A study conducted by the Competition Council in Latvia every two years shows a consistent trend of businesses being willing to collude with competitors to gain illegal profits, despite an increasing public awareness of competition law violations. On the other hand, only 3% of surveyed municipalities are willing to engage in such violations, a decrease of 7% from the previous period.

The study identified key issues in the competition environment, with the public highlighting prohibited agreements among competitors in public procurement as the main obstacle to competition development in Latvia. Other significant issues include the abuse of dominant positions by large companies and unjustified actions by state and municipal authorities that distort competition.

When asked about industries requiring increased attention from the Competition Council, the public most frequently mentioned the medical, construction, and energy sectors.

The study results indicate a growing sentiment among experts that monetary fines for competition law violations should be increased to serve as a more effective deterrent. While currently, many respondents find the fines adequate, there is a rising belief that they should be higher, especially among businesses and municipalities.

The study also shows that the understanding of competition law among the Latvian population is generally high, with a significant portion aware of prohibitions on price-fixing, abuse of dominance, and unfair advantages granted by public authorities. Expert respondents, particularly from municipalities and associations, demonstrate a better understanding of competition law regulations.

Furthermore, there is an increasing interest among individuals and entities affected by competition law violations to seek compensation for resulting damages. Legal firms representing companies' interests in court have shown the most interest in pursuing such claims, followed by a growing number of businesses and municipalities.

Overall, the public perception of the Competition Council's decisions is positive, with a majority of respondents acknowledging the quality of the decisions and the clear application of competition law norms. Municipalities and associations/NPO representatives particularly view the Council's decisions as positively impacting the market.