The four policy priorities of Latvia’s coalition government in 2025 are “security, support for families, economic growth, and reducing bureaucracy,” Prime Minister Evika Silina announced, LSM reports. She will begin individual meetings with ministers to discuss the priorities, according to LETA. Silina said that national security remained the government’s most pressing priority, highlighting the need…
Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Eesti Liinirongid (Elron), plans to open a direct train connection between Tartu in southern Estonia and the Latvian capital, Riga, in summer 2025, BNS reports. Elron will soon begin test runs between Valga and Riga. CEO Lauri Betlem said that the authorisation of trains in Latvia had taken much longer…
The cargo turnover of Estonia’s Port of Tallinn totalled over 13mn tonnes in 2024, which was up 4.4% from 2023, ERR reports. The port operator served over 8mn passengers in 2024, which was 3.6% more than a year earlier. The number of passengers on Estonia’s island ferries rose by 2.1% over a year. Port of…
Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers have agreed to help step up international support for Moldova after Russia’s state-owned energy corporation, Gazprom, stopped gas supplies to the country, ERR reports. In a joint statement, the eight ministers said that they would work with the European Commission and other key partners to help Moldova. The ministers said…
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has opened an investigation into possible conflict of interest involving Martin Gauss, CEO of the country’s national airline, airBaltic, LETA reports. KNAB said that it opened the probe after receiving applications from private individuals. Earlier, Girts Lapins, spokesman for the opposition National Alliance, reported that Gauss owns a…
The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) helped attract 45 foreign investment projects, which will create an estimated 2,023 new jobs, in 2024, LSM reports. The total value of the projects is EUR 655.4mn, which is up 6% from 2023. The biggest investments were in high-value-added manufacturing, ICT, energy, and aviation. LIAA’s target is…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for a quick review of restrictions on the export of dual-use goods, BNS reports. Earlier, Economy Minister Lukas Savickas proposed relaxing the restrictions urgently. The previous government banned the export by air of several goods that Russia could use in its war against Ukraine to most third countries. Speaking in…
Parties in Latvia’s coalition government have postponed decisions on possible changes to the management of the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, LSM reports. Prime Minister Evika Silina said that the government would wait for decisions of airBaltic’s shareholders. She noted that airBaltic was partly privately-owned, and that the government did not manage the company directly….
Lithuania’s three international airports served an all-time record of 6.6 million passengers in 2024, which was almost 10% more than in 2023, according to state-owned airport operator Lietuvos Oro Uostai (LTOU), Made in Vilnius reports. The previous record was in 2019, when LTOU’s passenger turnover was 6.5 million people. LTOU’s airports served more than 56,800…