Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina sharply criticised Defence Minister Andris Spruds after drones from Russia crashed in Latvian territory, LETA reported. Silina pointed to the lack of timely warning to local residents about the incoming drones. The government’s EUR 2bn defence budget means that people will expect accountability from the minister, she stated. Silina said…
Lithuanians tend to work the least in the entire EU during weekends, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. The share of all employed people aged 15-64 years who usually work on weekends was just 3.9% in Lithuania in 2025. By comparison, the share of employed people usually doing weekend shifts was 13.1% in Estonia and…
Latvia’s industrial production output increased by 9.2% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s (CSP) calendar-adjusted data at constant prices, LSM reported. Output rose by 1.0% in manufacturing and by 40.6% in electricity and gas supply, but fell by 30.7% in mining and…
The prison population per capita in the Baltic States is the highest in Latvia, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Latvia had 187 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2024, which was up 8% from 173 in 2023. The figure was the third-highest in the entire EU. Lithuania’s prison population stood at 155 (159) and Estonia’s…
The Latvian government will have to decide on additional capital needed for the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, in 2026, Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens stated, LETA reports. He stressed that the airline’s future operations required capital investment. However, the government would have to seek additional sources of funding for such an investment, the minister explained….
Several unmanned aerial vehicles entered Latvian airspace from Russia, and two of them crashed in eastern Latvia, in the early morning hours of 7 May 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. One of the drones crashed at East-West Transit’s oil storage facility in Rezekne, LETA reported. No significant damage and…
The share of people living in households with dependent children who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in the Baltic States was highest in Lithuania in 2025, Eurostat reported. The AROPE rate for people living in households with dependent children stood at 18.3% in Lithuania in 2025, which was down from 20.9%…
Opposition parties in Latvia have seized on culturally divisive issues to garner support ahead of the parliamentary elections in October 2026, New Eastern Europe reports. Earlier, the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, voted to withdraw from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women. Opposition parties claim that the human rights treaty is…
Latvia’s Competition Council concluded seven high-priority cases on violations of and non-compliance with competition law in 2025, LSM reports. Total fines issued in the cases amounted to EUR 2.5mn, according to the council’s annual report. The public benefit increased by around 25% over a year, the Competition Council estimated. The biggest sanctions included a EUR…