COUNCIL OF BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN EUROPE

Having celebrated our 10th anniversary in March 2006, the British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia is certainly not the oldest member of COBCOE, but when you consider that Latvia only regained its independence in 1991, it becomes clear that the BCCL has been around for a significant part of Latvia’s progress into a booming ‘Baltic tiger’.

Latvia has changed enormously in that time and the Chamber has had to evolve to match that change of pace. Starting out in a loaned office with a fax machine soon joined by a single laptop PC, it was only through the efforts of semi-voluntary enthusiasts that the Chamber got off the ground at a time when UK businesses were few and far between.

And while it can longer be said that Latvia is not on any business map, British business people are still a relative rarity in this part of North-Eastern Europe, easily outnumbered by their German and Scandinavian counterparts – actually reflecting historic trading traditions.  Despite these numeric disadvantages, the British chamber has established itself as one the most active in Riga and beyond, even in recent years making annual forays into Latvia’s regions.

While Latvia’s EU accession in 2004 gave a welcome boost in confidence and a consequential growth in membership numbers, it is only now that we are seeing a consolidation of business relationships and a further increase in membership applications.  And the Chamber is fully equipped for its next growth phase both in numbers and quality of services with two highly qualified full-time staff members appointed in mid-2006.

As we evolve further, though, the Chamber will continue to run our tried and tested activities: monthly dinners with informative and entertaining speakers; less formal promotional and social events; regular email bulletins and the publishing of our bi-monthly magazine British Latvian Trade (BLT to its friends – all editions are also published on our website).

As Latvia has also been discovered by more airlines, we invite visitors to drop by the BCCL offices and find out how things really work in Latvia. Alternatively, you might want to find out more about Latvia at one of the three seminars we now run in the UK each year – we hope to see you there!

Cameron Greaves
Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia