Organisation of a Major Event in Latvia

• Merchants
• Associations
• Foundations

Implementer of a major event project that meets the following conditions:

1. meets the criteria for micro, small, medium-sized or large merchant status, or is an association or foundation;
2. is a value-added tax payer (if applicable);
3. does not cooperate with the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus;
4. tax debt does not exceed EUR 1000;
5. is not under sanctions.

The amount of aid is 30% of the total eligible costs of implementing the major event project.

The implementer of the major event project may receive aid:

• in accordance with the general de minimis Regulation No. 2023/2831
• which does not qualify as aid for commercial activity

More information in the section: Major event eligibility criteria

The major event project meets the following criteria:

• the major event will take place after the date of submission of the project application;
• the major event takes place no more than once every four years, except in cases where the major event has significantly increased in scale since it was last held (the project’s revenue and expenses have increased at least threefold);
• lasts at least one day;
• the expected number of foreign guests (participants and visitors) is at least 5000, who will spend at least two nights in Latvian tourist accommodation;
• its implementer or cooperation partner is an international organisation of global or European Union importance, or has experience in organising international events;
• the amount of value-added tax (VAT) from the provisional turnover generated by foreign visitors is at least 50% of the co-financing amount.

If the implementer of a major event project applies for aid:

• in accordance with de minimis, it meets the following criteria:
  • the planned de minimis aid for the implementer of the major event project, together with the de minimis aid granted in the previous three years, does not exceed the maximum amount of de minimis aid – EUR 300 000;
  • the implementer of the major event does not comply with the restrictions on sectors and activities specified in Article 1(1) of Commission Regulation No. 2023/2831. If the implementer of the major event project is simultaneously active in one of the sectors referred to in Article 1(1)(a), (b), (c) or (d) of Commission Regulation No. 2023/2831 and in one or more other sectors covered by this Regulation, it ensures the separation of activities or costs between these sectors;
• which does not qualify as aid for commercial activity, it corresponds to one of the following cases:
  • the major event is in the sports sector, and is related to amateur sport or to the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles or youth sport, and, as regards the allocation of public funds for its organisation, the characteristics of aid for commercial activities laid down in Section 5 of the Law on Control of Aid for Commercial Activity are not fulfilled at the same time;
  • for the organisation of sports competitions or world/European championships (excluding commercial competitions organised for the purpose of generating income for athletes or sports clubs), and the right to organise the sports competitions concerned HAS been awarded to the entities concerned by an independent third party in a competitive procedure, with the result being that other countries/organisers who have not obtained such rights cannot organise these sports competitions;
  • for the organisation of sports competitions or world/European championships (excluding commercial competitions organised for the purpose of generating income for athletes or sports clubs), and the right to organise the sports competitions concerned has NOT been awarded to the entities concerned by an independent third party in a competitive procedure, where it is justified that the sports event will be predominantly attended/participated in by local residents;
  • the major event is in the cultural sector, and the revenue from the planned major event project does not exceed 50% of the total planned major event project expenses.

Major event project applications must be submitted via business.gov.lv as an e-service.

Within the framework of the tender, the number of project applications by a single applicant is not limited.

The application must be accompanied by the following documents:

1. information on the budget (estimate) for the major event project, in accordance with the eligible costs; Annex 5.docx
2. a financing plan indicating the sources of financing for the costs to be incurred under the project;
3. information on other granted and planned aid for commercial activity for the major event project (if applicable); Annex 6.docx
4. value-added tax calculation from the provisional value-added tax revenue generated by foreign visitors; Annex 7.docx
5. if aid for commercial activity is granted in accordance with Commission Regulation No. 2023/2831 – a printout of the form prepared in the de minimis aid accounting system or its identification number. More information (PDF)
6. the total revenue and expenses budget (estimate) approved by the organiser of the major event;
7. a printout from the registers or a publicly available link with information about the owners, board members, and beneficiaries of the foreign cooperation partner, 
   authorised representatives, linked enterprises, etc., as well as whether they are subject to sanctions (if applicable).

