Latvia’s Riga Fertilizer Terminal (RFT) has again asked the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FID) for a waver on EU sanctions in order to resume operations, LSM reports. RFT pledged to isolate the company’s majority owner, sanctioned Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, from the company’s management and profits. However, Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) pointed out that…
The Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS) has proposed raising the country’s minimum monthly wage by at least EUR 55 to EUR 835 in 2027, LETA reports. Currently, Latvia’s minimum wage stands at EUR 780 per month, while the tax-free income threshold is EUR 550 per month. LBAS noted that under government rules, the…
Ukraine “firmly anchored in the European family is in the interest of European security and essential for Europe’s future as a geopolitical power and economic actor,” the foreign ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries stated, ERR reports. Following their two-day meeting in Estonia’s Kuressaare on 29-30 April 2026, the ministers expressed support for Ukraine’s…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has extended a ban on the import of agricultural and animal feed products from Russia and Belarus until 1 July 2027, LSM reports. Latvia banned the import of certain agricultural products from the two aggressor states in March 2024. The ban applies to products originating from Russia or Belarus that…
Political leaders in the Baltic States criticised US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that he could pull the US out of NATO. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that such suggestions were “harmful even if not acted upon,” ERR reported. He insisted that NATO benefited both Europe and the US, warning that all allies would…
Moldovan President Maia Sandu paid an official visit to Latvia from 31 March to 2 April 2026, LETA reported. Speaking at a joint press conference with her Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics, Sandu urged Latvia to support Moldova’s EU accession. She noted that Moldovans had voted twice in favour of the country’s European path and that…
A majority of Estonians oppose foreign labour, according to a Norstat poll for the Institute for Societal Research (YI), ERR reports. The survey shows that 71% of respondents oppose and 19% support bringing in labour from outside the EU, while 52% oppose and 37% support labour from other EU countries. Also, 76% of respondents think…
Several Ukrainian strike drones have crashed in the three Baltic States and Finland as Ukraine is attacking Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure, Baltic News and YLE reported. The drones are targeting oil and gas terminals and other infrastructure at Russia’s ports on the Gulf of Finland and the Kirishi oil refinery. One of the stray…
Corruption remained considerably lower in Estonia than in Latvia and Lithuania in 2025, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, ERR reports. Estonia ranked 12th on the index, which was up from 13th place in 2024, BNS reported. Meanwhile, Lithuania came in on 28th (32nd) and Latvia on 37th (38th) place, LSM reported. Estonia scored 76…