A new law in Estonia will allow ships sailing under the Estonian flag to employ private armed security guards in high-risk zones, enhancing protection against piracy and armed robbery, ERR reports. The move aims to boost the international appeal of the Estonian flag by enabling shipowners to contract security services more flexibly. Security personnel can…
Estonia’s Ministry of Justice plans to submit a draft bill to expedite and make the handling of criminal cases more cost-effective, ERR reports. The proposed amendments aim to reduce delays in criminal proceedings by giving judges more control, such as preventing changes in defence attorneys to delay cases, separating civil claims from criminal cases, and…
The Lithuanian government has approved a draft resolution to withdraw from the Convention on Cluster Munitions, allowing to acquire, stockpile, and use these weapons, BNS reports. The proposal from the Defence Ministry follows the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine and is based on the argument that these munitions are highly effective for…
Estonia’s Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Finance have drafted legislation mandating gender balance on the boards of listed companies, ERR reports. An EU directive requires that at least 40% of supervisory board members or 33% of the total board and council members be from the underrepresented gender by the end of June 2026. Currently,…
A private meeting between Gabrielius Landsbergis, chairman of Lithuania’s conservative Homeland Union (TS-LKD), and MP Eugenijus Gentvilas of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement (LLS) has highlighted tensions within the country’s coalition government, LRT reports. The meeting, initiated by Landsbergis, occurred after a period of strained communication. The opposition surmised that the meeting likely involved the possible…
Estonia continues to collect telecommunication data from its citizens despite it being against EU law and the constitution, ERR reports. The European Court of Justice and Estonia’s Supreme Court have concluded that the data collection is illegal. The data include detailed records from telecommunications and internet service providers, which the EU court argues infringes on…
Underage marriages still occur in Lithuania primarily due to teenage pregnancies, despite a decline in recent years, LRT reports. Legislation allows courts to lower the legal marriage age of 18 in cases such as pregnancy. However, this practice has been criticised by the United Nations and children’s rights advocates, who argue that minors cannot give…
Estonia’s Ministry of Education and Research is seeking to amend legislation to better regulate the administrative language of municipalities and universities, ensuring that dealing with the entities does not require the use of a foreign language, ERR reports. The amendment would enforce existing requirements for municipalities to conduct administrative affairs in Estonian, addressing instances where…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda supports Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions so as to improve the country’s defence capabilities, BNS reports. The Defence Ministry has proposed the motion to the parliament, the Seimas. The ministry highlighted the need for cluster munitions in Lithuania’s defence strategy, noting that adversaries like Russia and Belarus would…