The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has lowered its GDP growth forecasts for all three Baltic States in both 2026 and 2027, LETA reports. The bank now projects that Estonia’s GDP will grow by 2.1% in 2026 and 2.3% in 2027. In February 2026, the bank’s GDP growth forecast for Estonia was 2.2%…
Two thirds of Estonian voters disapprove of the government’s performance, according to a new Norstat poll in May 2026, ERR reports. In the survey, 67% of respondents said that the government was performing poorly, while 27% found that the government was doing its job well. The government’s approval rating was unchanged from April 2026. Support…
Estonia ensures much better protection for LGBT rights than Latvia and Lithuania, according to human rights group ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, which ranks countries based on their legal and policy protection for LGBT people, LSM reports. Estonia ranked 21st on the index with a score of 46.37% on a scale of 0-100% in 2026, which was…
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…
The Baltic States are interested in hosting US military aircraft capable of carrying out nuclear strikes, LETA reports. Sources told the Financial Times that the US was considering the possibility of stationing nuclear-capable bombers in more NATO countries in Europe. According to the sources, countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including Poland and some Baltic States,…
The average monthly gross wage in Estonia amounted to EUR 2,135 in the first quarter of 2026, which was up 6.2% from the same period of 2025, according to Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. Wages increased in all counties, rising by 6.5% to EUR 2,538 in Tallinn, by 6.3% to EUR 2,405 in Harjumaa county, and…
The Baltic States will procure up to 20 regional trains for the Rail Baltica railway, ERR reports. Estonia will buy 5-7 trains, Latvia up to 5 trains, and Lithuania up to 8 trains, which will operate on domestic routes only, at least initially. The trains will have around 200 seats and will run at maximum…
Estonia’s northeastern border city of Narva now has two rival city council chairmen and two rival mayors, ERR reports. Earlier, the opposition Estonian Centre Party and populist Plan B movement gained a majority in the city council and decided to convene a city council meeting on their own, given that the incumbent chairman, Mihhail Stalnuhhin,…
The overwhelming majority, or 81%, of Estonians believe that their country should always offer armed resistance if attacked by another state, according to an Emor survey for the Ministry of Defence, ERR reports. Around 50% of residents believe that Estonia can defend itself until allied assistance arrives. Also, 62% of residents are willing to take…