The number of non-cash payments executed in Latvia totalled 395 million in the first half of 2024, which was 6% more than in the same period of 2023, according to the Bank of Latvia, LSM reports. The value of all non-cash payments totalled EUR 491.8bn, which was up by 226% over a year. The volume…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for limiting the number of immigrants entering the country, BNS reports. Speaking on LRT, Nauseda argued that “uncontrolled immigration was, first and foremost, a national security issue.” Given the “demographic hole” that Lithuania faces, failure to control immigration could lead to “outcomes none of us want,” Nauseda stated. He insisted…
Estonia’s unemployment rate stood at 7.6% in the second quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, Estonian World reports. The number of unemployed declined by 1,100 people over a quarter. Compared to the second quarter of 2023, the number of unemployed increased by 7,600, however. The employment rate stood at 69.7%, and the…
The average gross monthly wage in Estonia amounted to EUR 2,007 in the second quarter of 2024, which was up 7.2% from the same period of 2023, according to Statistics Estonia, The Baltic Guide reports. Wage growth has slowed down over the last four quarters. The average wage was highest in Tallinn (EUR 2,339), Harjumaa…
Air quality in the capital cities of the three Baltic States is best in Estonia’s Tallinn and worst in Latvia’s Riga, according to a new study by the European Environment Agency (EEA), LSM reports. Tallinn ranked 9th out of altogether 372 cities in Europe with “good” air quality that is better than the World Health…
Electricity prices in Estonia will increase significantly following the planned decoupling from the Russian electricity grid in February 2025, Postimees reports. Currently, the rate for production and consumption stands at just EUR 0.04 per MWh. Estonia’s transmission system operator, Elering, has proposed raising the rate to as much as EUR 5.31 per MWh, largely due…
Lithuania’s GDP growth will amount to 2.4% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest forecast, BNS reports. The country’s economic growth will be driven by the growth of real wages, public investments, and low inflation, the IMF report states. Average annual inflation will reach 1.2% in 2024, the…
The construction price index in Estonia rose by 2.2% on year in the second quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the index rose by 0.7%. The cost of labour rose by 1.3%, of machinery by 2.4%, and of building materials by 0.2% over…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has suggested that he does not want to see Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis appointed to the European Commission (EC), BNS reports. Nauseda argued that Lithuania should seek an economic portfolio rather than a foreign policy one in the new commission, stressing that economic portfolios were equally important. He pointed out that…