Get Ready: What Will Change in the Lives of Residents of Latvia from May 1 0 11

To Doctors - Only by E-Referrals

Starting after the weekend, referrals to specialists will only be electronic - they can be viewed on the e-health portal (eveseliba.gov.lv).

Doctors are warning about problems related to this. The president of the Latvian Association of Family Doctors, Alise Nicmane-Aishpure, told reporters that the main burden of issuing referrals falls on family doctors, and in her assessment, the new system is less convenient and requires significantly more time than the previous one.

"The change is that a new e-referral is being introduced, and we, family doctors, consciously testing it, see many very serious problems and do not see the advantages of its implementation given the existence of an already functioning system," she explained to Latvian Radio.

In the new system, medical information has to be adapted to a digital format, while the referrals lack the ability to fully justify the reason for the referral, and there are currently issues with this.

But: "From our side, there is no desire to slow down this process. Our call is to refine the system so that it is convenient and functional, and the date itself is not a goal. The goal is a good, convenient tool," the doctor concluded.

In turn, Juris Gaikis, a board member of the Latvian Center for Digital Health, noted that family doctors themselves participated in the development of the system. He emphasized that this is not just about digitization, but about transitioning to more structured data that can be analyzed, which will open up new opportunities for both patients and doctors in the future.

"If in the previous e-referral available in e-health there were many text fields and it essentially did not differ from a paper referral, the new one includes structured data fields with classifiers that can then be processed in various ways," he explained.

Which Cyclists Are Facing Fines

From May 1, stricter control over owners of so-called self-propelled bicycles will come into force in Latvia.

Starting from May 1, both municipal and state police will have the right to fine violators.

The fines are as follows:

• for using unregistered transport - from 30 to 70 euros;

• for lack of OCTA - from 125 to 200 euros.

Separate requirements have also been introduced for companies providing transport for rent through applications or websites. They are required to:

• check the age of users;

• ensure the presence of a driving license;

• conduct reaction tests to identify intoxication.

If during inspections it is found that the company does not comply with these requirements, it faces a fine of 70 to 350 euros.

The new rules are aimed at increasing road safety and reducing the number of accidents involving electric transport.

The Agreement with MERCOSUR Comes into Force

This concerns a trade agreement between the EU and three MERCOSUR countries - Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. The free trade agreement between the EU and MERCOSUR countries will start to take effect from May 1, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reports.

What are its benefits? More free and faster access for EU companies, including Latvia, to the markets of these countries, the MFA points out.

Thanks to the agreement, the annual export of the EU to MERCOSUR could increase by up to 39%. The agreement will also create over 440,000 jobs in Europe.

The agreement creates the largest free trade area in the world - covering almost a quarter of the world's GDP and allowing EU companies to save 4 billion euros annually on customs duties - import tariffs will be eliminated for 91% of EU products in MERCOSUR countries.

What is important for Latvia: the agreement provides for a reduction in tariffs on key local export goods - machinery, electrical equipment, wooden products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food products, as well as simplified customs procedures.

Theoretically, this will allow Latvian entrepreneurs to participate in global supply chains, collaborating with partners from other EU member states that already export to the region. MERCOSUR will also open its public procurement markets and reduce barriers in the telecommunications, transport, and financial services sectors, according to the MFA.