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,…
Latvia’s state-owned airline, airBaltic, will open flights on several new routes from the Baltic States and Finland in winter 2023/2024 and summer 2024. The company will open flights from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to Gran Canaria and Tenerife in Spain, Turin in Italy, and Dubai in the UAE in October 2023, LRT reports. In summer…
Latvian banks made a total profit of EUR 350.312mn in the first half of 2023, which was up 2.6 times from EUR 132.526mn in the corresponding period of 2022, according to data from the Bank of Latvia, LETA reports. The banking sector’s overall profit for the first six months of 2023 was higher than for…
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has searched the offices of the municipal administration in Valmiera, LSM reports. KNAB detained Valmiera’s mayor, Janis Baiks, and other officials as part of the criminal investigation. The officials and representatives of several companies are suspected of misappropriating more than EUR 4mn of funds from the European Regional…
Lithuania plans to complete the construction of a National Concert Hall in Vilnius in 2030, the capital city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, announced, BNS reports. Benkunskas expects a contract on the project to be signed in spring 2024. The Ministry of Culture estimated that the total cost of the project will amount to around EUR 121mn….
The European Commission (EC) is not considering paying subsidies to cover the cost of transporting Ukrainian grain through Baltic ports, EC Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis stated. Speaking in an interview with BNS, Dombrovskis said that the EC may provide financing for removing administrative or infrastructure bottlenecks, however. Also, the EC supported Lithuania’s proposal to move customs,…
The Lithuanian government seeks to have more direct flights to Germany, BNS reports. Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said that the more frequent flight connections would help German troops stationed in Lithuania. Also, Lithuania plans to open kindergartens and schools for the children of German soldiers, Anusauskas added. Lithuania’s defence chief, General Valdemaras Rupsys, said that…
Apartment rental prices in Lithuania are 20% higher than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, LRT reports. In Vilnius, the rental price of a one-bedroom apartment is around EUR 1,000 or more per month in the city centre, EUR 700-800 in new buildings, and EUR 500 in old buildings. In Kaunas, rents are around EUR…
Exports of goods from Latvia to countries that continue to trade with Russia have increased rapidly, LSM reports. At the same time as exports to Russia have come to a halt due to sanctions, exports to countries of the Eurasian Economic Union have risen sharply. Exports of mechanical and electrical equipment to Russia have fallen…