Consumer prices in Latvia rose by 0.7% in August 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s (CSP) data, LETA reports. Compared to July 2024, consumer prices fell by 0.5%, however. Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 3.5%, alcoholic beverages and tobacco by 7%, clothing and footwear…
Estonian President Alar Karis stressed that the state budget must remain under strict parliamentary control, BNS reported. Speaking at the opening of the autumn session of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, Karis said that MPs should not engage in bargaining for budget funds for their supporters, but instead focus on making the most important decisions…
The Latvian state will have to borrow at least EUR 3bn annually for the next four years, Kaspars Abolins, head of the State Treasury, announced, LETA reports. He said that the state needed to refinance earlier Eurobonds and finance the state budget deficit and loans to local governments. The plan was to raise the money…
The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) denied residence to almost 36,000 foreigners in the first eight months of 2024 after the introduction of tighter rules on immigration, according to the Ministry of Interior, BNS reports. LMD received altogether 67,175 residence permit applications. The number of applications to work in Lithuania from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and…
Estonia’s exports of goods totalled over EUR 1.3bn at current prices in July 2024, which was up 5% from the same period of 2023, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Meanwhile, imports of goods totalled nearly EUR 1.7bn, which was up 1% from a year earlier. Estonia’s trade deficit thus amounted to EUR…
The Estonian government will not raise wages for teachers in 2025, ERR reports. The Estonian Educational Personnel Union (EHL) has demanded that basic teacher salaries start at the level of the national average wage. However, Education Minister Kristina Kallas noted that the state did not have the money to meet EHL’s demand, which would require…
The Estonian Reform Party’s general assembly has elected Prime Minister Kristen Michal as the party’s new chairman, replacing former prime minister Kaja Kallas, ERR reports. Michal received 664 out of 818 votes. In his acceptance speech, Michal said that Reform’s mission was “a self-reliant people, the growth of prosperity and a strong middle class, security…
Lending in Latvia remains slow, with high interest rates compared to the Eurozone, particularly in the housing and corporate sectors, according to the Bank of Latvia, LETA reports. While home loan interest rates have decreased slightly since 2018, they are still two percentage points higher than the Eurozone average, partly due to the dominance of…
Baltic transport ministers called for increased EU funding for strategic transport infrastructure projects, The Baltic Times reports. The ministers insisted that the Connecting Europe Facility has to remain one of the key instruments in the EU’s next multiannual financial framwork as of 2028, with sufficient funding for cross-border transport, energy, and electronic communications projects. They…