Hungarian banking group OTP Bank’s operations in Russia raise “legitimate questions” about its planned acquisition of the Baltic banking group, Luminor Bank, Lithuania’s central bank, the Bank of Lithuania, stated, Reuters reports. Earlier, OTP Bank announced that it had signed an agreement to buy Estonia-based Luminor. The Bank of Lithuania said that the European Central…
People abusing freedom of speech to spread disinformation and hate speech should be detained and isolated from society, Latvia’s Prosecutor General, Armins Meisters, stated, LETA reports. He said that the Prosecution Office would take action against specific individuals who were acting against Latvia’s national interests under the cover of press freedom and freedom of expression….
The chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), Mindaugas Sinkevicius, confirmed that he would assume the post of prime minister in a new coalition government, ELTA reports. He will replace incumbent Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who was appointed in August 2025. Currently, Sinkevicius serves as the mayor of the Jonava district municipality. He…
Following the entry into force of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, human rights groups in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland urged their governments to review migrant pushback practices on the border with Belarus, BNS reported. In a joint statement, Latvia’s I Want to Help Refugees (GPB), Lithuania’s Sienos Grupe, and Poland’s Association for…
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…
The supervisory council of Estonia’s public broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), has dismissed its long-term chairman, Rein Veidemann, ERR reports. Earlier, Veidemann had criticised an interview of a same-sex couple with two children that was aired on ETV, saying that the programme ran counter to the values of the majority of Estonians. ERR’s supervisory council elected…
Estonian President Alar Karis said that the main purpose of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s official visit to Estonia was to thank the people of Estonia for their unwavering support during the ongoing war, ERR reported. He called on democratic countries to do more for Ukraine to win and for Russia to lose. The outcome of…
A new procedure has come into force in Lithuania in cases of domestic violence as of July 2023, LNK reports. If domestic violence is reported, police can order the suspect to leave the house immediately for 15 days. There are an average of 55,000 reports of domestic violence a year, and 86% of the victims…
