Imprint Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung| Riga Office 37-64 Dzirnavu street| Riga, LV-1010 Responsible: Dr. Tobias Mörschel| Director of the FES in the Baltic States Tel.:+371 6783 05 39 https://www.fes-baltic.org/ Commercial use of all media published by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES) is not permitted without the consent of the FES. About the FES The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES) is the oldest political foundation in Germany with a rich tradition in social democracy dating back to its foundation in 1925. The foundation owes its formation and its mission to the political legacy of its namesake Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected German President. The work of the FES focuses on the core ideas and values of social democracy – freedom, justice and solidarity. This connects the FES to social democracy and free trade unions. As a non-profit institution, the FES organizes its work autonomously and independently. The FES promotes: a free society, based on the values of solidarity, which offers all its citizens the same opportunities to participate on political, economic, social and cultural levels, regardless of their origin, sex or religion a lively and strong democracy; sustainable economic growth with decent work for all a welfare state that provides more education and improved healthcare, but at the same time combats poverty and provides protection against the challenges that life throws at citizens a country that is responsible for peace and social progress in Europe and in the world. FES in the Baltic States Shortly after the restoration of independence, in 1992, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation started its activities in the three Baltic States and opened offices in Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. The core concern was to support the democratic transition processes, to accompany the Baltic States on their way to the European Union and to promote the dialogue between the Baltic States and Germany, and among the countries of this region. The current focus of the work of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is: strengthening democracy and active civil society supporting the European integration process contributing to the development of a common European foreign and security policy promoting a fair and sustainable development of economic and social policies in the Baltic States and in the EU ISBN 978-9934-8794-8-7 The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung or of the organizations for which the authors work.