Baltic: Railways more popular in Latvia than in Estonia, Lithuania
Railways are much more popular in Latvia than in Estonia and Lithuania, according to Eurostat…
Read Less, Know More
Welcome to Via Baltica, your “information superhighway” for news from the three Baltic tigers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania! Our founder and editor-in-chief is Kerkko Paananen, senior news analyst with more than two decades of professional expertise in covering and reporting on current affairs in the Baltic States. We aim to do one thing well:…
Baltic: Railways more popular in Latvia than in Estonia, Lithuania
Railways are much more popular in Latvia than in Estonia and Lithuania, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Latvian railways carried 21.399 million passengers in 2025, which was up from 19.508 million in 2024. The number of rail passengers totalled 7.692 (7.944) million in Estonia and 5.398 (5.114) million in Lithuania, the lowest in the…
Lithuania: Orlen may shut down Mazeikiai oil refinery
Poland’s state-owned energy group, Orlen, may shut down its oil refinery in Lithuania, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with PAP, Orlen CEO Ireneusz Fafara said that the group may end up abandoning a major project to modernise the refinery in Mazeikiai. The project would require additional investments of USD 600-700mn (EUR 536-625mn). Fafara said…
Latvia: President nominates Andris Kulbergs for PM
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has officially nominated Andris Kulbergs, leader of the United List, for prime minister, LSM reports. Earlier, Kulbergs began talks with parliamentary parties on forming a new coalition government. Both Rinkevics and Kulbergs hoped that a new government could be formed by Latvia’s independence day, which is 18 November 2026. Kulbergs did…
Estonia: President nominates new justice chancellor
Estonian President Ülle Madise has nominated Supreme Court justice Oliver Kask as the country’s next chancellor of justice, ERR reports. Madise, who served as justice chancellor until she was sworn in as president, noted that Kask was a highly regarded expert on constitutional law and the protection of fundamental rights. She assured that he would…
Baltic: Residents rate health worse than EU average
People in the Baltic States rate their health much worse than the EU average, according to Eurostat, LSM reported. The data showed that 57.8% of people aged 16 years or older in Estonia said that their health was good or very good in 2025, which was almost unchanged from 57.7% in 2024. The corresponding figure…
Lithuania: Ex-president Valdas Adamkus turns 100
Lithuania marked the 100th birthday of the country’s former president, Valdas Adamkus, on 3 November 2026, BNS reported. The celebrations in Vilnius and Kaunas included an international conference, a gala concert, and a musical tribute. Just ahead of his centenary, Adamkus was discharged from hospital, ELTA reported. President Gitanas Nauseda praised Adamkus for his service…
Latvia: New parliament elects new speaker
Latvia’s new parliament, the Saeima, held its inaugural session on 3 November 2026, swearing in all 100 MPs elected, LSM reported. MPs elected Edvards Smiltens of the United List as speaker of the parliament with 79 votes for and 15 against, LSM reported. He succeeded Daiga Mierina of the Union of Greens and Farmers, which…
Estonia: Fatherland-Centre coalition most popular: poll
Estonia’s most popular party combination for the country’s next government is a coalition of the opposition Fatherland and Estonian Centre Party, according to a new Norstat poll for the Institute of Societal Studies, ERR reports. The survey showed that 29% of respondents would prefer a coalition government of Fatherland and the Centre Party, followed by…
Baltic: Road traffic safer in Estonia than in Latvia, Lithuania
Road traffic safety is much better in Estonia than in Latvia and Lithuania, according to data from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, ERR reports. Estonia had altogether 43 road deaths in 2025, which was 38% fewer than in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of road fatalities rose by 5% to 118 in Latvia…