Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkevics, met with the governor of the Bank of Latvia, Martins Kazaks, to discuss issues related to the banking and financial sector, Baltic News Network reports. The officials noted that high lending costs weakened banks’ interest in providing lending services. Rinkevics called for a “radical change of direction” from Latvian commercial banks,…
An administrative court in Latvia has upheld the decision of the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) to annul the broadcasting license of the independent Russian TV channel, Dozhd (TV Rain), TVNET reports. Dozhd announced that it would appeal the ruling in all instances, including in the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. Dozhd…
Ukraine’s future is in NATO, and the country will join the defence alliance, Latvia’s Prime Minister, Krisjanis Karins, stated, Baltic News Network reports. Speaking at the opening of the newly-formed NATO-Ukraine Council, Karins said that the longer Russia continued the war in Ukraine, the more united NATO would become. He said that there were two…
Estonian media group Ekspress Grupp’s digital subscriptions totalled 175,379 at the end of the first half of 2023, which was nearly 34,000 (24%) more than in the same period of 2022, GlobeNewswire reported. The number of subscriptions rose by 9% in the second quarter of 2023 and 20% in the first six months of 2023….
The Estonian government has announced an emergency situation in the country’s agriculture sector due to adverse weather conditions in recent years, ERR reports. The declaration will ease regulatory and contractual obligations for farmers and other agricultural businesses, but will not entail financial support measures. Estonia has experienced exceptionally low rainfall and high temperatures in recent…
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (RKIK) of the Ministry of Defence has called for tenders for the purchase of mobile field hospitals for an estimated EUR 150mn, BNS reports. Under the eight-year contract, RKIK will procure mobile bandaging stations, mobile field hospitals, individual modules and spare parts, repair, maintenance, and development services, and user…
Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) is investigating an alleged leak of classified information about the organisation and security plans of the NATO summit in Vilnius, BNS reports. Earlier, a group of hackers called “From Russia With Love” posted information on social media networks, which they said were names of officials in charge of the summit,…
South Korea will open an embassy in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced, Yonhap reports. Lithuania opened an embassy in Seoul in 2021. Yoon met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on 12 July 2023 on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius. Yoon called for expanding cooperation with Lithuania, particularly…
Parties in Latvia’s Riga City Council are still at odds with each other, acting mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity) admitted, LETA reports. Following a meeting between New Unity and the combined faction of Movement For and the Progressives (PP), Kirsis said that “the spirit of compromise and cooperation had yet to be born on a…