Latvia has climbed two places in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, moving into 19th place among 143 countries and territories. The country’s score rose to 0.75 on a scale of 0 to 1, an improvement of 1.6 % over the previous year. Latvia now ranks above France, Spain, the United States and Italy, according to the Ministry of Justice, which says the result confirms the country’s solid position among developed democracies. In the Baltic region Estonia remains the leader, holding 10th place worldwide with a score of 0.82 that has been unchanged for the fourth consecutive year. Lithuania moved up two spots to 16th place, scoring 0.78. The three Baltic states’ standings in the latest index are: | Rank | Country | Score | |——|———|——-| | 10 | Estonia | 0.82 | | 16 | Lithuania | 0.78 | | 19 | Latvia | 0.75 | Latvia’s strongest performance came in the areas of protection of fundamental rights and openness of government, where it achieved 17th place globally. These categories assess civil liberties, access to public information, and opportunities for public participation in decision‑making. The country also made gains in civil justice. Since 2021, Latvia’s score in this domain has increased by 9.4 %, placing it 18th worldwide. Estonia and Lithuania rank higher, at 9th and 11th respectively. However, the Ministry of Justice acknowledges that challenges remain. In the anti‑corruption domain Latvia is 26th globally, while Lithuania is 17th and Estonia is 7th. In criminal justice, Latvia sits at 21st place. Justice Minister Edvardas Smiltenis said, “A high position in the international ranking does not mean that problems do not exist. We must work to make it easier and faster for citizens and businesses to protect their rights.” The World Justice Project’s annual index is based on surveys of the public and expert assessments across eight key areas that describe the state of legal systems and democratic institutions. The latest study notes a concerning global trend: in more than 86 % of the countries examined, at least one key indicator of democratic protection has deteriorated over the past five years. Latvia, the Ministry of Justice says, is not among the states experiencing such prolonged decline, and its indicators of freedom of speech, assembly, association and public participation have not fallen. The top performers in the current Rule of Law Index are Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
Article source: Business & the Baltics | Image credit: Business & the Baltics