This chapter examines Latvia’s experiences with pre-accession assistance and argues that it served as seed capital for Latvia’s Europeanization. Research utilized archival document analysis and multiple semi-structured interviews with respective decision-makers from the period before Latvia’s accession to the European Union (EU) to conclude that the pre-accession assistance had a significant impact, in monetary terms, on modernizing both the physical infrastructure and administrative infrastructure of post-Soviet Latvia. The socio-economic and political transformation from an independently functioning nation-state to a Member State of the European Union, achieved in slightly more than a decade, was accomplished through significant foreign assistance and domestic determination. The EU’s pre-accession financing, particularly from the Poland and Hungary Assistance for Restructuring the Economies (PHARE) program, played an instrumental role in facilitating this transformation. Capacity building of Latvian state institutions to understand modern ways of regulating different sectors, as well as preparing for decision-making under the EU institutional umbrella, were both crucial. Additionally, support was needed for addressing ethnic issues in the country. Providing critical infrastructure, including clean water, phytosanitary equipment, and transportation infrastructure, was essential for the foundations of the later successful Latvian bid for EU membership.