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…
Latvia’s GDP growth will fall from 2.1% in 2025 to 1.9% in 2026, before rising to 2.2% in 2027, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecasts, LSM reports. Average annual inflation will decline from 3.8% in 2025 to 3.6% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027, the OECD projects in its latest survey of…
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,…
Corruption remained considerably lower in Estonia than in Latvia and Lithuania in 2025, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, ERR reports. Estonia ranked 12th on the index, which was up from 13th place in 2024, BNS reported. Meanwhile, Lithuania came in on 28th (32nd) and Latvia on 37th (38th) place, LSM reported. Estonia scored 76…
