Latvia’s Riga Regional Court has sentenced former Ventspils mayor Aivars Lembergs to four years in prison and confiscation of property, LSM reports. The second-instance court found Lembergs guilty of taking bribes, money laundering, unauthorised participation in a property transaction, and falsification of documents. At the same time, the court acquitted him of charges of concealing…
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has submitted the draft state budget for 2024 to the parliament, the Riigikogu, for debate, ERR reports. Budget revenues will amount to EUR 16.79bn, expenses to EUR 17.67bn, and investments to EUR 0.82bn. The budget deficit is estimated at EUR 1.19bn or 2.8% of GDP, and the government therefore plans…
Regional branches of Lithuania’s ruling Homeland Union (TS-LKD) have proposed their preferred candidates for president in the upcoming elections in May 2024, BNS reports. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte was the favourite with 66 nominations, followed by Foreign Minister and TS-LKD chairman Gabrielius Landsbergis with 64 and Labour and Social Security Minister Monika Navickiene with 62….
Lithuania’s presidential campaign is gathering pace, Linas Jegelevicius reports for Baltic News Network. Incumbent president Gitanas Nauseda has the lead in several polls, and he is expected to run for a second term. The ruling Homeland Union has started the process to choose the party’s presidential candidate. Potential names include Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, Defence…
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,…
The Estonian government has agreed on the state budget for 2024, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas announced, ERR reports. Under the agreement, the government will introduce no new taxes in addition to ones implemented earlier. The government will not impose a new tax on commercial banks, which will instead pay more taxable dividends. Also, the government…
Lithuania’s ruling coalition parties have collected signatures for the impeachment of unaffiliated MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis for his repeated antisemitic statements, BNS reports. The motion to impeach was signed by 36 MPs. Earlier, Zemaitaitis blamed Jews for the deportations and killings of Lithuanians during the Second World War. Also, he expressed anger at Prime Minister Ingrida…
Lithuania risks losing millions of euros in EU funds if key reforms, including a tax reform, are not implemented, European Commission (EC) Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis warned, LRT reports. Dombrovskis will discuss the progress of the tax reform package with Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste in Vilnius on 7-8 September 2023. Dombrovskis…
Latvia’s prime minister-designate, Evika Silina, expects the parliament, the Saeima, to approve her new coalition government on 15 September 2023, LSM reports. Besides the post of prime minister, Silina’s New Unity party is likely to head the ministries of finance, economy, foreign affairs, interior affairs, justice, education, and energy. The Union of Greens and Farmers…