Estonia’s liberal coalition party, Estonia 200 (E200), will not merge with the small non-parliamentary party, Estonian Greens (EER), ERR reports. E200’s council met to discuss the issue on 18 October 2026. E200 chief spokesman Johannes Merilai said that a merger would add nothing to E200’s core identity. Also, he noted that EER’s policies differed from…
Estonians are markedly more active physically than Latvians and Lithuanians, according to Eurostat statistics, LSM reports. The data showed that 73.2% of Estonians aged 16 years or older engaged in physical activity outside work at least once a week in 2025, which was down from 82.4% in 2022. By comparison, a mere 52.3% (47.7%) of…
Estonia’s major political parties will spend around EUR 1-2mn in campaigning ahead of the parliamentary elections in March 2027, ERR reports. Andres Metsoja, general secretary of the conservative opposition party, Fatherland, estimated that his party would spend around EUR 2mn in campaigning. Õnne Pillak, chairperson of the parliamentary group of the ruling Estonian Reform Party,…
The number of nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments in the Baltic States rose in 2025, according to Eurostat, LSM reports. However, the increase was due to foreign tourists, the data showed. Nights spent at hotels and other short-term accommodation establishments in Lithuania totalled 9.436 million in 2025, which was up 9.2% from 8.640 million…
The Chinese embassy in Estonia has sent a diplomatic note to the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, protesting the participation of Estonian MPs at a reception celebrating Taiwan’s National Day in Tallinn, ERR reports. Altogether eight MPs from various parties attended the event, which was organised by Taiwan’s representative office in Latvia. The Chinese embassy suggested…
Estonians travelled less and Lithuanians and Latvians more in 2025 than a year earlier, according to Eurostat, LSM reports. The data showed that Lithuanians made altogether 7.19 million overnight trips in 2025, which was up 4.4% from 6.89 million in 2024. The number of trips by Latvian residents totalled 5.04 million, which was up 3.0%…
The Estonian rare earths processor, NPM Silmet, plans to stop using raw materials from Russia’s state-owned Solikamsk Magnesium Works (SMZ) by the end of 2026, ERR reports. NPM Silmet said that it would have to reduce production at its plant in Sillamäe as a result. The company is still waiting for a final shipment from…
The Baltic States called on the EU to ban transit shipments of Russian grain through EU territory, BNS reported. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda made the call in a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen….
Estonia’s new president, Ülle Madise, made her first working visits in office to neighbouring Latvia and Finland, BNS reported. In her meetings with the Latvian and Finnish presidents, she discussed defence and regional security, energy and transport connections, protection of critical infrastructure, support for Ukraine, Nordic-Baltic cooperation, and transatlantic relations. At a joint press conference…
