Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has submitted to the country’s parliament, the Saeima, amendments that would freeze the wages of top management in state-owned enterprises (SOE), LETA reports. Under the proposal, the wages of top executives at state and municipal companies would be frozen until the end of 2026. Rinkevics stressed that the remuneration of top…
The foreign ministries of Estonia and Latvia will hold their annual seminar in the border town of Valga on 17-18 September 2024, LSM reports. Foreign ministers Margus Tsahkna and Baiba Braze will open the seminar, which is now being held for the ninth consecutive year. The ministers and foreign service officials will discuss defence and…
Estonia’s Tallinn city government has approved a new budget strategy, under which the city plans to invest EUR 100mn in public transport, including EUR 40mn of EU funds, over 2025-2028, ERR reports. Tallinn mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski said that the city will replace its trolleybus fleet with gas-fuelled buses and trams. Also, the city will build…
Belarus has deployed military equipment and troops to its border with Lithuania, according to the OSINT monitoring group, Belarusian Hajun, RBC-Ukraine reports. The group said that the Armed Forces of Belarus (USRB) had transferred a tactical group of the 19th Mechanised Brigade to the Hudahaj station in Hrodna region, just seven kilometres from the border…
Latvia has built four surveillance towers on the country’s border with Belarus, Baltic News Network reports. The state real estate company, Valsts Nekustamie Ipasumi (VNI), said that the towers, located on the Daugava River section of the border, would enable monitoring the border more effectively. VNI plans to build altogether six towers on the border….
Estonia’s Interior Ministry needs EUR 40mn to complete the deployment of infrastructure on the country’s border with Russia by the end of 2025, Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets estimated, ERR reports. He said that the infrastructure included fencing, technological equipment, access roads, and communication systems. The overall cost could rise to EUR 100mn if the government…
The three Baltic States have granted temporary protection to altogether 158,985 Ukrainian nationals fleeing the war, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Lithuania had granted temporary protection to 79,085 Ukrainian refugees at the end of July 2024, compared to 46,080 in Latvia and 33,820 in Estonia. The share of Ukrainian refugees in relation to the…
Lithuania should aim to raise its defence budget to 4% of GDP, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas stated, BNS reports. He said that this would allow Lithuania to maintain existing capabilities and acquire long-range air defence systems and combat helicopters. Earlier, President Gitanas Nauseda urged to raise defence spending to at least 3.5% of GDP. Lithuania’s…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics will pay a visit to the US on 17-27 September 2024, LSM reports. He will lead a Latvian trade delegation to California, visiting major technology companies, including Google, Groq, Meta, and OpenAI, as well as NASA’s Ames Research Center. Also, Rinkevics will take part in a roundtable discussion at Stanford University….