Completing the construction of the Rail Baltica railway in all three Baltic States by 2030 is “mathematically impossible,” Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs stated, LETA reported. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Kulbergs said that Estonian political leaders were living in a “dream world” regarding the project’s timetable, suggesting that they had been given incomplete…
Estonia’s opposition Social Democratic Party (SDE) has proposed the country’s Chancellor of Justice, Ülle Madise, as a candidate for president, ERR reports. SDE’s deputy chairman, Tanel Kiik, argued that Madise had the potential to secure a two-thirds majority needed to be elected in the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu. He said that SDE had discussed Madise’s…
Estonia will begin building a new permanent base for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) in the northeastern border city of Narva later in 2026, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reported. The base in the city’s Kadastiku industrial area is due to be completed by the end of 2027. Although all political groups in Narva…
The three Baltic States lack sufficient funding to complete the first phase of the Rail Baltica railway project, LSM reports. The total cost of the first phase is estimated at EUR 15bn, and only slightly more than EUR 5bn of funding has been pledged so far. Marko Kivila, CEO of the project’s central coordinating entity,…
Every major party in Estonia has added to the state’s debt burden, according to Kaspar Oja, senior economist at the Bank of Estonia, ERR reported. While the biggest budget deficits emerged during the coronavirus pandemic, Estonia has had structural deficits every year since 2017, Oja noted. His analysis found that when in government, the Conservative…
Russia may be planning provocations against the Baltic States or Poland to pressure NATO countries into stopping support for Ukraine, Fox News reports. Latvian intelligence said that there were “indications” that Russia was preparing “military provocations” against the Baltic States or Poland. Russia could launch hybrid attacks using missiles, drones, or other actions, but the…
Estonian political analysts said that the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, was unlikely to agree on the election of a new president, ERR reported. The election was therefore likely to move to the electoral college, the analysts said. Both Tarmo Jüristo, head of the Liberal Citizen Foundation (SALK), and Tõnis Saarts, associate professor of comparative politics…
The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has approved amendments allowing prisoners from other countries to be housed in Estonian prisons, ERR reported. At the same time, the parliament ratified a prison leasing agreement with Sweden. Earlier, the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, ratified the agreement, ERR reported. Under the deal, Sweden can send up to 600 adult…
Hourly labour costs in the Baltic States rose the fastest in Lithuania in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, ELTA reported. Nominal hourly labour costs in the whole economy rose by 8.6% in Lithuania, 6.2% in Estonia, and 2.3% in Latvia from the first quarter of 2025. Hourly wage costs alone went…
