Negotiations about possible changes to Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government may resume at the end of summer 2024, with discussions about potentially expanding the coalition, LETA reports. Maris Kucinskis of the opposition United List confirmed the group’s interest in joining the government but only as a unified party. Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze acknowledged informal…
Estonia’s Harju County Court has acquitted the defendants in a criminal case against the management of the Port of Tallinn due to statute of limitations, ERR reports. The court determined that the accused members of the port’s management board, who were charged with bribery and money laundering, did not act as officials, reclassifying their actions…
Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, plans to remove Soviet symbols from city-owned buildings by the end of 2024, ERR reports. The Estonian parliament passed corresponding legislation in 2023. However, President Alar Karis has refused to sign the legislation due to “legal ambiguities.” Deputy mayor Madle Lippus notes that changes to protected buildings require approval from the National Heritage…
Estonia’s Minister of Climate, Kristen Michal, will replace Kaja Kallas as prime minister and chairman of the Estonian Reform Party, ERR reports. Kallas is due to resign after the NATO summit in Washington. The government will then be dissolved, and Michal will open talks on a coalition agreement. The current three-party coalition is likely to…
EU leaders have appointed Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the next High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, BNS reports. Kallas expressed her commitment to enhancing EU unity and addressing geopolitical challenges such as the war in Ukraine. She aims to strengthen the EU’s global partnerships and work closely with…
The minimum gross monthly wage in Lithuania may exceed EUR 1,000 in 2025, Social Security and Labour Minister Monika Navickiene forecast, BNS reported. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Navickiene assured that the minimum wage would definitely surpass the poverty risk threshold. Lithuania’s Tripartite Council is still in talks on the minimum wage hike…
The free world must not fear its own strength, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas insisted, BNS reported. Speaking at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Kallas pointed out that the free world was stronger than Russia and had the resources, economic power, and knowledge to help Ukraine win the war against the…
The number of eligible voters in Lithuania’s presidential election and dual citizenship referendum on 12 May 2024 totals 2,385,234, which is almost 100,000 (4%) less than five years ago, according to the Central Electoral Commission (VRK), BNS reports. Revoking the current ban on dual citizenship will require the support of more than 50% of all…
An agreement on the automatic recognition of degrees of higher education between the Benelux and Baltic countries came into effect as of 1 May 2024, BNS reports. The agreement facilitates academic mobility and promotes university cooperation between the six countries. The agreement attests that the quality of national higher education systems is reliable.