The Baltic States have banned motor vehicles with Russian license plates from entering, ERR reports. Earlier, the European Commission issued new guidelines on EU sanctions, according to which cars registered in Russia are not allowed to enter EU territory. The ban applies to the entry of both commercial and private vehicles through the borders with…
Lithuania plans to complete the construction of a National Concert Hall in Vilnius in 2030, the capital city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, announced, BNS reports. Benkunskas expects a contract on the project to be signed in spring 2024. The Ministry of Culture estimated that the total cost of the project will amount to around EUR 121mn….
Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS) has asked the government to close the Silene checkpoint on the country’s border with Belarus due to a sudden surge in illegal border crossings in recent weeks, LSM reports. Latvia has two checkpoints on the Belarus border at Silene and Patarnieki. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), the State Police,…
Estonia and Latvia have signed a contract to buy IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence systems from Germany’s Diehl Defence, BNS reports. The deal, worth nearly EUR 400mn, is the biggest single defence contract in Estonian history. The procurement will include launchers, radars, fire control centres, and missiles. The first systems are due to be delivered…
Lithuania had the highest suicide rate in the EU in 2020, according to Eurostat data, LSM reported. The number of suicides in Lithuania totalled 21.25 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, which was down from 33.38 in 2011. The suicide rate was 16.87 in Vilnius and the surrounding area. In central and western Lithuania, the suicide…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda urged the EU to begin membership negotiations with Ukraine in 2023, BNS reports. Speaking after a meeting with European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, Nauseda argued that a clear European perspective would inspire Ukrainians to continue fighting for their country. He said that Lithuania was ready to share its experience and…
The volume of electricity generated in Latvia totalled 4,997 GWh in 2022, which was 14.5% less than in 2021, according to the Central Statistical Bureau, LSM reports. Renewable energy sources accounted for 3,783 GWh of the total volume, which was up 1.7% from a year earlier. Hydro power plants generated 2,750 GWh (up 1.6%) and…
An extraordinary congress of the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) has elected Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart as the party’s new chairman, ERR reports. Kõlvart won with 543 votes against MP Tanel Kiik who received 489 votes. Kõlvart replaced Jüri Ratas, who supported Kiik for his successor. Ratas had chaired the Centre Party since 2016. Kõlvart’s…
The European Commission (EC) is not considering paying subsidies to cover the cost of transporting Ukrainian grain through Baltic ports, EC Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis stated. Speaking in an interview with BNS, Dombrovskis said that the EC may provide financing for removing administrative or infrastructure bottlenecks, however. Also, the EC supported Lithuania’s proposal to move customs,…