The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading a law on setting up anti-mobility infrastructure along the country’s eastern border, LSM reports. Altogether 75 MPs voted in favour and 12 against the law. Latvia will build anti-tank ditches, obstacles, storage facilities, and other technical solutions over an area of around 2,000 hectares in…
Lithuania’s largest cities are beginning the heating season earlier than usual in 2025 due to colder temperatures and poor weather forecasts, LRT reports. Vilnius switched on central heating on 1 October 2025, while Kaunas will start its heating season on 2 October 2025 and Klaipeda on 6 October 2025, BNS reported. Siauliai and Panevezys will…
Over half of Latvian municipalities have new mayors following local elections on 7 June 2025, LETA reports. Municipal councils elected altogether 22 new chairpersons, while 20 incumbent mayors remained in office. Political groups that received the most votes failed to secure the mayorship in 12 municipalities, including in Riga, Jelgava, and Ventspils. In some municipalities,…
The Latvian capital, Riga, may propose legislation to ban New Year fireworks at Moscow time, which is one hour ahead of Latvian time, LSM reports. Deputy mayor Edvards Ratnieks noted that current law made it difficult to prove that Moscow-time fireworks amounted to glorification of the aggressor state, which is illegal under criminal law in…
Latvia will hold local elections to municipal councils on 7 June 2025, the Central Election Commission (CVK) announced, LSM reports. The elections will use newly designed ballot papers, ensuring automatic counting of votes. Voters can indicate both support and opposition to individual candidates on the ballot.
Estonia’s population decreased by 2,750 people across all municipalities in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Interior, ERR reports. The population only increased in three counties: Harjumaa, Tartumaa, and Hiiumaa. Estonian capital Tallinn’s population rose by 256 people to 461,602 people, whereas the population of the country’s second-largest city, Tartu, fell by 13…
The Latvian government has approved new regulations under which transport and related infrastructure, signs, and information must be in Latvian and, if needed, in another official EU language, LSM reports. The new rules will thus preclude such signs in Russian. Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere said that the new rules would create a more attractive environment…
Estonia’s Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has established a task force to consider a possible new location for Tallinn Bus Station, ERR reports. One potential location could be next to the future Rail Baltica railway terminal in Tallinn’s Ülemiste district. However, Hannes Luts, chairman of the task force, noted that the area was mostly…
Several well-known politicians in Latvia were employed as fake consultants by Riga’s municipal public transport company, Rigas Satiksme, according to LTV’s De Facto programme, LETA reports. A court in Riga has accepted Rigas Satiksme’s plea deal, which identifies 16 fictional consultants, including several members of the company’s board and municipal councillors. Some of them represent…
