Baltic: NGOs urge review of migrant pushbacks
Following the entry into force of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, human…
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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: NGOs urge review of migrant pushbacks
Following the entry into force of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, human rights groups in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland urged their governments to review migrant pushback practices on the border with Belarus, BNS reported. In a joint statement, Latvia’s I Want to Help Refugees (GPB), Lithuania’s Sienos Grupe, and Poland’s Association for…
Lithuania: Government approval fell further in May 2026
The Lithuanian government’s job approval continued to decline in May 2026, according to a new Spinter Tyrimai poll for DELFI, BNS reports. The survey showed that just 16.7% of respondents approved of the government’s performance, which was down from 17.5% in April 2026. Only 2.1% (1.5%) had a fully positive and 14.6% (16%) had a…
Latvia: Election campaign period begins officially
Latvia has entered the official election campaign period ahead of the parliamentary elections on 3 October 2026, LSM reports. During the 120-day period, campaigners, media, and other involved parties must comply with strict rules on election campaigning, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) noted. KNAB will monitor the use of campaign funds and the…
Estonia: GDP to grow 1.8% in 2026, 2.7% in 2027: OECD
Estonia’s GDP growth will accelerate from 0.5% in 2025 to 1.8% in 2026 and 2.7% in 2027, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts, ERR reports. The growth will be driven by looser fiscal policy and investment, the report said. Annual inflation will fall from 4.8% in 2025 to 4.1% in 2026 and…
Baltic: Ukraine signs drone, defence deals with Baltics
The prime ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries announced that the group would cooperate with Ukraine on military expertise and training, information sharing, and the development of their defence industries and technology, ERR reports. Joining the summit meeting in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to supply…
Lithuania: Three parties begin talks on new coalition government
Lithuania’s ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) has begun official talks with the opposition Union of Democrats for Lithuania (DSVL) and the Lithuanian Union of Farmers and Greens (LVZS) on forming a new coalition government, ELTA reports. LSDP chairman Mindaugas Sinkevicius met with DSVL leader, MEP Virginijus Sinkevicius, and LVZS leader, MEP Aurelijus Veryga,…
Latvia: Exports up 14%, imports up 11% in April 2026
Latvia’s foreign trade turnover totalled EUR 15.01bn at current prices in the first four months of 2026, which was up EUR 589.1mn (4.1%) from the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s (CSP) provisional data, LSM reported. The total value of goods exports amounted to EUR 6.94bn (up 2.2%) and imports to…
Estonia: Exports up 13%, imports up 12% in April 2026
Estonia’s exports of goods totalled almost EUR 1.8bn at current prices in April 2026, which was up 13% from the same period of 2025, according to Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Exports of goods of Estonian origin rose by 10%, accounting for 61% of total exports. Re-exports increased by 19% over a year. Meanwhile, imports of…
Baltic: Employment in Lithuania rose fastest in Q1/2026
Employment in Lithuania rose at the fastest pace in the entire EU in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, ELTA reported. Lithuania’s employment rate rose by 1.8% over a quarter. Meanwhile, employment in Estonia rose by 0.9% and in Latvia by just 0.1%. However, compared to the first quarter of 2025, the…