The Latvian government has extended the enhanced border protection regime on the border with Belarus for another six months until 30 June 2026, LSM reports. The regime, which is in force in certain parishes and municipalities along the border, was due to expire at the end of 2025. The enhanced control regime was declared due…
GDP per capita in the Baltic States was highest in Lithuania in 2024, according to preliminary data from Eurostat, BNS reports. Lithuania’s real GDP per capita stood at 87.5% of the EU average in 2024, followed by Estonia with 79.0% and Latvia with 68.4%. Actual individual consumption (AIC) per capita amounted to 88% of the…
Less than half of Latvians saw their income rise in 2025, according to a Norstat survey for Luminor Bank, LSM reports. In the survey, 41% of Latvian residents reported that their income had increased in 2025. Specifically, 27% said that their income had increased by up to 10%, another 10% by 10-15%, and 7% by…
Latvia’s GDP will grow by 1.7% in 2025, according to the Bank of Latvia’s revised macroeconomic forecast, LSM reports. In June 2025, the central bank projected 1.2% GDP growth in 2025. The new forecast expects economic growth to accelerate thanks to increased domestic and external demand. The GDP will grow by 2.8% in 2026, by…
The prime ministers of the Baltic States assured that the Rail Baltica railway from Tallinn to the Polish border would be completed on schedule, BNS reported. Speaking after a joint meeting in Riga, the three prime ministers pledged to secure maximum EU funding for the project. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stressed that the railway…
Latvia must be fully ready to dismantle railway tracks going to Russia if necessary, Foreign Minister Baiba Braze stated, LSM reports. However, she said that it would make no sense for Latvia to do so unilaterally. Latvia will coordinate the issue with Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland. Earlier, the presidents of the three Baltic States…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics expressed doubts about Russia’s readiness for peace in Ukraine, LETA reported. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Evika Silina, Rinkevics said that Latvia fully supported both security guarantees for Ukraine and efforts to achieve peace. He noted that the positions of the United States, Europe, and Ukraine were…
Latvia’s Riga Regional Court has overturned a lower court ruling in a bribery case involving the state-owned railway company, Latvijas Dzelzcels (LDz), BNS reports. The court found LDz’s former CEO, Ugis Magonis, and Estonian businessman Oleg Ossinovski guilty of bribery, sentencing Magonis to 2.5 years in prison and Ossinovski to a fine of EUR 151,700….
Leaders of the three Baltic States took part in the first Eastern Flank Summit, which was organised by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, LETA reported. The summit was also attended by leaders from Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Sweden as well as EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal noted that Europe’s eastern…