No migrants have tried to cross the border illegally from Belarus to Latvia for nearly a month, the Latvian State Border Guard (VRS) announced, LETA reports. VRS has not detected any attempts at illegal crossings at the border with Belarus since 10 December 2024. VRS estimated that the drop in the flow of irregular migrants…
The malfunction of the EstLink 2 power cable between Estonia and Finland is likely to raise electricity prices in Estonia, according to energy experts, ERR reports. However, Jaanus Uiga, deputy secretary general at the Ministry of Climate, said that, owing to an increase in renewable energy capacity, the price difference between Estonia and Finland could…
Lithuania’s state-owned investment firm EPSO-G Invest and ammunition manufacturer Giraites Ginkluotes Gamykla (GGG) have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture, Rheinmetall Defence Lithuania, with German defence industry group Rheinmetall, Baltic News Network reports. Under the agreemnt, the companies will invest in an artillery ammunition plant in the town of Baisogala in Lithuania’s Radviliskis district. Rheinmetall…
People in Lithuania are more optimistic about the economy, according to a new Baltijos Tyrimai poll for ELTA conducted in October-November 2024, Lietuvos Rytas reports. The survey showed that 40% of respondents believed that the country’s economic situation had deteriorated in the past two months, which was down from 54% a year earlier. Meanwhile, 43%…
Parties in Latvia’s coalition government will discuss possible changes to the management of the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, LSM reports. Earlier, the airline announced that it would cancel nearly 4,700 flights in summer 2025 due to delays in aircraft engine maintenance. The company insisted that the delays were beyond its control. Aviation industry experts…
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.