The Lithuanian government does not plan to close more checkpoints on the border with Belarus in the near future, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced, LRT reports. However, she said that the possibility to do so remained, given that security threats persisted. A complete closure of the Belarus border would only be done in coordination with…
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has refused to attend a joint session of the state budget and the anti-corruption select committees of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, on 29 August 2023, ERR reports. The committees will hold an extraordinary joint meeting to discuss the operations of Estonian businesses in Russia. Kallas has come under heavy…
The Baltic States and Poland have agreed to close their borders with Belarus in the event of a “critical incident” involving the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski announced, TVP World reports. Following their meeting in Warsaw, the Baltic and Polish interior ministers demanded that Belarus expel the Wagner mercenaries…
The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) has refused to grant asylum to Belarusian activist Volha Karach on national security grounds, LRT reports. The State Security Department (VSD) revealed that Karach had cooperated with Russian intelligence services, providing them with information about the Belarusian regime and opposition. In exchange, Russian intelligence services helped Karach manage her image….
Most Estonians want Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to resign amid a scandal involving her husband, according to polls, ERR reports. In a Norstat survey for the Institute of Social Research (YI), 57% of respondents said that Kallas should resign, while 31% said that she should provide an explanation but could continue as prime minister. Another…
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is under pressure after ERR revealed that Keila-based logistics company Stark Logistics, in which her husband, Arvo Hallik, owns nearly 25% of shares, has continued to do business in Russia. Stark Logistics has shipped metal containers manufactured by Tallinn-based Metaprint to Russia. The majority owner of both Metaprint and Stark Logistics…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has nominated New Unity’s Evika Silina for prime minister, LETA reports. Silina would replace New Unity leader Krisjanis Karins, who announced his resignation from the premiership earlier. Silina serves as minister of welfare in the current government. Rinkevics expressed confidence that Silina would be able to form the broadest possible coalition…
Lithuanian experts regard Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, President Gitanas Nauseda, and Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis as the country’s most influential politicians in 2023, according to Reitingai magazine’s poll for DELFI, BNS reports. Reitingai interviewed 999 public figures in May-June 2023 for the survey. A separate Spinter Tyrimai poll showed that the public regards Nauseda as…
The European Commission (EC) demands hundreds of thousands of euros in fines from Estonia for late implementation of two EU directives, ERR reports. Estonia has failed to transpose the so-called whistleblower directive into national law by December 2021. Also, the EC has initiated infringement procedures against Estonia over the European Competition Network (ECN+) directive, which…