Estonian Climate Minister Yoko Alender and Finland’s Minister of Environment and Climate, Kai Mykkänen, have signed a memorandum of understanding on increased cooperation in protecting critical undersea energy infrastructure, BNS reports. Under the agreement, Estonia and Finland will set up a steering group to develop their cooperation on ensuring the resilience and security of undersea…
The defence ministers of the three Baltic States met with a high official of Poland’s Defence Ministry in Latvia’s Daugavpils to discuss the strengthening of regional defence infrastructure, LSM reports. Latvian Defence Minister Andris Spruds stressed the importance of implementing NATO decisions to strengthen the defence of the alliance’s eastern flank, including regional air-defence capabilities….
The Estonian government has dropped plans to impose a tax on sugary beverages, Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced, ERR reports. Health Minister Riina Sikkut said that she proposed withdrawing the proposal, noting that the coalition agreement only allowed new taxes to finance defence and security needs. Michal expressed hope that opinions on the matter would…
Estonian officials have again refuted suggestions that the rupture of the Balticconnector gas pipeline and two data cables in the Baltic Sea by the Chinese cargo ship, NewNew Polar Bear, in October 2023 was an accident, ERR reports. “You would need to find a very stupid captain” for the incident to have been an accident,…
The Lithuanian government has launched a pilot scheme to combat the use of narcotics and smoking in schools, LRT reports. Seven schools in Vilnius, Klaipeda, and Alytus will take part in the pilot programme, placing students under closer surveillance. The aim is to develop a joint response plan to prevent drug use and smoking. The…
A notorious leader of organised crime in Latvia has been arrested in an international operation, LSM reports. Latvia’s State Police, in cooperation with Europol and the Spanish National Police, detained 16 people, including 10 in Latvia and 6 in Spain. The group is suspected of selling narcotics and of large-scale money laundering. Police confiscated marijuana,…
Estonia and the US have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in countering information manipulation, ERR reports. The memorandum stresses the importance of media freedom in protecting the information space. Estonian state secretary Taimar Peterkop said that Estonia could share with allies its experience in dealing with Russian information attacks. The US has signed…
The Maltese-flagged ship, Ruby, carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate from Russia, is no longer headed for Lithuania’s port of Klaipeda, BNS reports. Algis Latakas, CEO of Klaipeda State Seaport, announced that the ship had removed Klaipeda as its final destination at the port’s request. He said that the ship would name its new destination…
The presidents of the three Baltic States — Estonia’s Alar Karis, Latvia’s Edgars Rinkevics, and Lithuania’s Gitanas Nauseda — have called for reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), BNS reported. They stressed the need to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its military aggression. Karis pointed to the UNSC’s current inability to resolve conflicts,…