The prime ministers of the three Baltic States will meet in the Latvian capital, Riga, on 12 December 2025, BNS reports. The meeting concludes Latvia’s presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers. Estonia will take over the presidency in 2026. The prime ministers will discuss regional security, including support for Ukraine and strengthening Europe’s eastern…
The job approval of Lithuania’s current coalition government stood at just 14.7% in November 2025, which was down from 21.2% a month earlier, according to Spinter Tyrimai’s poll for DELFI, BNS reports. Disapproval for the government stood at 73.5%, which was up from 67.1%. Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene’s popularity dropped to 4.5%, which was down…
Latvia’s foreign trade turnover totalled EUR 35.82bn at current prices in the first ten months of 2025, which was up 5.9% from the same period of 2024, according to provisional data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. Latvia’s exports of goods amounted to EUR 16.4bn (up 4.3%) and imports to EUR 19.41bn (up…
The Estonian government’s job approval continued to be dismal in November 2025, according to the latest Norstat poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. Only 28% of eligible voters think that the government is doing a good job, while 66% think that the government is doing its job poorly. Prime Minister Kristen…
Gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Estonia’s R&D spending stood at 1.99% of GDP, which was up from 1.83% in 2023. The indicator stood at 1.04% (1.04%) in Lithuania and at 0.92% (0.82%) in Latvia. The EU…
Lithuania cannot acquiesce to China’s conditions on the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius, Asta Skaisgiryte, chief foreign policy adviser to President Gitanas Nauseda, stated, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Skaisgiryte said that there had been no significant progress in talks on restoring full diplomatic ties with China. She did not disclose…
Latvia’s Ministry of Defence has announced details on its planned spending under the government’s defence budget in 2026, LSM reports. Latvia will spend a total of EUR 2.158bn on defence in 2026, which will be 4.91% of the estimated annual GDP. Altogether EUR 1.14bn (53%) of the defence budget will go to buy new military…
Estonia’s ambassador to Kazakhstan, Jaap Ora, has resigned after an uproar over Estonia’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine, ERR reports. Earlier, Eesti Ekspress reported that during the state visit of Estonian President Alar Karis to Kazakhstan in November 2025, Ora had advised that the president tone down his remarks on Ukraine so as not…
Belarus is holding altogether 185 Lithuanian trucks and trailers, Dovile Kraulaidiene, deputy director general of the Lithuanian Customs Department (LMD), announced, BNS reports. Earlier, the Lithuanian National Road Carriers Association (LINAVA) reported to authorities that 488 Lithuanian trucks were being detained in Belarus. However, publicly the association has provided much higher figures, claiming that as…