Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, cannot meet its obligations and achieve its strategic objectives if the company continues to operate with negative equity, supervisory board chairman Klavs Vasks stated, LETA reports. An additional capital injection from the state is therefore probably inevitable unless the government is prepared to privatise the company, Vasks said. The investment…
Breaking up Estonia’s state-owned energy group, Eesti Energia, would not improve energy security, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi stated, ERR reports. Speaking in an interview with Vikerraadio, Ligi insisted that Eesti Energia provided an essential service for society. He said that building a new gas power plant in Narva was a “good idea,” but stressed the…
The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS) will elect a new chairperson for the opposition party on 1 March 2025, ELTA reports. The party’s long-time leader, Ramunas Karbauskis, has not disclosed if he intends to run for another four-year term. He has led LVZS and its predecessor parties since 1997. LVZS suffered a heavy defeat…
Latvia will hold local elections to municipal councils on 7 June 2025, the Central Election Commission (CVK) announced, LSM reports. The elections will use newly designed ballot papers, ensuring automatic counting of votes. Voters can indicate both support and opposition to individual candidates on the ballot.
Estonia’s population decreased by 2,750 people across all municipalities in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Interior, ERR reports. The population only increased in three counties: Harjumaa, Tartumaa, and Hiiumaa. Estonian capital Tallinn’s population rose by 256 people to 461,602 people, whereas the population of the country’s second-largest city, Tartu, fell by 13…
Lithuania has stepped up monitoring of the NordBalt power cable linking Lithuania and Sweden, Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas announced, ELTA reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Vaiciunas noted that the undersea power interconnection was very important for Lithuania’s electricity market. He stressed that the response to acts of sabotage on critical infrastructure should…
The possible closure of the Baltic Sea should “remain on the table,” Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics stated, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Rinkevics addressed the issue of protecting critical infrastructure, stressing the need to increase patrols and impose sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet. However, he noted that almost 2,000 vessels travel through…
Estonia is due to receive a US-made M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and other artillery and air defence systems soon, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reports. Estonia will receive an IRIS-T medium-range air defence system, 18 different mobile artillery pieces, around EUR 700mn worth of ammunition, nearly 200 armoured vehicles, and various…
The passenger train operators of the three Baltic States will open an easier connection from Tallinn via Tartu and Riga to Vilnius on 6 January 2025, BNS reports, citing Vooremaa. The new connection harmonises carrier timetables and will include two transfers. The whole journey from Tallinn to Vilnius will take around 10.5 hours in total,…