Estonia’s Ministry of Finance has proposed raising excise duties on alcohol, tobacco, and fuel by 5% per year over 2025-2028, ERR reports. The tax hikes would take effect as of 1 July 2025. The bill would raise alcohol and tobacco taxes more than initially planned for 2025 and 2026. Estonia’s excise tax on petrol has…
Baltic leaders visited Ukraine for the fourth summit of the Crimea Platform and bilateral meetings with their Ukrainian counterparts, The Kyiv Independent reported. Estonian President Alar Karis, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina, and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis reiterated their calls to lift all restrictions on arming Ukraine, support for a just and lasting peace,…
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, criticised President Gitanas Nauseda for delaying a decision to end investment protection treaties with Russia and Belarus, BNS reports. Landsbergis noted that the government had proposed revoking the treaties back in May 2024. He insisted that Nauseda would have had enough time to refer the issue to the parliament, the…
The coordinator of the Rail Baltica railway project, RB Rail, will start talks with private investors on financing the project’s implementation in Latvia at the end of 2024, LSM reports. Latvia’s Ministry of Transport presented a report on the project to the public expenditure and audit committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima. Latvia has…
Estonia’s Ministry of Finance has proposed postponing the introduction of a unified tax-free income threshold until 2026, ERR reports. The ministry said that the move would ensure that Estonia’s state budget deficit did not exceed 3% as required under EU law. Under the current system, gross income of EUR 1,200 per month is exempt from…
The attack on exiled Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, in March 2024 was allegedly ordered by another Russian opposition leader, businessman Leonid Nevzlin, according to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), LRT reports. FBK claimed that the plan was to kidnap Volkov, transport him via Latvia to Russia, and then hand him…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments that ban vehicles registered in Belarus from Latvia, LETA reports. 77 MPs voted in favour of the amendments, while 9 voted against, LSM reported. Under the legislation, Belarusian vehicles need to be reregistered in Latvia or taken out of the country by 31 October…
A new passenger train connection between Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, and the Latvian capital, Riga, will not open in October 2024 as planned, ERR reports. Märt Ehrenpreis, CTO of Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Elron, said that certification of new Stadler FLIRT trains for operating on Latvian railways was taking longer than expected. Also, Elron…
Baltic and US officials held high-level security consultations in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on 12 September 2024, BNS reports. The meeting was attended by Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Andzejs Vilumsons, state secretary at the Latvian Foreign Ministry, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell….