The Latvian bakery, Kuldigas Maizes Ceptuve (Kuldiga Bakery), will continue operations under new ownership, LSM reports. Earlier, the company announced that the bakery would be forced to shut down. However, the bakery has now been acquired by Kuldiga-based entrepreneur Gatis Rozenfelds, who plans to resume production. Kuldiga Bakery began producing bread and pastries in the…
Food prices in Latvia are not falling as rapidly as they should, and people’s purchasing power is not increasing, Inguna Gulbe, head of the Agricultural Market Promotion Centre (LTVC), stated, LSM reports. She noted that prices for some food products, such as sunflower oil and butter, were falling, while other food products remained more expensive…
Costs associated with forest restoration, maintenance, and logging increased in Latvia in 2022, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau, LSM reports. The average cost of forest restoration amounted to EUR 792-931 per hectare, which was up 2.5-12.4% from EUR 742-890 per hectare in 2021. The average cost of logging operations rose by 31.0%…
Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the resumption of limited acceptance of visa applications from Russian citizens at Latvian diplomatic and consular missions abroad, LSM reports. The decision comes after the suspension of all visa applications from Russian citizens in response to the Wagner Group mutiny in Russia. Visa applications will now be accepted…
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, Rihards Kols (National Alliance), urged member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to designate the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, as a terrorist organisation, LSM reports. Speaking at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Vancouver, Canada,…
Coalition partners in Latvia’s Riga City Council — New Unity, Code for Riga, National Alliance, and the Latvian Association of Regions (LRA) — are in talks to establish a new coalition, LETA reports. The factions regard the decision of mayor Martins Stakis to step down as “counterproductive” and emphasised the need to prevent snap elections,…
Latvia’s Education Minister Anda Čakša (New Unity) refused to resign as demanded by the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees (LIZDA), LSM reports. She insisted that her actions as minister thus far had provided no grounds for such a demand. Čakša recognised the need to address the budgetary allocation for teacher salaries during…
Finland’s new Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, will visit Estonia on 5 July 2023 to meet with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and President Alar Karis, ERR reports. This will be Orpo’s first official foreign visit since being sworn in on 20 June 2023. The two prime ministers will discuss bilateral relations, regional security, and EU…
Estonian energy group Alexela reported revenue of more than EUR 620mn in 2022, which was up almost 70% from around EUR 368mn in 2021, ERR reports. The group’s annual profit amounted to EUR 14.6mn, which was up 75% from EUR 8.3mn a year earlier. Alexela attributed the rise in profit to an increase in the…