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…
International rating agency Fitch Ratings has downgraded the long-term issuer default rating of Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, from B-/Negative to CCC+, indicating “significant risks” for creditors, LETA reports. Fitch also downgraded airBaltic’s senior secured long-term notes worth EUR 380mn from B- to CCC+. The agency noted that airBaltic’s level of indebtedness was higher and financial…
Lithuania has submitted an application for EUR 6.375bn of support from the European Commission’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument to finance around 50 defence projects, BNS reports. Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa said that Lithuania would use the EU funds to acquire tanks or tracked infantry fighting vehicles for a national army division. Also,…
A group of MPs in Lithuania has established a parliamentary working group to push for the restoration of full diplomatic relations with communist China, ELTA reports. The working group’s chairman, MP Ignas Vegele of the opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS), called on Lithuania to bring its diplomatic ties with China in line with…
Estonia’s GDP totalled EUR 10.5bn at current prices in the third quarter of 2025, which was up 0.9% from the same period of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. Compared to the second quarter of 2025, seasonally and working-day adjusted GDP rose by 0.4%. Value added in the energy sector rose by…
Staff at Lithuania’s public broadcaster, Lietuvos Nacionalinis Radijas ir Televizija (LRT), have announced a week-long protest against a proposal to make it easier to remove the company’s director general, LRT reports. During the action, the staff will hold brief moments of silence on air. Also, journalists plan a protest rally outside the Lithuanian parliament, the…
Latvia’s average monthly gross wage amounted to EUR 1,835 in the third quarter of 2025, which was up 7.8% from the same period of 2024, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The average wage rose by 8.1% in the private sector and 7.1% in the public sector. The average hourly…
Estonia’s opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) and Fatherland (Isamaa) have signed a coalition agreement to govern Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, for the next four years, ERR reports. Under the agreement, the posts of mayor and city council chairman will alternate between the two parties, and the parties will have three deputy mayors each. Keskerakond’s Mihhail Kõlvart…
Lithuania has lifted flight restrictions after disruptions caused by smuggler balloons from neighbouring Belarus, BNS reports. Saulius Batavicius, CEO of air navigation provider Oro Navigacija, said that around 60 balloons were detected during the shutdown, practically blocking access to Vilnius International Airport. The airport was shut down for almost 11 hours. Batavicius noted that the…