US technology company Google has removed altogether 18 Belarusian radio and TV channels from its YouTube video platform following a request from the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (LRTK), BNS reports. LRTK said that the accounts were directly linked to the Belarusian state broadcaster, Belteleradiocompany (BTRC), which is under EU sanctions. LRTK had made…
The social and labour affairs committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments that would introduce stricter rules on workplace language requirements, LSM reports. The amendments aim to strengthen the role of the Latvian language in the labour market. Many employers in Latvia still require that staff speak Russian. The amendments stipulate that…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments that ban vehicles registered in Belarus from Latvia, LETA reports. 77 MPs voted in favour of the amendments, while 9 voted against, LSM reported. Under the legislation, Belarusian vehicles need to be reregistered in Latvia or taken out of the country by 31 October…
A new passenger train connection between Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, and the Latvian capital, Riga, will not open in October 2024 as planned, ERR reports. Märt Ehrenpreis, CTO of Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Elron, said that certification of new Stadler FLIRT trains for operating on Latvian railways was taking longer than expected. Also, Elron…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading amendments that will allow Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland to store strategic gas reserves at the underground gas storage facility in Incukalns, LSM reports. The three Baltic States have earlier signed solidarity agreements on gas supplies. The amendments will also free the operator of the Incukalns…
The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) denied residence to almost 36,000 foreigners in the first eight months of 2024 after the introduction of tighter rules on immigration, according to the Ministry of Interior, BNS reports. LMD received altogether 67,175 residence permit applications. The number of applications to work in Lithuania from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and…
The Latvian government plans to restrict the ability of Russian citizens to buy land in Latvia, LETA reports. The ruling three-party coalition has agreed on the plan conceptually, following a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture. The government will analyse the example of similar draft legislation in Finland. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has discussed…
Latvia’s Financial Sector Development Board (FSAP), chaired by Prime Minister Evika Silina, reviewed the country’s anti-money laundering (AML) measures during a meeting on 5 September 2024, LSM reports. The Financial Intelligence Unit (FID) reported on Latvia’s progress in relation to the Council of Europe’s evaluation of the country’s AML efforts. The meeting also addressed concerns…
Latvia’s Public Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP) has told the state-owned TV channel, LTV7, to provide all content in Latvian only as of 1 January 2025, BNS reports. