Estonia’s Climate Ministry has proposed amendments to exempt electricity storage facilities from double fees as of the beginning of 2026, BNS reports. Under the amendments, renewable energy and grid transmission fees for storage equipment would only be charged on net consumption for the calendar month. Owners of storage devices would thus only pay for the…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has approved in first reading a bill that would oblige foreign workers to serve customers in Lithuanian, BNS reports. Altogether 100 MPs voted in favour, 5 against, and 14 abstained. Under the amendments, the language requirement would only apply to employees who have direct contact with clients. Also, manufacturers, sellers,…
Estonia’s privately-owned gas supplier, Eesti Gaas, will raise the price of natural gas for household consumers as of 1 October 2024 due to fluctuations in European gas market prices, ERR reports. The new tariff will be EUR 0.59 per m3, including VAT. In August 2024, Eesti Gaas cut the gas price to EUR 0.525 per…
Amid rising incomes and optimism about their financial situation, Lithuanians are spending more on food and non-essentials but are increasingly reluctant to dine out due to high restaurant prices driven by rising labour costs and the expiration of pandemic-era tax breaks, LRT reports. While supermarket food sales are boosting economic growth, restaurant turnover has fallen…
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…
Estonia’s ruling coalition has abandoned a plan to change the current renewable energy fee, which would have raised EUR 60mn annually and shifted costs from consumers to the state, ERR reported. The senior party in the coalition government, the Estonian Reform Party, rejected the plan, citing concerns about the plan’s financial viability. The changes were…
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…
Satisfaction with life in the Baltic States was lowest in Latvia in 2022, according to Eurostat data, LSM reported. Residents in Latvia rated their overall life satisfaction at just 6.8 out of 10 points in 2022, which was up from 6.7 in 2021. The indicator stood at 7.1 (7.0) points in Lithuania and 7.2 (7.2)…
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…