Lithuania: Vilnius mayor to seek second term
The incumbent mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, will seek a second term…
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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:…
Lithuania: Vilnius mayor to seek second term
The incumbent mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, will seek a second term in office in the municipal elections due to be held in March 2027, BNS reports. If re-elected, he said that his priorities would include renovating residential courtyards and expanding transport infrastructure. Benkunskas, who is a member of the conservative Homeland…
Latvia: Finance Minister urges austerity measures
Latvia’s state budget for 2027 will implement a policy of austerity, control, and reform, Finance Minister Maris Kucinskis announced, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with Latvijas Radio, Kucinskis said that the government would freeze budget spending and public sector wages. At the same time, the government did not intend to raise taxes in 2027,…
Estonia: Centre Party, Social Democrats overtake Fatherland: poll
Estonia’s opposition Estonian Centre Party and Social Democratic Party (SDE) overtook the national-conservative opposition party, Fatherland, in Emor’s latest monthly poll in October 2026, ERR reports. Support for the Centre Party rose to 20.6%, which was up from 16.9% in September 2026. SDE came in second with 20.4% (17.4%), followed by Fatherland with 19.4% (24.1%),…
Baltic: Packaging recycling rate near EU average in 2024
The recycling rate for packaging waste in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reported. The recycling rate stood at 69.9% in Estonia, which was up from 68.5% in 2023. The rate was 66.9% (60.7%) in Lithuania and 66.3% (63.1%) in Latvia. The average rate in the EU…
Lithuania: Ex-president’s health improving after surgery
The health of Lithuania’s former president, Valdas Adamkus, is improving after surgery, ELTA reports. However, he will remain under medical supervision at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics. Adamkus was hospitalised on 26 September 2026 after experiencing a sudden health problem, BNS reported. Adamkus, who will turn 100 years old on 3 November 2026, served as…
Latvia: Fitch affirms A- credit rating with stable outlook
The international credit rating agency, Fitch Ratings, has affirmed Latvia’s long-term issuer default rating at A- with a stable outlook, LSM reports. The agency noted Latvia’s “credible policy framework” and lower government debt than rating peers. However, Latvia had a higher exposure to geopolitical risks, smaller economy, lower GDP per capita, and weaker external finances…
Estonia: New telecom cable to Sweden, Finland
Swedish telecommunications company GlobalConnect will lay a new undersea fibre-optic communications cable connecting Sweden, Estonia, and Finland, ERR reports. The cable will run from Sweden’s Gotland island to Estonia’s Saaremaa and Hiiumaa islands, through the Estonian mainland from Haapsalu to Viimsi, and then to Helsinki in Finland. The project will cost around EUR 40mn, of…
Baltic: Many websites down due to PHP vulnerability
Several public institutions and agencies in the Baltic States took their websites offline on 21 October 2026 due to global critical security vulnerabilities in PHP-based applications. In Estonia, the Ministry of Education and Science shut down access to the online learning platform, Moodle, temporarily, ERR reported. Also, the National Archives of Estonia closed or limited…
Lithuania: Alarms raised over anti-Muslim incidents
The European Muslim League (EML) has expressed concern over anti-Muslim incidents in Lithuania, BNS reports. EML pointed to the possible public burning of a Quran in Vilnius and the disruption of Muslim prayer near a mosque in Kaunas. Mufti Aleksandras Beganskas, head of the Council of Muslim Religious Communities of Lithuania (LRMBT), cited threats to…