Latvia’s state budget for 2027 will implement a policy of austerity, control, and reform, Finance Minister Maris Kucinskis announced, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with Latvijas Radio, Kucinskis said that the government would freeze budget spending and public sector wages. At the same time, the government did not intend to raise taxes in 2027,…
Several public institutions and agencies in the Baltic States took their websites offline on 21 October 2026 due to global critical security vulnerabilities in PHP-based applications. In Estonia, the Ministry of Education and Science shut down access to the online learning platform, Moodle, temporarily, ERR reported. Also, the National Archives of Estonia closed or limited…
Latvia was hit by the strongest storm since 1966 on the night of 22-23 August 2026, LSM reported. Wind speeds exceeded 30 mps in some areas, according to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LVGMC), LETA reported. Several injuries and one fatality were recorded. Electricity distributor Sadales Tikls reported that the storm cut power…
Lithuania’s Culture Minister, Lukas Alsys, called for a systematic shift away from the use of Russian language in public administration, BNS reported. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Alsys stressed that government institutions and municipalities in Lithuania communicated in the state language, Lithuanian. However, the policy of phasing out Russian should take into account…
The director of Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), Jekabs Straume, has announced his early retirement, effective immediately, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with LTV, Straume said that he was retiring because he had turned 50. Straume led KNAB since June 2017 and was appointed for a second five-year term in June 2022….
Latvia’s National Alliance has proposed merging three ministries into a new Ministry of National Economy, LETA reports. Under the proposal, the new ministry would take over the functions of the current Ministry of Economics, Ministry of Climate and Energy, and Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development. Energy Minister Janis Vitenbergs of the National Alliance…
Latvia’s Minister of Culture, Nauris Puntulis, has ordered that the ministry stop using Russian in all official public functions, LETA reports. Under the order, the Ministry of Culture, its subordinate institutions, and state-owned companies under its management must stop using Russian at international events, strategic documents, advertising materials, official websites, and other public-facing functions by…
Three political groups in the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, have signed an agreement on a new coalition government, BNS reports. The new ruling coalition will include the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), the Union of Democrats for Lithuania, and the joint parliamentary group of the Lithuanian Union of Farmers and Greens and the Electoral Action…
Government agencies in Estonia will block electronic messages sent from Russian servers as of 31 August 2026, Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta announced, ERR reports. She said that emails sent to Estonian public servants or government institutions from addresses ending in .ru will be quarantined for security reasons. Such messages will have…
