The Baltic States support banning the import of grain from Russia and Belarus into the EU, according to the Lithuanian Transport Minister, Marius Skuodis, BNS reports. He discussed the issue with Latvian Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens and Estonian Climate Minister Kristen Michal. The ministers agreed to coordinate actions and avoid national initiatives. Earlier, Skuodis noted…
Estonia’s state-owned national airline, Nordica, will cease operations, ERR reports. Climate Minister Kristen Michal said that the government would allocate EUR 14.5mn to Tallinn Airport to ensure competitive fees and secure important routes. Another option is for the government to begin procuring direct flights to key destinations. The Ministry of Climate has contacted seven potential…
The Baltic States continue to have the highest loan interest rates in the eurozone, according to data from the European Central Bank (ECB), ERR reports. The average interest rate in the three Baltic countries was 5.9% at the end of November 2023. The eurozone average stood at 4.1%. Meanwhile, the average interest on consumer loans…
Estonia’s Ministry of Climate has confirmed the felling quota for the state forest management centre, Riigimetsa Majandamise Keskus (RMK), in 2024, ERR reports. Under the decision, the felling quota will remain unchanged at 9,180 hectares. The quota only relates to RMK’s forest land, which represents around 1% of Estonia’s total forest area. A little less…
Latvia and Lithuania were among the largest exporters of beer to Russia in 2023, LRT reported, citing Russian news agency RIA Novosti. According to the report, the value of Lithuania’s beer exports to Russia amounted to USD 36.5mn in 2023, which was up by 1.9 times from 2022, accounting for just over 15% of Russia’s…
Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) received over 4,000 consumer complaints in 2023, which was up from a little over 3,500 in 2022, ERR reported. Of all consumer disputes, over 900 related to leaving contractual agreements and 500 to damage. More than 50% of complaints related to purchases of furniture (around 300), health…
The number of traffic insurance cases registered in Estonia totalled 34,300 in 2023, which was almost unchanged from 2022, according to data from the Estonian Motor Insurance Bureau (LKF), ERR reports. The total volume of damages paid amounted to EUR 72mn, which was up 3% over a year. The average damage per case stood at…
Lithuanian tour operator Novaturas Group’s total revenue amounted to EUR 208mn in 2023, which was up 6% from EUR 197mn in 2022, GlobeNewswire reported. The group served around 259,000 customers in 2023, which was down from 267,000 a year earlier. Novaturas Group appointed Kristijonas Kaikaris as its new CEO in December 2023. Prior to his…
Latvia’s national air carrer, airBaltic, could offer direct flights from Lithuania to distant destinations, Simonas Bartkus, CEO of Lithuania’s airport operator, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (LTOU), suggested, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Bartkus said that airBaltic could offer flights to more distant destinations that are important for business travel. Also, airBaltic could…