Baltic: Ministers urge tighter visa restrictions on Russians
The three Baltic States have joined eight other European countries in calling on the EU…
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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: Ministers urge tighter visa restrictions on Russians
The three Baltic States have joined eight other European countries in calling on the EU to impose tighter restrictions on visas for Russian citizens, ERR reports. The joint letter from the foreign and interior ministers of nine EU member states, Norway, and Iceland stated that “Russians should not be sunning themselves on European beaches while…
Lithuania: No nukes in peacetime: Defence Minister
Lithuania will only consider the deployment of US nuclear weapons in the country in the event of a crisis or war, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas stated, BNS reports. He assured that there was “no talk” of deploying weapons of mass destruction in Lithuania during peacetime. However, in a crisis or war, Lithuania should be prepared…
Latvia: Security situation more complex: President
Latvia’s security situation has not improved and has become more complex, President Edgars Rinkevics stated, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview on TV24, Rinkevics warned that Russia was becoming more unpredictable and that Latvia must be prepared to respond to various kinds of Russian provocations. At the same time, he noted that the threat posed…
Estonia: Consumer prices up 4% in May 2026
Estonia’s harmonised index of consumer prices rose by 4% in May 2026 from a year earlier, according to Statistics Estonia’s preliminary estimate, ERR reports. Compared to April 2026, consumer prices rose by 0.9%. Lenno Uusküla, chief economist at Luminor, said that the rapid price increase was driven by higher energy and other commodity prices as…
Baltic: Hotel stays up in Estonia, down in Latvia, Lithuania in Q1/2026
The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation increased in Estonia but decreased in Latvia and Lithuania in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. The number of overnight stays in Lithuania totalled 2.05 million, which was down 12.9% from 1.78 million nights a year earlier. The decline was the biggest…
Lithuania: Over 20,000 signatures for stricter language rules on foreigners
A petition initiated by the mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, on stricter language rules for foreigners has collected more than 22,500 signatures, BNS reports. Under the proposal, non-EU residents would be required to have at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian after three years of residence. Earlier, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic argued that…
Latvia: Business sentiment mixed in May 2026
Business sentiment in Latvia was positive in the retail and services sectors, but negative in manufacturing and construction in May 2026, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The retail confidence indicator stood at 3.1%, which was up 1.5 percentage points from April 2026. In services, the seasonally adjusted confidence indicator was 1.6%,…
Estonia: Service exports up 4% in Q1/2026
Estonia’s exports of services totalled nearly EUR 3.3bn in the first quarter of 2026, which was up 4% from the same period of 2025, according to data from Statistics Estonia and the Bank of Estonia. Imports of services totalled around EUR 2.5bn, which was unchanged over a year. Estonia’s trade balance in services showed a…
Baltic: EBRD cuts GDP growth forecast for 2026, 2027
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has lowered its GDP growth forecasts for all three Baltic States in both 2026 and 2027, LETA reports. The bank now projects that Estonia’s GDP will grow by 2.1% in 2026 and 2.3% in 2027. In February 2026, the bank’s GDP growth forecast for Estonia was 2.2%…