The director of Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), Jekabs Straume, has announced his early retirement, effective immediately, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with LTV, Straume said that he was retiring because he had turned 50. Straume led KNAB since June 2017 and was appointed for a second five-year term in June 2022….
Italy has taken over NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, replacing French and Romanian forces, BNS reports. Italy will deploy an air defence contingent of around 200 personnel with four Eurofighter Typhoon (EF-2000) fighter jets to the Siauliai air base in northern Lithuania. The outgoing French and Romanian detachments consisted of about 210 troops with four…
Latvia has closed its border with Belarus for “technical reasons,” Interior Minister Janis Dombrava announced late on 31 July 2026, LSM reports. A day earlier, Dombrava urged Latvian residents not to travel across the border to or from Belarus. Kristine Petersone, spokesperson for Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS), said that the border was closed due…
The Estonian state expects the state-owned airport operator, Tallinn Airport, to attract new airlines and to offer regular flights to at least 60 destinations by 2030, ERR reports. Tallinn Airport should serve 5 million passengers per year by 2030, according to the new guideline document signed by Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis. Tallinn Airport operates seven…
The Latvian government held an extraordinary meeting of ministers to discuss the Ministry of Transport’s report on the current situation of the country’s ailing national air carrier, airBaltic, on 30 July 2026, LSM reported. The government nominated the State Treasury to represent the state at airBaltic’s bondholder meeting on 3 August 2026. At the meeting,…
Latvia’s Interior Minister, Janis Dombrava, has called for an internal investigation of State Police chief Armands Ruks, LSM reports. Earlier, an off-duty police officer killed a man in Priekule and another police officer caused a road traffic accident near Aizkraukle, both while severely intoxicated, LETA and LSM reported. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Dombrava…
Latvian banks reported combined profits of EUR 181.2mn in the first half of 2026, which was down 9.3% from EUR 199.7mn in the same period of 2025, according to data from the Bank of Latvia, LETA reports. The total assets of Latvia’s monetary financial institutions amounted to EUR 32.675bn at the end of June 2026,…
Around 5,000 third‑country nationals come to Estonia every year for seasonal work, mostly on farms, according to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), ERR reports. Most seasonal workers come from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, India, and Georgia. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many seasonal workers came from Belarus as well, but Estonia has since…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed amendments banning the import of certain industrial goods from Russia and Belarus, LETA reports. The amendments ban the import of books, newspapers, video games, sporting goods, toys, clothing, and footwear either directly or indirectly from Russia and Belarus. Transit shipments of such goods to other countries will not…
