Lithuania’s Education Minister, Gintautas Jakstas, has proposed phasing out secondary education in Russian, following the Latvian and Estonian example, BNS reports. He suggests focusing on EU languages. The Ministry of Education is exploring ways to suspend Russian as a language of tuition, with a proposal expected soon. Jakstas emphasised that Russian schools would not be…
In his New Year address, Lauri Hussar, speaker of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, outlined key challenges for Estonia in 2024, ERR reports. He emphasised the importance of transitioning to Estonian as the sole language of tuition in schools, viewing it as vital to preserving the country’s language and culture. Hussar urged unity in recognising…
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina’s New Year message emphasised the significance of education for the nation’s future prosperity, LSM reported. Speaking from Riga Technical University, she underscored the importance of science and learning to compete globally. Silina called for investing in children, highlighting the role of education in shaping their future. She paid tribute to…
Estonia’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, said that the Estonian Defence Forces believed that the country’s defence spending could rise to 4.5% of GDP, ERR reports. However, Pevkur emphasised the need for a “reasonable limit” due to investments in health care, social welfare, and education. He acknowledged the desire for increased spending on defence given…
Latvian businesses urge the government to ease the rules on the entry of foreign labour into the country, LSM reports. Speaking at a conference on human capital development in the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, business representatives and market analysts noted that Latvia’s human resources were exhausted. They called for improving labour availability through relaxed rules…
The Lithuanian Education Employees Trade Union (LSDPS) started a teacher strike on 29 September 2023, LRT reports. The union expects around 3,000 teachers to join the strike. LSDPS chairman Andrius Navickas said that the strike could last about a month. Teachers will march on Vilnius and will hold a picket in front of the government…
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has submitted the draft state budget for 2024 to the parliament, the Riigikogu, for debate, ERR reports. Budget revenues will amount to EUR 16.79bn, expenses to EUR 17.67bn, and investments to EUR 0.82bn. The budget deficit is estimated at EUR 1.19bn or 2.8% of GDP, and the government therefore plans…
The Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council have agreed on new priorities of cooperation at their annual summit in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, BNS reports. In the 2024-2026 period, the two parliamentary cooperation organisations will focus on supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and on defence against cyber threats and disinformation. Also, the eight parliaments will promote democracy…
The Estonian government has agreed on the state budget for 2024, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced, ERR reports. Under the agreement, the government will introduce no new taxes in addition to ones implemented earlier. The government will not impose a new tax on commercial banks, which will instead pay more taxable dividends. Also, the government…