The following costs are eligible under the project:

1. transport services and fuel costs in Latvia;
2. costs of construction services related to the implementation of the major event project;
3. utility costs;
4. the cost of goods, services and materials necessary for the implementation of the project;
5. the cost of sound, visual, musical and other artistic and technological services directly linked to the organisation of the event;
6. the cost of renting or leasing the movable and immovable property necessary for the organisation of the major event project;
7. the cost of obtaining a licence to organise the event in Latvia and the cost of membership of an international organisation required for the international status or ranking of the planned event;
8. the cost of designing and producing marketing material such as brochures, banners or videos, the cost of developing content, and the cost of adapting information for foreign markets;
9. the cost of promoting the event in the digital environment, including the cost of providing live broadcasts of the event;
10. the cost of technical equipment;
11. the cost of the fees of sports referees approved by the sports federation for the purposes of the international sports event;
12. the cost of the fees of foreign or local artists for the purposes of the international cultural event;
13. the cost of promoting the target group’s trademark, product or service in foreign specialised tourism media;
14. the cost of public relations services, including cooperation with Latvian and foreign public relations service providers, media (pre- and post-event publications, competitions), attracting foreign journalists to the event, influencer campaigns abroad, foreign marketing campaigns, and the organisation of advertising campaigns;
15. in connection with the visit of media and digital content creators to Latvia – the cost of transport to and from Latvia by inter-country public transport of economy or equivalent class, the cost of domestic transport of economy or equivalent class, and accommodation costs in Latvia;
16. the cost of emergency medical services during the event;
17. the cost of ensuring public order and security;
18. the cost of copyright and related rights;
19. the cost of a certified auditor or audit firm for a report proving that foreign visitors spend at least two nights in Latvian tourist accommodation or short-term rental accommodation;
20. Hotel and other accommodation services;
21. Catering services;
22. Telecommunications services;
23. Administrative and professional personnel costs necessary for the implementation of a major event project.

Eligible costs must meet the following criteria:

• directly linked to the process of the implementation of the major event project;
• made in the form of non-cash transactions.

Expenses incurred prior to the date of submission of the project application are also eligible, provided that the major event has not taken place.

Upon the receipt of a major event project application at business.gov.lv, the LIAA:

1. evaluates the compliance of the project applicant and the project application with the Cabinet Regulation of 11 February 2025 rules at likumi.lv;
2. ranks the project proposals according to the number of points obtained in the quality criteria. If the project applications have the same number of points, they are ranked with priority being given to the project application with the highest VAT revenue to co-financing ratio;
3. takes a decision within 20 working days from the date of closure of the selection;
4. if a decision to grant aid has been taken, on the condition that it receives information from the Ministry of Economics on the allocation of state budget funds, adopts a decision on the granting of aid within 5 working days.

Procedures for evaluation and aid (Internal Procedures (ZIP))

The contract granting the aid must be concluded within one month from the date of the adoption of the decision granting the aid.

Contract template AID CONTRACT.docx

Advance payments can also be requested for the implementation of the project. (Annex)

The advance payment request must be submitted at business.gov.lv, which includes:

1. justification of the need for the advance;
2. the amount of the advance payment;
3. supporting documents regarding the need for the advance.

The first advance payment by the LIAA is no more than 30% of the amount of the aid.

Each subsequent advance payment by the LIAA is no less than 30% of the amount of aid, when the previous advance payment has been spent, or commitments have been made in the amount of at least 80% of the previous advance payment, as confirmed by a sworn auditor or a commercial company of sworn auditors.

The total amount of advance payments made for a single major event project may not exceed 90% of the total amount of aid.

If the project will last for less than one year, the payment request must be submitted at business.gov.lv within three months of the project’s completion, but by no later than 15 November of the current year. 

If the project will last for more than one year, but no longer than 15 November 2027, the aid may be paid in several instalments. In this case, the payment request must be submitted at business.gov.lv for each calendar year within three months of project completion, but by no later than 15 November of the current year.

Within three months after the implementation of the major event project, a final report must be submitted to business.gov.lv together with the payment request, which must include the following information:

1. a report by a sworn auditor or audit firm on the number of foreign visitors attracted and the duration of their stay as a result of the major event project;
2. a statement of the amount of VAT revenue generated by the turnover of foreign visitors attracted by the major event project;
3. an overview of the local and international audiences reached as a result of the major event project, broken down by the communication channels used;
4. the major event programme and visuals.

Annexes

• Major Event payment request form
• Report on VAT revenue (Annex)
• Overview of investments made within the framework of the project (Annex)

The rules of the tender are determined by Cabinet Regulation No. 99 of 11 February 2025, Procedure for Granting State Budget Co-financing for Large, Significant Public Events and Foreign Films in Latvia at likumi.lv.

Regulations in Latvian (PDF)

Regulations in ENG (PDF)

The beneficiary undertakes to ensure that the Mission Latvia logo is displayed in the advertising and publicity materials for the major event. 

Mission Latvia logo:

• download available at: brandbook.liaa.gov.lv
• user guide: latvia.eu

Approved major event projects (XLSX)