution in inclusive society in Latvia and which are carried out in collaboration between private and public sector. All these projects are important also in a sense that they decrease the digital gap between urban and rural areas in Latvia. One of these projects is “Father's Third Son“ by means of which the Internet access was made available at all public libraries in Latvia, had librarians trained in digital skills and client oriented attitude as well as eContent was developed. Another project analysed in this article “is Latvia @ World“ which also was aimed to diminish the digital and social gaps in society by means of providing acquisition of digital skills for almost 100.000 members of disadvantaged groups. The third project is “Get Online week“ which is a Europe-wide campaign to get new computer users online. More than 200 governmental, industry and municipal partners in 2010 were involved in organization of this campaign in Latvia, ensuring Latvia to be the most active of all of the European countries. In Latvia, we are ready in collaboration with private and public sector to contribute to Digital agenda goals and achieve that every citizen of Latvia is digitally literate.

This paper deals with the application of internet as an increasingly used information distribution channel for tourism companies of all sizes. The focus is put on micro tourism enterprises in the accommodation industry in rural areas. The authors have explored web pages of tourism enterprises, e-mails with a selection method in different regions of Latvia and have made their comparison. Tourism in Latvia is developing rapidly; different modern technologies and the internet are introduced; yet, there is a radical difference in IT use between Riga and other regions of Latvia. The results of the research show insufficient and underused application of IT in the sector of tourist accommodation in less developed regions of Latvia, which contradicts to the average statistical data in Latvia.

This article is the historical review of the Faculty from the very beginnings, moving through the periods of Riga Polytechnical School (1862-1915), University of Latvia (1919-1939), Jelgava Agricultural Academy (1939-1944), Latvia Agricultural Academy (1944-1991) and Latvia University of Agriculture (since 1991), which was presented in the Annual Research Meeting held in Jelgava, February 4-5, 1998 and was devoted to the 135 anniversary of Agricultural research and higher education in Latvia.

More than a half of the territory of Latvia is forest. Last 100 years the area of the forests of Latvia has been growing and on Latvian territory is progressing growth of the forests of Latvia has been growing and on Latvian territory is progressing growth of the forest. Wood ware resources in Latvia are more than 0.5 milliard cubic meters and it's still continue growing. Forest and its product in Latvia gives more than 10% of GDP, which is realized in timber, furniture, paper and other products. Forest makes one of the largest parts of Latvian export.

This paper discusses some aspects of introducing a new agricultural crop in Latvia – truffles Tuber spp. Truffles are mycorrhiza–forming mushrooms with edible fruit bodies developing in the upper layer of soil. In Latvia, there is a growing interest among farmers to start cultivate truffles. From several cultivated truffle species, the Burgundy truffle Tuber aestivum syn. T. uncinatum is the most suitable to cultivate in Latvia. There are both autochthonous and introduced tree species in Latvia, which are suitable for the Burgundy truffle cultivation and it is suggested to use Quercus robur, Corylus avellana, Tilia cordata and Fagus sylvatica. In order to find the regions in Latvia with the highest potential for successful Burgundy truffle cultivation, climate and soil characteristics had been co-analysed. By superimposing soil and climate maps of Latvia, the most suitable regions for truffle cultivation are situated in the central and southern part of the country. Considering the variability in soil composition even within regions in Latvia, it is thereafter also of great importance to investigate site-specific soil characteristics in order to find the most favourable grounds for truffle cultivation. Other truffle species which might be suitable for cultivation in the future are also discussed, as well as some general recommendations in establishing truffle orchards.

This paper deals with the factors related to the export of Latvia and its positive impact on the business development in Latvia. It also states that export should be viewed as the primary force for business development in Latvia.

Regions of Latvia are becoming more attractive for Latvian commercial banks because of the state and international regional support programs. Commercial banks credit policies to a certain extent determine whether bans are going to extend their business activities in the regions of Latvia. In general, commercial banks show interest in the economically developed regions, for example Ventspils, Riga and district of Riga. Successful regional policy in Latvia could promote commercial banks involvement in the regional development projects of Latvia.