Nearly half (45%) of Estonians have seen their financial situation worsen in the past year, according to a Norstat poll for SEB in December 2023, BNS reports. Consumers are therefore cutting back on expenses, including by taking advantage of discounts (62%), planning purchases more carefully (49%), and eating out less often (45%). Other cost-saving measures…
Chief justices and judges of the constitutional courts of the three Baltic States held a meeting in Riga to strengthen cooperation and share best practices, BNS reported. The court representatives discussed topics like fair trial rights, state language protection, and recent case law, highlighting the importance of such collaboration for maintaining the rule of law.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte criticised the Hungarian and Slovakian foreign ministers for meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a forum in Antalya in Türkiye, BNS reported. Simonyte said that the meetings that Hungary’s Peter Szijjarto and Slovakia’s Juraj Blanar had with Lavrov were “a regrettable choice.” Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference…
Lithuanian farmers and grain processors are expressing increased concern over the import of Russian grain into the EU, LRT reports. Ausrys Macijauskas, chairman of the Lithuanian Grain Growers Association (LGAA), noted that 12mn tonnes of Russian grain was imported into the EU in 2023, including over 3mn tonnes via Latvia and Lithuania. Macijauskas said that…
Polish President Andrzej Duda assured that Poland was ready to defend every inch of NATO territory, including all three Baltic States, BNS reported. Speaking to visiting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Duda vowed that Lithuania could count on Poland. Lithuania’s chief of defence, General Valdemaras Rupsys, also noted that NATO planned for the use of Polish…
Lithuania will join the Czech-led initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine, according to Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, BNS reports. Contributing countries will look for potential ammunition stocks or sources of rapid production for acquisition. The plan is to procure 800,000 shells outside the EU, including possibly from India, South Africa, South Korea, and Türkiye, Kyiv…
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured that Poland’s solidarity with Lithuania in case of an attack was “unquestionable,” BNS reported. Earlier, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte raised concerns about Polish commitment to defending Lithuania, despite NATO obligations. Simonyte explained that she was referring to “legal restrictions” on Poland sending troops abroad in case of war….
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda remains the country’s most popular politician, according to a Vilmorus poll for Lietuvos Rytas in February 2024, BNS reports. Nauseda’s favourable rating stood at 66%, which was down from 68.3% in December 2023. His unfavourable rating was 15.1% (13.5%). MEP Vilija Blinkeviciute, chairwoman of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP),…
Lithuanian banks and credit institutions paid around EUR 256mn in temporary solidarity tax in 2023, according to the Bank of Lithuania, BNS reported. The central bank estimates that revenue from the solidarity tax could amount to around EUR 190mn in 2024. The government will use the proceeds from the bank tax to pay for military…