The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed a law on the establishment of a new national concert hall, the Riga Philharmonic, LETA reports. The law designates the concert hall with the status of an object of national interest. The plan is to build the concert hall by reconstructing and expanding the Riga Congress Centre. The…
The Lithuanian government is pressing ahead with legislative proposals that would impose political control over the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), LRT reports. Earlier, opposition MPs as well as representatives of the Lithuanian Association of Professional Journalists (ZPA) and LRT staff withdrew in protest from a parliamentary working group set up…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has proposed a draft law that would allow the government to set maximum consumer prices on petrol and diesel fuel by decree, ELTA reports. Under the law, the Energy Ministry would calculate and proclaim the daily fuel price cap under a specific formula. Retailers failing to comply with the price cap…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has extended a ban on the import of agricultural and animal feed products from Russia and Belarus until 1 July 2027, LSM reports. Latvia banned the import of certain agricultural products from the two aggressor states in March 2024. The ban applies to products originating from Russia or Belarus that…
Estonia’s Finance Ministry has drafted legislative amendments that would grant the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) explicit authority to access banking data to combat money laundering, ERR reports. Under the law, banks would not be allowed to inform clients about such inquiries. Earlier, following criticism from Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise, Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta restricted…
The Lithuanian government will consider cutting the excise duty on diesel fuel temporarily amid the sudden surge in global oil prices, BNS reports. Under the Finance Ministry’s proposed legislative amendments, the fixed portion of the excise duty rate for standard diesel and marked agricultural diesel would be reduced until 15 June 2026. The move would…
Latvia’s pro-Russian opposition party, For Stability, may be dissolved, LETA reports. Earlier, the Latvian Prosecution Office (LRP) ordered For Stability to remove social media content that violated regulations on political parties. The law prohibits political parties from acting against the independence or territorial integrity of Latvia or other democratic states, advocating for the violent overthrow…
State-owned and municipal companies in Latvia involved in building or maintaining critical infrastructure have begun dismissing Russian and Belarusian citizens, LETA reports. Under amendments to the law on national security, Russian and Belarusian citizens may not be employed in jobs with access to critical infrastructure. Latvian capital Riga’s municipal water utility, Rigas Udens, has terminated…
Police in Estonia have registered over 1,000 violations of a law banning symbols of state aggression since April 2022, ERR reports. The law prohibits the public display of symbols supporting international crimes, including Russia’s wars of aggression. Erik Kalda, managing editor of local daily Põhjarannik, said that everyone in the majority Russian-speaking Ida-Virumaa county now…