A Romanian fighter jet based at Lithuania’s Siauliai Air Base shot down a drone over Lake Võrtsjärv in southern Estonia on 19 May 2026, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reported. Taavi Aas, head of the Põltsamaa municipality, said that the drone crashed into a field near Põltsamaa. No civilian damage or injuries were reported….
Estonia’s ruling coalition plans to pass a new climate law before the parliamentary elections due in March 2027, the Minister of Energy and the Environment, Andres Sutt, announced, ERR reports. Prime Minister Kristen Michal expects the parliament, the Riigikogu, to begin discussing the draft law before summer 2026 and approve the legislation in autumn 2026….
The number of unemployed people in Lithuania totalled 146,700 at the end of April 2026, which was 8,400 fewer than a month earlier, according to the Lithuanian Employment Service (UzT), ELTA reports. The country’s unemployment rate stood at 8.1%, which was down from 8.5% a month earlier. Unemployment declined in all municipalities for the second…
The municipal government of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, plans to expand the city’s public transport network by 30% by 2030, LRT reports. The city intends to add 7 new routes, increase frequency on 44 routes, and adjust another 46 routes. However, the current bus and trolleybus network is nearing its physical limit, and the city…
Around 63,000 children will start kindergarten in Estonia in 2026, which is down from just under 67,000 in 2025, according to the Ministry of Education, ERR reports. The number of children in kindergarten has gone down across the country due to falling birth rates, which has made it easier for parents to place their children…
The mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, has launched a signature campaign for legislation that would oblige foreigners living temporarily in the country to learn Lithuanian, BNS reports. Under the mayor’s proposal, non-EU nationals would have to show proof of at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian when renewing their temporary residence permits after…
Poverty in Lithuania has increased across the country, particularly in remote regions, LRT reports. Nearly 700,000 people are living below the poverty risk threshold. The average poverty level in rural areas is almost twice as high as in cities. In some municipalities, every third resident is living in poverty. Ugne Uzgale, head of strategy and…
The municipal government of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, will draw up a new citywide development plan, ERR reports. The previous plan was completed in 2001. In the next 25 years, Tallinn did urban planning by city district. The new plan will focus on developing urban space, including transport networks, educational institution networks, and district centres. Tallinn’s…
Every tenth resident of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, is a foreign national, according to the city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, ELTA reports. Vilnius has altogether around 76,000 foreign residents, of whom 61,000 (80%) are non-EU citizens, BNS reported. Around 40,000 of the foreigners, mostly from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, have temporary residence permits. The mayor warned…