Estonia: Tallinn, Helsinki approve twin city action plan

The mayors of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and the Finnish capital, Helsinki, have approved a twin city cooperation plan for 2026-2029, Baltic News reports. The action plan focuses on growth and innovation, resilience and sustainability, and creative industries and grassroots cooperation. The two cities will cooperate in startup ecosystem development, civil protection, and cultural and…

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Estonia: No privatisation of four state firms

The Estonian government has decided not to privatise four state-owned energy, real estate, digital services, and lottery firms, ERR reports. The decision applies to four state-owned enterprises controlled by the Ministry of Finance: energy group Eesti Energia, state real estate manager Riigi Kinnisvara Aktsiaselts (RKAS), digital services company Levira, and lottery operator Eesti Loto. The…

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Lithuania: MPs call for referendum on concept of family

Around 50 members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, have proposed holding a popular referendum on redefining the concept of family in the country’s constitution, LRT reports. The MPs argue that the Constitutional Court exceeded its authority when ruling that the concept of family was gender-neutral and not exclusive to married couples, and that limiting…

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Latvia: Opposition wages culture war ahead of elections

Opposition parties in Latvia have seized on culturally divisive issues to garner support ahead of the parliamentary elections in October 2026, New Eastern Europe reports. Earlier, the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, voted to withdraw from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women. Opposition parties claim that the human rights treaty is…

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Latvia: Artists protest Russia at Venice Biennale

Latvian artists have launched a protest campaign against Russia’s participation in the Venice Biennale arts exhibition in Italy, Ukrainska Pravda reports. The campaign, “Death in Venice”, was organised by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LLMC) together with the Latvian national pavilion at the exhibition. The Latvian artists stressed that institutional neutrality in relation to…

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