On 9 June 2026, 11:00–12:30, FICIL will convene government, regulators, industry and the foreign investor community to address the shadow economy in construction: why it persists, what it costs compliant companies and public finances, and what can be improved in the next one to two years. The event will be held at Business Garden Rīga, Building “B”, Malduguņu iela 4, Mārupe. Interested participants are invited to attend, free of charge, registration open until 26 May via [REGISTER HERE]. The discussion will be conducted in Latvian only.
Latvia has repeatedly identified the shadow economy as a barrier to fair competition, stronger public finances and a more predictable business environment. Although the Shadow Economy Reduction Plan for 2024–2027 sets out a national framework for action, recent assessments have raised concerns about whether the current approach is delivering sufficient results. In this context, FICIL is focusing the discussion on one of the sectors where the problem is most visible and economically significant: construction and building materials manufacturing.
For FICIL, this is a business environment issue, not a sectoral one: undeclared employment, unreported subcontracting and non-compliant imports penalise compliant companies and signal selective enforcement to investors. Progress here is directly tied to Latvia’s credibility as an investment destination.
The event will open with a FICIL presentation outlining the key challenges identified by companies operating in the sector, as well as gaps and weaknesses in the current enforcement and oversight framework. This will be followed by a moderated discussion led by Evita Goša, Environmental and Legal Director and Member of the Management Board of SCHWENK Latvija, and Leader of FICIL’s Shadow Economy Combatting Work Group, with a focus on enforcement, oversight, inter-institutional coordination and tax administration.
Speakers include:
• Arvils Ašeradens, Minister for Finance of the Republic of Latvia
• Baiba Šmite-Roķe, Director General of the State Revenue Service
• Ilze Beināre, Deputy State Secretary for Construction and Housing, Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia
• Edijs Kupčs, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Construction Association
• Agnese Garda, Head of Legal and Member of the Management Team, Swedbank Latvia
• Ilze Berga, Partner and Head of Tax, KPMG Latvia; Leader of FICIL’s Shadow Economy Combatting Work Group and Member of the FICIL Board
The event is intended for representatives of the construction and building materials manufacturing sectors, policymakers, supervisory and law enforcement institutions, FICIL members, foreign investors and journalists. Participants will be invited to engage in the discussion and raise questions to the speakers. In-person attendance is limited and interested participants are encouraged to secure their place by registering via [REGISTER HERE] by 26 May.
Media representatives are invited to attend by writing to ficil@ficil.lv by 1 June.
In-person attendance is limited. The discussion will also be live-streamed on FICIL’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FICILatvia/