Estonia has taken over the chairship of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) from the Netherlands, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports. During the one-year term as chair, Estonia will focus on sharing its experience in e-government and on bridging the global digital divide. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stressed the importance of like-minded countries and…
Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Vladislav Kondratovic, sees no need to relax existing restrictions on the entry of Belarusian citizens into Lithuania, BNS reports. Lithuania has stopped issuing new visas to Belarusian citizens with few exceptions and has closed four out of six checkpoints on the border with Belarus. Moreover, Belarusians arriving in the country are subject…
Latvia’s general age of retirement was raised to 65 years as of 1 January 2025, BNS reports. At the same time, the minimum time of employment to be eligible for old-age pension rose to 20 years. In 2024, the retirement age was 64 years and 9 months, while the working requirement was no less than…
Estonian President Alar Karis has rejected an amendment to the law on the use of natural resources, ERR reports. The legislative changes would suspend oil shale mining permits until 2026, allowing time to assess the industry’s compliance with EU climate goals. The president argued that the amendment ran counter to the Constitution and imposed disproportionate…
Five candidates are running to lead Lithuania’s conservative opposition party, Homeland Union (TS-LKD), for the next four years, BNS reports. The five candidates are the party’s acting chairwoman, former education minister Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, former defence ministers Arvydas Anusauskas and Laurynas Kasciunas, MP Zygimantas Pavilionis, and the chairman of the party’s local branch in Jurbarkas, Daivaras…
Latvia’s minimum monthly wage rose from EUR 700 to EUR 740 as of 1 January 2025, BNS reports. The minimum wage will gradually transition to a percentage of the national average wage. Welfare Minister Uldis Augulis said that the change would improve the living standards of lower-paid workers. According to data from the Central Statistical…
Estonia’s former president, Arnold Rüütel, died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 96, ERR reports. He will be buried with full state honours. Rüütel was born on the island of Saaremaa in 1928. He was chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in occupied Estonia in 1983-1990, chairman of the Supreme Soviet…
Estonia’s exports of services totalled EUR 3.2bn in the third quarter of 2024, which was up 8% from the same period of 2023, according to data from Statistics Estonia and the Bank of Estonia, ERR reports. Imports of services into Estonia totalled EUR 2.4bn, which was up 2% over a year. Estonia’s trade surplus in…
Lithuania’s conservative Homeland Union plans to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the constitutionality of President Gitanas Nauseda’s decree approving an incomplete cabinet of ministers, BNS reports. Homeland Union MP Mindaugas Linge argued that the formation of an incomplete government annuls the deadlines for the appointment of ministers who have not been appointed, which…