Lithuania’s Prosecutor General, Nida Grunskiene, has asked the European Parliament to strip Lithuanian MEP Petras Grazulis of his parliamentary immunity to face prosecution in Lithuania, Baltic News Network reports. Grazulis stands accused of expressing contempt for members of the LGBT community. The case was put on hold after he was elected MEP. Grazulis faces fines…
The Latvian government plans to raise the personal income tax (PIT) for those with high income in 2025, LETA reports. Under the plan, the government will introduce an additional 3% PIT rate for those with income of over EUR 200,000 per year. The additional tax will apply to all taxable income, including capital gains. At…
Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS) has procured high-power speaker devices meant for psychological deterrence, LETA reports. VRS purchased the sound devices from Lithuania’s NT Service for around EUR 150,000. VRS has deployed the devices to Latvia’s eastern border to deter the illegal entry of large groups of people into the country. The non-lethal devices can…
The crash of a Russian attack drone in eastern Latvia on 7 September 2024 has raised concerns about the ability of Baltic air defence systems to protect civilians from unexpected aerial threats, The Baltic Sentinel reports. Critics questioned why the drone, which was equipped with explosives, was not shot down but was instead allowed to…
Latvia’s Central Election Commission (CVK) has proposed introducing new paper ballots for the municipal elections in summer 2025, LSM reports. The State Regional Development Agency (VRAA), which is in charge of the country’s voting system, notes that the existing paper ballots can be confusing for voters. CVK said that the new ballots would be simpler…
Latvia’s State Revenue Service (VID) will contact 260 construction companies that are paying atypically low wages to their workers, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with LTV, VID director general Baiba Smite-Roke noted that the companies were paying wages that were significantly lower than the average. The aim was to ascertain whether the companies were…
The municipal government of the Latvian capital, Riga, has terminated procurement for the maintenance of the city’s bridges in 2024-2029, LSM reports. After announcing a new tender for the contract, the cheapest offer was 43% more expensive than in the initial tender announced in spring 2024, when both bidders failed to meet the requirements. The…
Latvia had a total of 64,900 unemployed people in August 2024, which was 3,500 more than in the same period of 2023, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LETA reports. Compared to July 2024, the number of unemployed rose by 100 people. Latvia’s actual unemployment rate stood at 6.8% in August 2024, which was…
The Lithuanian fish processing company, Port Lite, has invested EUR 80mn in a new salmon processing plant in the Latvian port city of Liepaja, Baltic News Network reports. Sigitas Ambrazevicius, founder and owner of Port Lite, said that the 15,000 m2 plant would process around 25,000 tonnes of salmon per year. The company will sell…
