Commission Report (2002): Latvia
In its 1997
Opinion on Latvia`s application for EU membership, the Commission concluded:
``Latvia has made considerable progress in the creation of a market
economy''; it ``... would face serious difficulties in coping with
competitive pressure and market forces within the Union in the
medium-term''.
In its 2001 Regular Report, the Commission found that:
``Latvia is a functioning market economy. Provided that it makes further
substantial efforts in maintaining the pace of, and completing, its
structural reforms, it should be able to cope with the competitive pressure
and market forces within the Union in the near term''.
In examining the economic developments in Latvia since the Opinion, the
Commission`s approach was guided by the June 1993 conclusions of the European
Council in Copenhagen in, which stated that membership of the Union
requires:
- the existence of a functioning market economy;
- the capacity to cope with the competitive pressure and market forces
within the Union.
In the analysis below, the Commission has followed the methodology
applied in the Opinion and the previous annual Regular Reports. The analysis
in this year`s Regular Report takes stock of developments since the Opinion
was drafted.
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