Passenger rail service from Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, to the Latvian capital, Riga, could begin in the second half of 2025, according to Estonian passenger rail operator Elron, LETA reports. Latvia’s passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), has proposed opening a rail link from Riga to Tartu in spring 2025. Latvia’s Transport Minister, Kaspars Briskens,…
The share of renewable sources in total energy consumption in the Baltic States was highest in Latvia in 2022, LSM reports. Eurostat data showed that 43.3% of Latvia’s gross final energy consumption came from renewable sources in 2022, which was up from 42.1% in 2021. Estonia came in second with 38.5% (37.4%), followed by Lithuania…
Six European gas transmission system operators, including Gasgrid Finland, Estonia’s Elering, Latvia’s Conexus Baltic Grid, Lithuania’s Amber Grid, Poland’s Gaz-System, and Germany’s ONTRAS, have signed a contract with AFRY Management Consulting for a pre-feasibility study on the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, The Baltic Times reports. The project aims to develop cross-border hydrogen transmission infrastructure from Finland…
The minimum wage rose in all three Baltic States as of 1 January 2024, WageIndicator reported. The highest minimum monthly gross wage is in Lithuania, rising from EUR 840 in 2023 to EUR 924 in 2024. In Estonia, the minimum wage went up from EUR 725 to EUR 820 per month. Latvia has the lowest…
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have adopted a coordinated approach to improve the effectiveness of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus, ERR reports. The prime ministers of the three Baltic States stressed the importance of a unified strategy, aiming to prevent fragmentation and serve as an example for other EU border countries. The joint effort includes…
The Baltic banking group, Luminor, reported a net profit of EUR 178.3mn in the first nine months of 2023, which was up more than double from EUR 84.4mn in the same period of 2022. Net income on interest amounted to EUR 399.1mn (EUR 202.4mn) and net income on fees and commissions to EUR 63.8mn (EUR…
The Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council have agreed on new priorities of cooperation at their annual summit in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, BNS reports. In the 2024-2026 period, the two parliamentary cooperation organisations will focus on supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and on defence against cyber threats and disinformation. Also, the eight parliaments will promote democracy…
The presidents of the Baltic States and Poland met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the transport of Ukrainian grain through EU ports, ERR reports. Estonian President Alar Karis noted that shipping Ukrainian grain via Baltic ports required cooperation with Poland. Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament,…
The network of public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is growing rapidly in the Baltic States, ERR reports. Estonia has 0.57 EV charging stations, Latvia 2.38 stations, and Lithuania 0.93 stations for every 10 EVs registered. The total number of charging stations amounts to 311 in Estonia, 532 in Latvia, and 1,018 in Lithuania. Meanwhile,…