Lithuanians are slightly more confident about the country’s economy, according to the latest Eurobarometer poll conducted in June 2023, BNS reports. The survey showed that 56% of respondents regarded the economic situation as bad, which was down 3 percentage points from January-February 2023. By contrast, around 41% of Lithuanians said that the country’s economy was…
Annual inflation in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in June 2023, according to Eurostat data, LETA reports. Estonia’s inflation rate stood at 9% in June 2023, followed by Lithuania with 8.2% and Latvia with 8.1%. Compared to May 2023, inflation amounted to 0.8% in Estonia. Meanwhile, consumer prices went down by 0.1% in…
Latvia’s estimated population totalled 1.883 million people in the beginning of June 2023, according to preliminary data from the Central Statistical Bureau, LSM reports. The number of live births totalled 5,770 in the first five months of 2023, which was 1,022 (15%) less than in the same period of 2022. Altogether 2,966 boys (down 504)…
Estonia’s economic climate index stood at -19.4 points in June 2023, which was down by almost 9 points from March 2023, according to the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI), ERR reports. The economic confidence index, which combines both business and consumer sentiment, stood at 78.7 points, which was significantly worse than the long-term average….
The Baltic States will decouple from the BRELL power grid linked to Russia and Belarus in the beginning of 2025, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced, ERR reports. Earlier, Lithuania urged the Baltic States to synchronise their power grids with the continental European system ahead of schedule in 2024. Kallas noted that such a rapid…
The Baltic States will not be able to decouple their power grids from the Russian-controlled BRELL system ahead of schedule in 2024, Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Lithuania’s electricity transmission system operator, Litgrid, stated, BNS reports. He said that the synchronisation process still depended on Estonia’s transmission system operator, Elering, which has said that Estonia will…
Latvia’s Ministry of Agriculture has proposed that a reduced VAT rate on fresh fruit, berries, and vegetables should remain in place in 2024 as well, Baltic News Network reports. The ministry’s report showed that fruit and vegetable farms in Latvia expanded more rapidly than in other EU countries in 2017-2022. At the same time, imports…
Lithuania’s annual inflation stood at 8.2% in June 2023, based on the EU’s Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), according to the State Data Agency (VDA), Baltic News Network reported. Monthly inflation was 0.1%. Annual inflation calculated according to the national consumer price index amounted to 9% and monthly inflation to 0.1%.
Estonia’s state budget deficit is likely to be smaller than forecast in 2023, the Ministry of Finance announced, ERR reports. In the first five months of 2023, budget revenues increased more than expected due to the rapid growth of wages and rise in prices. Tax revenue was 10% higher than a year earlier. At the…