The construction cost of the East Highway in the Latvian capital, Riga, may increase by more than EUR 8mn, the Riga city council estimated, LETA reports. The city council considered changes to the project’s implementation, which also envisage an increase in funding. The city signed a contract for the first stage of the construction project…
The Lithuanian government has approved the Social Security and Labour Ministry’s proposal to raise the minimum monthly wage by 10% to EUR 924 before tax as of 2024, Baltic News Network reports. Pending parliamentary approval, the minimum hourly wage will also rise from the current EUR 5.14 before tax to EUR 5.65. Social Security and…
All new beverages sold in Latvia will have to be marked with a Latvian deposit mark as of 1 July 2023, DELFI reports. Beverage producers and retailers had a transition period from 1 January to 30 June 2023 to allow them to adjust to the new rules. Miks Sturitis, board chairman of the deposit system…
The National Defence Committee of Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, has concluded its visit to Ukraine, Postimees reports. The MPs met with several representatives of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and high-ranking officials. The committee insisted that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius must send a clear message to Ukraine about its NATO membership prospect….
New electricity distribution tariffs came into force in Latvia on 1 July 2023, LSM reports. Ahead of the change, distribution system operator Sadales Tikls (ST) urged consumers to change the tariff plan for facilities with low electricity consumption. However, ST’s client portal was unavailable due to technical maintenance on 29-30 June 2023. ST said that…
The Lithuanian government has imposed a temporary ban on transit shipments of specific dual-use goods through Lithuania, Baltic News Network reports. The concern is that these goods could ultimately reach Russia and Belarus and be used in the war in Ukraine. The control list comprises 57 categories of goods subject to restrictions, primarily items containing…
More than a half (55%) of Latvian residents do not know what their pension will be when they reach retirement age, according to a survey conducted by Luminor Bank, TVNET reports. At the same time, 20% of residents admit that they do not know where to look for information about their pension savings. In the…
Estonia’s passenger train operator, Elron, began operating Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler’s FLIRT electric trains ten years ago on 1 July 2013, ERR reports. In ten years, the trains have carried more than 66 million passengers. In 2013, train passenger numbers were at an all-time low of 4.2 million journeys. Elron will receive 16 new…
Scientists from Latvia’s Riga Technical University (RTU) have developed an environmentally friendly solution to the problem of dusty roads, LSM reports. The solution is now being tested on several road sections. Viktor Kharitonov, lead researcher at RTU’s Faculty of Civil Engineering, said that the solution extracts lignin from waste generated in wood processing and uses…
