Lithuania has almost 8,000 foreign students with temporary residence permits, according to the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), BNS reports. Nearly 1,400 Indian citizens, 959 Belarusians, and 709 Pakistanis are currently doing their studies in Lithuania. So far in 2024, LMD has issued over 3,000 temporary residence permits for permanent studies to foreigners, compared to 4,400…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments to ban advertising of beer and wine on radio and TV, Baltic News Network reports. The ban will apply to advertisements that include information on prices and discounts. The restriction is aimed at reducing the total consumption and negative impact of alcohol on young…
The Estonian government has dropped plans to impose a tax on sugary beverages, Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced, ERR reports. Health Minister Riina Sikkut said that she proposed withdrawing the proposal, noting that the coalition agreement only allowed new taxes to finance defence and security needs. Michal expressed hope that opinions on the matter would…
Lithuania’s Court of Appeal has rejected the appeal of Jonava district mayor Mindaugas Sinkevicius against a lower court ruling that found him guilty of abuse of office, forgery of documents, and misappropriation of municipal funds, BNS reports. He was accused of having the local council pay for some of his personal expenses over 2019-2023. The…
The US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has removed Latvia’s ABLV Bank from its list of financial institutions posing a risk of money laundering, LSM reports. The European Central Bank revoked ABLV’s banking licence in 2018 after FinCEN added the bank to the list. ABLV’s liquidation is now nearly complete, and the bank…
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has submitted his government’s draft state budget for 2025 and budget strategy for 2025-2028 to the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, ERR reports. According to the Ministry of Finance, budget expenses and investments will increase by 3.8% to EUR 19.1bn and revenues by 5.2% to EUR 17.7bn in 2025, ERR reported….
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects the Latvian and Lithuanian economies to grow and the Estonian economy to contract in 2024, LSM reports. The bank lowered its GDP growth forecast for Estonia and Latvia, but raised its forecast for Lithuania. EBRD now expects Estonia’s GDP to decline by 0.8% in 2024, down…
Over 150 public figures in Lithuania have signed an appeal to President Gitanas Nauseda and political parties, urging them to reject antisemitic politicians, LRT reports. Earlier, top politicians and Jewish community leaders warned of continuing antisemitism in Lithuania, BNS reported. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte pointed to antisemitic statements by former MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis, leader of…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments freezing state funding for political parties for one year, LETA reports. Altogether 88 MPs voted in favour of the amendments. State support for political parties in 2025 will be calculated based on the minimum monthly wage in 2024. Altogether 13 parties received a total…