Lithuania: Incoming government reveals programme for next four years
Lithuania’s incoming centre-left government has revealed its draft programme for the next four years, LRT…
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Lithuania: Incoming government reveals programme for next four years
Lithuania’s incoming centre-left government has revealed its draft programme for the next four years, LRT reports. The new coalition plans to focus on welfare, with more child benefits and better accessibility to health care and education. Also, the government may make changes to tax policy, moving towards progressive taxation. The new government plans to reverse…
Latvia: Parliament introduces excess profit tax on banks for three years
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading a new tax on local credit institutions, LETA reports. Under the new law, credit institutions registered in Latvia and branches of foreign credit institutions will have to make quarterly solidarity contributions for the next three years. The tax will amount to 60% of their excess…
Estonia: Fatherland down, Reform up in latest poll
Support for Estonia’s conservative opposition party, Fatherland (Isamaa), continued to fall in November 2024, according to the latest Norstat poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. Fatherland’s support stood at 26.6%, which was down 4 points over a month. Meanwhile, support for the ruling liberal Estonian Reform Party has risen to 19.8%,…
Baltic: Airlines to open more flights to Baltic capitals in 2025
British air carrier and tour operator Jet2 will offer direct flights from Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh to the Estonian capital, Tallinn, in November and December 2025, ERR reports. The company will have two flights per week on the routes, expecting to bring altogether more than 4,000 holiday-makers to Tallinn. Meanwhile, Swiss International Air Lines will…
Lithuania: Incoming government calls China “growing challenge”
The draft programme of Lithuania’s incoming government calls China a “growing challenge” for foreign and security policy, BNS reports. The programme sees China’s strategic partnership with Russia and growing influence in Belarus as a threat. The new coalition pledges to work for a united approach towards China with Lithuania’s European and transatlantic partners. Also, the…
Lithuania: President approves new cabinet without environment, justice ministers
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has approved the country’s new cabinet of ministers, BNS reports. He described the incoming centre-left government as more capable than the outgoing centre-right government of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) will hold the post of prime minister and will have nine ministers in the new government,…
Latvia: Ministers considered cancelling Rail Baltica: PM
Latvian ministers informally discussed the possibility of cancelling the Rail Baltica railway project but decided against such a move, Prime Minister Evika Silina revealed, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Silina said that the government concluded that abandoning the project would result in a significant loss of invested resources. Moreover, the project will…
Estonia: Nordic Aviation Group files for bankruptcy
Estonia’s state-owned Nordic Aviation Group (NAG) has filed bankruptcy applications for the Nordica and Regional Jet (Xfly) airlines, ERR reports. NAG decided to file for bankruptcy after Danish entrepreneur Lars Thuesen, minority shareholder of Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, announced that he would not acquire Nordica due to the high business risks involved. Earlier, Nordic…
Baltic: Georgian Foreign Ministry summons Baltic diplomats over sanctions plan
The Foreign Ministry of Georgia summoned the Estonian and Lithuanian ambassadors and the Latvian chargé d’affaires to express its concern over plans to impose sanctions on senior Georgian government officials, Agenda.ge reports. The ministry said that the plans amounted to “interference in Georgia’s internal affairs.” Earlier, the Baltic foreign ministers announced sanctions against several Georgian…