The Latvian state is in talks with three potential investors in the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs announced, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with Latvijas Radio, Kulbergs said that the state should no longer be involved in the aviation business. Also, he insisted that the state’s share in shouldering airBaltic’s…
Over half of car drivers in Estonia ignore traffic lights, according to a study done by the Estonian Transport Administration in September-November 2025, ERR reported. The study showed that an average of 58% of drivers ignored yellow lights and 9% of drivers ran red lights. The share of red-light violations was relatively similar across the…
Hungary’s OTP Bank has signed an agreement to acquire the Baltic banking group, Luminor Bank, from US-based private equity fund manager Blackstone and Norway’s DNB Bank, Baltic News reports. OTP Bank had already expressed interest in acquiring Luminor several years ago, LETA reported. Luminor is the third-largest provider of financial services in the Baltic States….
Russia may launch attacks against the Baltic States or Poland, Lithuania’s Defence Minister, Robertas Kaunas, warned, LRT reports. Being unable to win the war against Ukraine, Russia may target the Baltic States or Poland to secure “some kind of new win,” Kaunas suggested. He said that Lithuania was drawing up additional contingency plans to respond…
Lithuania may impose temporary border controls with Latvia due to a surge in the number of irregular migrants arriving from Belarus via Latvia, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas warned, LRT reported. He insisted that Lithuania cannot become a “transit country that anyone can pass through” and urged Latvia to take more responsibility for the problem, LRT and BNS…
Altogether 14 political groups have submitted lists of candidates for Latvia’s upcoming parliamentary elections in October 2026, according to the Central Election Commission (CVK), LETA reports. The number of candidates registered totals 1,434. In the previous parliamentary elections in 2022, there were 19 lists with 1,829 candidates. Only 33.1% of all candidates running in 2026…
An interagency commission of the Estonian government has proposed several measures to reduce the consumption of alcohol in the country, ERR reports. The commission has published a framework plan for Estonia’s alcohol policy for 2026-2035. The document calls for raising the alcohol excise tax, shortening retail alcohol sales hours, reducing the number of licensed outlets,…
Latvia and Lithuania and six other EU member states have joined Estonia’s call to ban EU funding for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), ERR reported. Earlier, the IOC executive committee provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, allowing Russian athletes to return to international competitions under the Russian flag. Under the Estonian proposal,…
Lithuania’s new government is not expected to make any major changes in foreign policy, LRT reports. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius named regional security, Baltic cooperation, and strengthening ties with the US as his priorities, BNS and The Baltic Times reported. The government calls for a more united Europe, while maintaining strategic partnerships with Germany, Poland,…
