The share of people with or without disabilities who felt discriminated against in administrative offices and public services is the EU’s highest in Estonia, according to survey data from Eurostat, LSM reports. As many as 14.6% of people with disabilities perceived discrimination when interacting with public administration or accessing public services in Estonia in 2024,…
Lithuania’s Finance Minister, Kristupas Vaitiekunas, urged the EU to pursue negotiations and prepare retaliatory measures after US President Donald Trump again threatened to raise tariffs, BNS reports. He predicted that the EU would be “in this game” through Trump’s entire term in office. “This process involving tariffs, negotiations, and pressure from both sides will be…
Latvia has over 223,000 pupils studying in schools of general education in the academic year 2025/2026, TV3 reports. However, due to the country’s demographic decline, the number of schoolchildren may drop to fewer than 200,000 by 2030. By 2040, the number may fall to a little over 120,000, which would be more than 40% fewer…
Estonia’s Minister of Finance, Jürgen Ligi, has rejected a proposal to lower the excise duty on diesel fuel temporarily, ERR reports. Ligi argued that broad-based tax cuts would have a very large and lasting negative impact on the state budget, and that targeted measures to support vulnerable households and sectors would be more sensible. In…
The Lithuanian government is considering the possibility of allowing the construction of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) in the country, LRT reports. Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said that the government would identify two or three SMR technologies in 2026 for further evaluation in terms of technical and economic feasibility. The minister stressed Lithuania’s need to…
Latvia’s Riga Fertilizer Terminal (RFT) has again asked the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FID) for a waver on EU sanctions in order to resume operations, LSM reports. RFT pledged to isolate the company’s majority owner, sanctioned Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, from the company’s management and profits. However, Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) pointed out that…
Estonia’s new motor vehicle tax and registration fee, which were introduced as of 1 January 2025, generated total revenue of EUR 151mn in 2025, ERR reports. Registration fee revenue totalled EUR 64.2mn in 2025, which was more than 50% less than the projected EUR 137mn. Meanwhile, revenue from the motor vehicle tax was close to…
The mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, has launched a signature campaign for legislation that would oblige foreigners living temporarily in the country to learn Lithuanian, BNS reports. Under the mayor’s proposal, non-EU nationals would have to show proof of at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian when renewing their temporary residence permits after…
Latvia’s Freeport of Riga opened the new cruise season on 3 May 2026, Latvijas Avize reports. The port expects to receive altogether 103 cruise liners in 2026, which would be the highest number in the port’s history. The ships would bring no less than 135,000 tourists to Riga, which also would be an all-time record…