Lithuania: Parliament committee approves changes to public broadcaster law

Lithuania’s parliamentary committee on culture has approved amendments to the controversial draft law governing the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), LRT reported. The committee approved a new management board, an expanded governing council, shorter four-year council terms, and tighter eligibility requirements for council member candidates. The committee dropped proposals to let…

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Latvia: PM nominee plans grand coalition

Latvia’s prime ministerial nominee, MP Andris Kulbergs of the opposition United List, will seek to put together as broad a coalition government as possible, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Kulbergs suggested forming a coalition of all five political groups in the current parliament, the Saeima, except the populist Latvia First (LPV). He…

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Lithuania: President denies US pressure on Belarus fertiliser transit

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda denied that the US was pressuring Lithuania to reopen transit shipments of fertilisers from Belarus, BNS reported. He stressed that Belarusian fertilisers were under EU sanctions and insisted that there were no grounds to lift the sanctions. Earlier, Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told a closed-door meeting of the parliamentary group of…

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Latvia: President begins talks on new government

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has begun consultations with parliamentary groups on forming a new government, Baltic News reports. The President stressed the need to ensure political stability, effective governance, and national security continuity. The discussions are focused on how to build a working coalition in the parliament, the Saeima, and on the future direction of…

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Latvia: Agriculture Minister detained, dismissed

Latvia’s outgoing Prime Minister Evika Silina has dismissed Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) after the latter came under criminal investigation for abuse of office, LSM reported. Earlier, Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) briefly detained Krauze and the Agriculture Ministry’s former state secretary, current director of the…

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