The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has rejected the opposition Estonian Centre Party’s (Keskerakond) proposal to lower the VAT on basic food products to 9%, ERR reports. No MPs voted against the proposal, but 42 MPs, mostly from the ruling coalition, abstained. Under the proposal, the VAT on specific categories of food, including vegetables and dairy,…
Only 4% of multi-apartment houses in need of renovation in Latvia have been renovated, according to the State Audit Office (LRVK), LSM reports. Latvia has over 39,500 multi-apartment houses, of which at least 26,600 need renovation. Martins Abolins, member of LRVK’s council, noted that more than half of all multi-apartment houses in the country were…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments to introduce a reduced 12% value-added tax rate on selected basic food products in 2026, LETA reports. Under the amendments, the lower VAT rate will apply to various bread products, milk, poultry meat, and eggs. The reduced VAT will apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June…
The average level of consumer prices in Latvia rose by 3.8% in November 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The inflation rate was mainly influenced by the rise in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices (up 5.2%) and an increase in the price…
Estonia’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 4.9% on year in November 2025, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Prices for services rose by 7.9% and for goods by 2.9% over a year. Compared to October 2025, the CPI dropped by 0.2%, however. Lauri Veski, team lead at Statistics Estonia, said that rising…
Estonia’s harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) rose by 4.7% on year in November 2025, according to Statistics Estonia’s flash estimate, ERR reports. Compared to October 2025, the HICP fell by 0.5%, however. Lenno Uusküla, chief economist at Luminor Bank, expects the pace of inflation to continue slowing down in December 2025, as import prices…
Estonia’s consumer price index (CPI) rose by 5.2% on year in September 2025, driven mostly by a 7.7% increase in food prices, according to Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. Prices for goods rose by 2.8% and services by 8.9%. Compared to August 2025, the CPI fell by 1.1%. This was the first time that the CPI…
Housing prices in Latvia increased by 6.7% in the second quarter of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, housing prices rose by 3.2%. The increase in housing prices in Latvia was higher than the EU average, according to Eurostat’s House…
Estonia’s harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) rose by 5.2% on year in September 2025, according to Statistics Estonia’s flash estimate, ERR reports. Compared to August 2025, prices fell by 1.2%. The monthly fall was mainly due to a drop in prices for food, non-alcoholic beverages, and fuel. The HICP takes into account spending by…