More prominent members of the opposition Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) have left the party after the election of Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart as the party’s new chairman, ERR reports. Former party board chair, Tallinn deputy mayor, and environment minister Tõnis Mölder and the party’s former defence spokesman, Neeme Väli, are the latest high-profile members to…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has passed a resolution calling on NATO to invite Ukraine as a new member at the defence alliance’s next summit in Washington in July 2024, BNS reports. The unanimous resolution noted that Ukraine was a provider of security that would strengthen NATO. The MPs pointed out that having Ukraine as…
Latvia’s Ministry of Justice will propose banning vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus from staying in the country for more than three months, LSM reports. Under the proposed law, owners of Russian and Belarusian vehicles would have to re-register the vehicles in Latvia. Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere pointed out that keeping cars with Russian or…
The Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council have agreed on new priorities of cooperation at their annual summit in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, BNS reports. In the 2024-2026 period, the two parliamentary cooperation organisations will focus on supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and on defence against cyber threats and disinformation. Also, the eight parliaments will promote democracy…
Lithuania’s opposition Union of Democrats for Lithuania (DSVL) will withdraw from a national defence agreement signed by all parliamentary parties in July 2022, BNS reports. Under the deal, the parties pledged to keep defence spending above 2.5% of GDP and increase the number of military conscripts. DSVL announced its exit from the pact after the…
Latvia’s Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) has informed 3,541 Russian citizens that their Latvian residence permits expired on 2 September 2023, LSM reports. The persons have failed to submit applications to obtain long-term EU residence permits or retake language exams as required. The Russian nationals will therefore have to leave Latvia by 30…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has elected MP Daiga Mierina of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) as its new speaker, LSM reports. She replaces United List’s Edvards Smiltens. Mierina was only elected at the fourth ballot after the two front-runners for the post, Gunars Kutris of ZZS and United List’s Maris Sprindzuks, were…
The presidents of the Baltic States and Poland met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the transport of Ukrainian grain through EU ports, ERR reports. Estonian President Alar Karis noted that shipping Ukrainian grain via Baltic ports required cooperation with Poland. Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament,…
Estonia’s central bank, the Bank of Estonia, opposes the government’s plan to replace Estonia’s self-imposed budgetary discipline rules with the EU’s less stringent budget rules, ERR reports. Ülo Kaasik, vice-president of the Bank of Estonia, insisted that changing the rules simply because of an inability to meet them was never a good idea. He warned…