Latvia for the next 45 years. The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the Communist regime's illegal takeover. It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990, and restoring "de facto" independence on 21 August 1991. Latvia is a democratic sovereign state, parliamentary republic and a very highly developed country according to the United Nations Human Development Index. Its capital Riga served as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into
Ministry of Economics (Latvia) non-governmental organizations representing entrepreneurs and other social partners. The Ministry of Economics is also responsible for introducing and supervising programs and projects for EU Structural Funds. These funds are administered by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, a government agency responsible for promoting business development in Latvia by facilitating the growth of foreign investment and increasing the competitiveness of Latvian entrepreneurs in domestic and foreign markets. The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia is directly subordinated to the Ministry of Economics. The Ministry of Economics oversees several government agencies in Latvia: the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Latvian