The Lithuanian government may declare an emergency due to the growing security threat posed by smuggler balloons launched from neighbouring Belarus, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic announced, BNS reports. He said that the government was assessing the impact on public safety and border security and was considering several options. Earlier, MEP Aurelijus Veryga, chairman of the…
The Lithuanian government has decided to accept half of allocated migrants into the country and pay for the remainder under the EU’s migration and asylum pact, the Ministry of Interior announced, ELTA reports. The ministry said that the decision was based on an assessment of national capacity, the regional migration situation, and the ability of…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments reducing state support for Ukrainian refugees in Latvia, LSM reports. The government will allocate EUR 39.7mn of budget funds to support Ukrainians in the country in 2026, which will be down from EUR 65mn in 2025. The government will stop support to those Ukrainians who have found…
Estonia’s opposition party, national conservative Fatherland (Isamaa), remained the country’s most popular political party in November 2025, according to Norstat’s poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. The poll showed that 29.1% of eligible voters now support Fatherland, followed by the opposition left-of-centre Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) with 20.9%, the far-right Conservative People’s…
Lithuania does not oppose the European Commission’s (EC) decision to withdraw a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China’s trade restrictions on Lithuanian goods, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry announced, BNS reports. The EC argued that the main objectives of the dispute had been achieved and trade had resumed. However, the Foreign Ministry pointed out…
The city council of Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, has elected Tõnis Lukas of the national conservative Fatherland (Isamaa) party as its chairman, ERR reports. At the same time, the city council elected Raimond Tamm of the liberal Estonian Reform Party as deputy chairman. Reform’s Urmas Klaas will continue to serve as the city’s mayor. Fatherland…
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Denmark have signed a cooperation agreement to begin joint medicine purchases, ERR reports. The Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs said that the agreement would allow the countries to order larger quantities of medicines, helping obtain lower prices and more reliable terms of delivery. The ministry noted that new medicines usually arrive…
The EU is preparing new sanctions against Belarus, following repeated incursions of smuggler balloons from Belarus into Lithuania, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, BNS reports. Earlier, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys urged the EU not to allow the Belarusian regime to blackmail and escape its international isolation and have sanctions lifted, ELTA…
The city council of Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, has elected Mihhail Kõlvart, chairman of the Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond), as its new speaker, ERR reports. Kõlvart served as city council speaker in 2017-2019 and as city mayor in 2019-2024. Earlier, the Centre Party signed a four-year coalition agreement with national conservative party Fatherland (Isamaa). Under the…
