Language and citizenship laws have been opposed by many Russophones . Citizenship was not automatically extended to former Soviet citizens who settled during the Soviet occupation , or to their offspring . Children born to non-nationals after the reestablishment of independence are automatically entitled to citizenship . Approximately 72 % of Latvian citizens are Latvian , while 20 % are Russian ; less than 1 % of non-citizens are Latvian , while 71 % are Russian . The government denationalised private property confiscated by the Soviets , returning it or compensating the owners for it , and privatised most state-owned industries , reintroducing the prewar currency . Albeit having experienced a difficult transition to a liberal economy and its re-orientation toward Western Europe , Latvia is one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union . In 2014 , Riga was the European Capital of Culture , the euro was introduced as the currency of the country and a Latvian was named vice-president of the European Commission . In 2015 Latvia held the presidency of Council of the European Union . Big European events have been celebrated in Riga such as the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 and the European Film Awards 2014 . On 1 July 2016 , Latvia became a member of the OECD
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Latvia