The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading draft laws accompanying the state budget for 2026, LETA reports. MPs will now begin discussing the draft budget. The government’s budget priorities are national security, support for families with children, and high-quality education. Revenues are planned at EUR 16.1bn and expenditures at EUR 17.9bn. The…
Estonia’s GDP totalled EUR 10.5bn at current prices in the third quarter of 2025, which was up 0.9% from the same period of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. Compared to the second quarter of 2025, seasonally and working-day adjusted GDP rose by 0.4%. Value added in the energy sector rose by…
Estonia’s opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) and Fatherland (Isamaa) have signed a coalition agreement to govern Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, for the next four years, ERR reports. Under the agreement, the posts of mayor and city council chairman will alternate between the two parties, and the parties will have three deputy mayors each. Keskerakond’s Mihhail Kõlvart…
The international credit rating agency, S&P Global, has affirmed Latvia’s sovereign credit rating at A/A-1 with a stable outlook, unchanged from its previous report in May 2025, LSM reports. The agency noted persistent geopolitical uncertainty and elevated regional security risks, but expects Latvia to adhere to prudent fiscal policy and to withstand external headwinds in…
The Foreign Investors Council in Latvia (FICIL) has called for reforming the country’s labour laws, LSM reports. FICIL said that Latvia’s labour market faced “growing structural challenges”, which it said were “driven by demographic decline, a mismatch between labour skills and market needs, and outdated regulations.” The business lobby group called for reforms to “enhance…
Lithuania’s GDP rose by 3% over a year in 2024 to EUR 79bn at current prices, according to the State Data Agency’s (VDA) revised data, BNS reports. Gross value added in manufacturing rose by 2.9% and in wholesale and retail trade by 2.6% in constant prices. Growth in professional, scientific, and technical activities stood at…
The EU should take on joint debt to finance defence spending, Gediminas Simkus, board chairman of the Bank of Lithuania, stated, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Politico, Simkus called for “more unity in defence” in the EU, noting that the European defence industry market was still very fragmented. He said that the “time…
Lithuanian real estate developer Hanner and Baltic investment company BaltCap have completed a deal under which Hanner will take over the national stadium project in Vilnius, BNS reports. Hanner acquired 98% of shares in Venetus Capital, which owns the project’s concessionaire, Vilniaus Daugiafunkcis Kompleksas (VDK), for one euro. Hanner will pay EUR 2.8mn to BaltCap…
US financial services company Robinhood has opened its first European cryptocurrency trading hub in Lithuania, investment promotion agency Invest Lithuania announced, BNS reports. The new Lithuanian-registered entity, Robinhood Europe, will offer crypto asset custody, administration, transfer, receipt, and transmission services in the European Economic Area. The Bank of Lithuania issued Robinhood an investment firm license…