Railways are much more popular in Latvia than in Estonia and Lithuania, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Latvian railways carried 21.399 million passengers in 2025, which was up from 19.508 million in 2024. The number of rail passengers totalled 7.692 (7.944) million in Estonia and 5.398 (5.114) million in Lithuania, the lowest in the…
Lithuania marked the 100th birthday of the country’s former president, Valdas Adamkus, on 3 November 2026, BNS reported. The celebrations in Vilnius and Kaunas included an international conference, a gala concert, and a musical tribute. Just ahead of his centenary, Adamkus was discharged from hospital, ELTA reported. President Gitanas Nauseda praised Adamkus for his service…
Road traffic safety is much better in Estonia than in Latvia and Lithuania, according to data from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, ERR reports. Estonia had altogether 43 road deaths in 2025, which was 38% fewer than in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of road fatalities rose by 5% to 118 in Latvia…
US officials have pressured Lithuania to allow exports of EU-sanctioned Belarusian potash fertilisers via the port of Klaipeda, Politico reports. European officials said that the US special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, has been lobbying Lithuanian authorities on all levels about the issue for more than a year. US officials have also raised the possibility…
The Baltic joint venture, RB Rail, has submitted a new application to the European Commission for an additional EUR 357.5mn in funding from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the Rail Baltica railway project, BNS reports. The European Commission and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency are expected to announce their decisions on…
The European Commission has rejected a request from the three Baltic States for EUR 500mn of EU funding to develop an anti-drone defence system, LRT reports. Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the system would have combined drone detection, AI, and interception technology into an integrated air-defence system. The European Commissioner for Defence and…
Lithuania should resume discussion on the possibility of building a metro system in Vilnius, Vaidas Augustinavicius, chief economic and social policy adviser to President Gitanas Nauseda, said, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Augustinavicius argued that the project should be reassessed given the new geopolitical context. He suggested that the underground metro…
Latvia’s Russian-speakers have a markedly more negative attitude towards the EU and NATO than ethnic Latvians, according to a survey conducted by the Riga-based association, Russian Voice for Latvia, LSM reports. The survey showed that, on a scale of 1 to 10, Latvians rated their attitude towards the EU at 8.4 points, while the average…
Baltic and Polish leaders urged the EU to allocate necessary funding for the Rail Baltica railway project under the EU’s multiannual financial framework in 2028-2034, the Office of the President of Lithuania reported. In a joint letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the leaders reaffirmed the…
