Following the introduction of stricter entry procedures for Russian citizens in the Baltic States in September 2022, over 4,000 Russians have been denied entry, Rustamas Liubajevas, commander of Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service (VSAT), announced, LRT reports. He said that Estonia had turned away 1,850, Lithuania 1,278, and Latvia 890 Russian citizens. Liubajevas revealed that…
Relations between Finland and Estonia are stronger than ever, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated, ERR reports. Speaking at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in Tallinn on 5 July 2023, Orpo noted that the two countries had strong cultural ties, and that their values and understanding of reality were very…
Accommodation establishments in Estonia received a total of 265,000 guests in May 2023, which was 7% more than in the same month of 2022, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. The number of foreign guests totalled 141,000, which was 21% more than a year earlier. The number of tourists from Finland amounted to…
Estonia’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 9.2% on year in June 2023, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. The rise was mostly due to an increase in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which accounted for almost 50% of the total increase of the CPI. The average price of goods was…
Estonian MEP Yana Toom of the Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) visited Russia to meet with pro-Russia activist Zoja Paljamar, who was barred from entering Estonia for security reasons, ERR reports. Toom said that she was visiting her sister in Russia. “Perhaps someone also has a relative in North Korea, too,” she explained. Toom announced on…
Baltic and Polish culture ministers will sign a joint declaration of support for the restoration of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, Baltic News Network reports. The ministers will sign the declaration on the final day of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival at the Latvian Museum of Architecture (LAM) in Riga on 9 July 2023. The joint…
Lithuania has reintroduced border control measures, which will remain in place until the end of the NATO summit in Vilnius, BNS reports. Border checks will be carried out from 8am on 7 July 2023 until 8am on 13 July 2023. Travellers crossing internal EU borders will have to present a valid travel document and third-country…
Estonia’s Defence Minister, Hanno Pevkur, voiced satisfaction at the details of NATO’s new defence plans for the Baltic region, ERR reports. He said that there were no outstanding points of contention regarding the plans ahead of the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Discussions continued over the wording of the introductory section of the…
The Baltic States should disconnect from the Russian-controlled BRELL power grid and synchronise with the European system as planned by the end of 2025, Kalle Kilk, CEO of Estonia’s electricity transmission system operator, Elering, stated, Postimees reports. Kilk noted that Russia provided the Baltic States with grid balancing services. Disconnecting from the Russian grid now…