US technology company Meta has barred users of its Facebook social media platform from sharing an article on Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO) officers allegedly attending an event under false names to gather information on members of the Sakala fraternity at the University of Tartu, ERR reports. KAPO and the Estonian government’s communications office categorically denied taking…
Estonia’s ruling Estonian Reform Party, Social Democratic Party (SDE), and Estonia 200 (E200) have started negotiations on forming a new coalition, ERR reports. The three parties hope to reach an agreement by the end of July 2024. The parties form outgoing Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s coalition government. The new coalition would be led by Reform’s…
The Estonian government will tighten controls on the transit of goods subject to EU sanctions, Ukrainska Pravda reports. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that attempts to evade sanctions continued to occur on the border with Russia. She noted that the EU’s latest sanctions package exacerbated the threats. The government will therefore replace the present risk-based…
Lithuania’s opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS) and Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) could form a two-party coalition government after the parliamentary elections in October 2024, LVZS chairman Ramunas Karbauskis stated, ELTA reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Karbauskis said that the two parties could have a stable majority in parliament. However,…
Estonia needs to discuss the possible introduction of tuition fees in higher education, Toomas Asser, rector of the University of Tartu, stated, ERR reports. He said that maintaining the quality of education with state budget funds only was becoming unsustainable, noting that even affluent countries struggle to fund high-quality education exclusively with public funds. Asser…
Lithuania’s ministries of defence and finance are developing a mobile application to enable public donations for national defence, aiming for a summer rollout, BNS reports. Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste said that the app would allow for both periodic and one-off payments, similar to NGOs helping Ukraine. Earlier, the government rejected a proposal on voluntary donations…
Estonia’s incoming prime minister, Kristen Michal, said that the Estonian Reform Party would not propose reducing or repealing the tax-free income threshold during upcoming talks on forming a new coalition, ERR reports. Earlier, outgoing prime minister Kaja Kallas said that Reform had suggested lowering the basic income tax exemption, but that the party’s coalition partners…
National security, defence, and education will remain the main priorities of Lithuania’s state budget in 2025, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte stated, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Info TV, Simonyte said that the government would spend a large part of budget revenues to raise pensions, increase teacher salaries, and service the public debt. The…
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has pledged not to comment on domestic politics if she is appointed as the EU’s foreign policy chief, ERR reports. She will be stepping down after over three years in office. Despite challenges and tensions within the ruling coalition during her tenure, Kallas acknowledged the honour of serving and expressed…