The amount of VAT violations in Estonia doubled in the first seven months of 2023, according to the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA), BNS reports. EMTA inspected and advised 5,000 companies over the period, resulting in increased VAT obligations of EUR 35.8mn, which is twice as much as a year earlier and EUR 6mn…
Latvia’s average level of consumer prices increased by 6.4% in July 2023, compared to the corresponding period in 2022, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau, LSM reports. Consumer prices were mainly influenced by the rise in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices and of goods and services related to housing, as well as by…
Estonia should prioritise trade with free democratic societies, where the political risk is smallest, Estonian MEP Urmas Paet (Reform/Renew Europe), deputy chairman of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, argues. Writing in an opinion piece for ERR, Paet criticised Estonia’s state-run export promotion agency, Enterprise Estonia, for advocating closer economic ties with Vietnam, which has…
Estonia’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 6.4% on year in July 2023, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Prices of goods rose by 8.1% and services by 3.1%. The increase in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices accounted for more than half of the total rise in consumer prices. At the same time,…
The prime ministers of the three Baltic States have signed a joint declaration to speed up the synchronisation of the Baltic power grids with the continental European network, ERR reports. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that the Baltic States would disconnect from the Russian-controlled BRELL system as soon as it was technically possible. She…
An increasing number of Lithuanian emigrants are considering going back, according to a poll carried out by the Employment Service (UzT) in May 2023, LRT reports. The survey showed that 55.1% of respondents would like to return to Lithuania, which is 14.6 percentage points higher than in 2020. The majority of those who wish to…
Latvian ministries and other institutions have submitted proposals for priority budget measures worth EUR 1.983bn for 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance, LETA reports. Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens said that funding requests were EUR 250mn lower than in 2023. The largest requests were for teacher wages, health care, and defence. Other requests included covering…
Estonia’s GDP continued to decline by around 3% in the second quarter of 2023, according to Statistics Estonia’s flash estimate. The drop in GDP has slowed down slightly compared to previous quarters, however. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the country’s GDP remained unchanged, according to seasonally and working-day adjusted data.
Annual inflation in Estonia stood at 6.3% in July 2023, which was down from 22.8% a year earlier, according to Statistics Estonia’s preliminary data, ERR reports. Compared to June 2023, consumer prices declined by 0.39%. In June 2023, annual inflation stood at 9.2%.