The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments to introduce a reduced 12% value-added tax rate on selected basic food products in 2026, LETA reports. Under the amendments, the lower VAT rate will apply to various bread products, milk, poultry meat, and eggs. The reduced VAT will apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June…
Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has announced a procurement tender for a consultant to plan a 600-MW nuclear power plant in the country, ERR reports. Under the contract, the winning bidder will help compile baseline planning guidelines and an environmental impact assessment plan for the project. The consultant will provide advice on site…
Lithuania may suspend regular passenger services to neighbouring Belarus and Russia, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic stated, BNS reports. He said that such a measure was “definitely worth considering” in response to growing security threats from Belarus. However, the question was whether the move would have any real impact on the Belarusian regime or instead only…
The average level of consumer prices in Latvia rose by 3.8% in November 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The inflation rate was mainly influenced by the rise in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices (up 5.2%) and an increase in the price…
The number of job vacancies in Estonia totalled 9,375 in the third quarter of 2025, which was 5.4% less than in the same period of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. The number of vacancies was the highest in education (2,025) and in wholesale and retail trade (1,264). The vacancy rate stood…
The three Baltic States have joined Finland, Ireland, Poland, and Sweden in urging the EU to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, LETA reports. The seven member states sent a joint letter to European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa to express support for the EC’s proposal…
Lithuania’s opposition Homeland Union called on the ruling Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) to cancel plans to abolish the country’s Desovietisation and Denazification Commission, LRT reports. Under the plan, responsibility for removing Soviet-era names and monuments would revert to municipalities. Homeland Union argued that the proposal would halt Lithuania’s decommunisation process, making Lithuania more…
An overwhelming majority of Latvians are worried about their life in retirement, according to a Norstat poll for insurance company ERGO, LSM reports. The survey showed that 68% of Latvian residents were anxious about retirement, including 74% of women and 62% of men. The main causes for concern were lack of money (67%), health issues…
The EU should make the implementation of a global minimum corporate income tax voluntary or abolish the tax altogether for small countries like Estonia, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi insisted, ERR reported. He noted that the EU had made the global minimum tax mandatory for member states through a directive, which he said placed EU businesses…