The Latvian government will have to decide on additional capital needed for the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, in 2026, Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens stated, LETA reports. He stressed that the airline’s future operations required capital investment. However, the government would have to seek additional sources of funding for such an investment, the minister explained….
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal suggested that former president Kersti Kaljulaid could be nominated as a candidate in presidential elections due in September 2026, ERR reports. Michal noted that incumbent president Alar Karis did not seem to have sufficient support in the parliament, the Riigikogu, to be reelected for a second term. Earlier, Lauri Läänemets,…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has stripped former prime minister Gintautas Paluckas of his parliamentary immunity, BNS reports. The decision allows prosecutors to investigate Paluckas for alleged illicit enrichment and abuse of office. Paluckas and his wife, Ilma Palucke, are suspected of having acquired cars, real estate, and securities worth nearly EUR 344,600 with income…
Several unmanned aerial vehicles entered Latvian airspace from Russia, and two of them crashed in eastern Latvia, in the early morning hours of 7 May 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. One of the drones crashed at East-West Transit’s oil storage facility in Rezekne, LETA reported. No significant damage and…
Estonia’s national-conservative opposition party, Fatherland (Isamaa), remained the country’s most popular party in April 2026, according to Norstat’s poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. Fatherland’s support stands at 26.4%, followed by the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) with 22.4%, the populist opposition Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) with 14.1%, and…
The share of people living in households with dependent children who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in the Baltic States was highest in Lithuania in 2025, Eurostat reported. The AROPE rate for people living in households with dependent children stood at 18.3% in Lithuania in 2025, which was down from 20.9%…
Around 50 members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, have proposed holding a popular referendum on redefining the concept of family in the country’s constitution, LRT reports. The MPs argue that the Constitutional Court exceeded its authority when ruling that the concept of family was gender-neutral and not exclusive to married couples, and that limiting…
Opposition parties in Latvia have seized on culturally divisive issues to garner support ahead of the parliamentary elections in October 2026, New Eastern Europe reports. Earlier, the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, voted to withdraw from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women. Opposition parties claim that the human rights treaty is…
Estonian President Alar Karis gave a long interview to ERR’s Vikerraadio radio channel, in which he expanded on his earlier statements about possible dialogue with Russia, ERR reports. He lamented that many politicians in Estonia had rushed to condemn his views without actually reading them, and stressed the need to “face reality” and “allow for…