Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) will inform altogether 4,650 Russian citizens on steps they need to take to be able to stay in Latvia after changes to the country’s law on immigration, LETA reports. Russian nationals with permanent residence permits must apply for the status of a permanent EU resident and pass…
Annual inflation in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in June 2024, according to Eurostat data, BNS reports. Estonia’s harmonised annual inflation rate stood at 2.8% in June 2024, compared to 1.5% in Latvia and 1.0% in Lithuania. Compared to May 2024, prices rose by 0.5% in Estonia but remained unchanged in Latvia and…
Estonian car-sharing company Elmo and Swedish charging solutions provider Elonroad have opened the world’s first fully automatic charging station for teledriven cars in Tallinn, BNS reports. The stations will allow Elmo to minimise charging interruptions and reduce labour costs. Teledriving technology enables controlling vehicles remotely.
Lithuania’s central bank, the Bank of Lithuania, has proposed a comprehensive review of existing tax exemptions, income and wealth taxation, and reducing the VAT gap to increase budget revenue as the population ages, BNS reports. Vaidotas Tuzikas, principal economist at the Bank of Lithuania, noted that Lithuania’s ratio of tax collection to GDP of 4.5%…
Slowing inflation and strong wage growth in Estonia have increased people’s purchasing power, according to the Bank of Estonia, BNS reports. In June 2024, the consumer price index rose by only 2.5% on year, which was the slowest rate in three years, primarily due to falling energy prices. At the same time, most services have…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) will send members of its Redeployable Communications and Information Systems Module to take part in a NATO training mission in Iraq, BNS reports. During the four-month mission, the specialists will provide communications support to ensure uninterrupted command and control in the area of operations. The operation’s aim is to train…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda supports Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions so as to improve the country’s defence capabilities, BNS reports. The Defence Ministry has proposed the motion to the parliament, the Seimas. The ministry highlighted the need for cluster munitions in Lithuania’s defence strategy, noting that adversaries like Russia and Belarus would…
Most drivers in Latvia routinely exceed the speed limit, creating what Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens calls a “speed pandemic,” BNS reports. A study by Riga Technical University reveals that only 29% of drivers adhere to speed limits. Reducing the average speed by 2 kmph could save 20 lives. Briskens said he would push for increasing…
The Estonian Defence Ministry has proposed allowing foreign citizens to take part in Estonia’s national defence, military training, and activities of the Estonian Defence League (Kaitseliit) volunteer corps, BNS reports. The proposed changes would allow foreign nationals to enter into contracts with Estonian defence forces for both peacetime and wartime roles. Currently, foreign nationals can…