Latvia is a Northern European country, and among the Baltic States bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Belarus to the southeast. Its capital is Riga, and the official language is Latvian. The political system of Latvia is a parliamentary republic, and its currency is euro since it became a member of the Eurozone on January 1, 2014.
Latvia was one of the countries that was sceptical about joining the European Union. In 1999, Latvia was invited to begin negotiations to join the EU. Later, in December 2002, the country was formally invited again to be part of the 2002 summit held in Copenhagen. This prompted the Latvian government to hold a referendum on September 20, 2003, on joining the EU. It must be noted that the polls held in the years before the referendum had shown a greater inclination in support of the EU membership.
In the 2003 referendum, over two-thirds of voters across 30 of the 34 electoral districts voted in support. The state joined the EU on May 1, 2004, and is the last among the states that held a referendum to confirm its decision on joining the EU.
Latvians comprise 0.4 per cent of the total EU population. Latvia holds 8 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in 2015. Latvia has been a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, 2007.
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