Latvia’s National Cyber Security Centre (NKDC) began operations on 1 September 2024, Labs of Latvia reports. NKDC is an agency under the Ministry of Defence and will serve as a single contact point for cyber security issues, oversee the implementation of national cyber security requirements, and develop national cyber security policy initiatives. NKDC will collaborate…
Baltic transport ministers called for increased EU funding for strategic transport infrastructure projects, The Baltic Times reports. The ministers insisted that the Connecting Europe Facility has to remain one of the key instruments in the EU’s next multiannual financial framwork as of 2028, with sufficient funding for cross-border transport, energy, and electronic communications projects. They…
The presidents of Lithuania and Poland, Gitanas Nauseda and Andrzej Duda, have signed a declaration on deepening bilateral defence and security ties, Baltic News Network reports. The presidents made the declaration during Nauseda’s official visit to Poland. At the same time, Lithuanian and Polish officials signed cooperation agreements on cyber security and defence industry, TVP…
Long-time Estonian MP, former prime minister Siim Kallas will step down from the parliament, the Riigikogu, ERR reports. Timo Suslov, secretary general of the Estonian Reform Party, said that Kallas, 75, was stepping down due to health reasons. His seat in the Riigikogu will now be taken up by Reform’s Jüri Jaanson. Kallas said that…
The Latvian government should seek to reduce the costs of the Rail Baltica railway project, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis stated, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with Latvijas Radio, Dombrovskis pointed out that not everything could be financed with EU funds. He said that part of the project should be financed from…
Russia’s military intelligence (GRU) has been conducting cyberattacks against Estonia, other NATO and EU states, and Ukraine since 2020, according to the Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO), ERR reports. A police investigation identified three GRU officers suspected of involvement in the attacks, and a court has issued international warrants for their arrest in absentia. The…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has supported in first reading amendments that would ban vehicles with Belarusian licence plates in the country, LSM reports. Under the proposed amendments, vehicles registered in Belarus would have to be transferred out of the country or reregistered in Latvia by 31 October 2024 at the latest. Otherwise, the vehicle…
Latvia’s Ministry of Transport has proposed that passengers travelling on the Rail Baltica railway will have to change trains to transfer from Riga Central Station to Riga International Airport, LETA reports. Under the plan, Riga Central Station would be connected to the airport via a standard-gauge (1,520 mm) railway line. The ministry argued that building…
Türkiye’s application to join the BRICS group undermines trust in the country, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stated, BNS reports. He pointed to questions on how to reconcile positions within NATO between countries that support Ukraine and those that are pro-Russian. “All this undermines trust,” he added. Meanwhile, Asta Skaisgiryte, chief foreign policy adviser to…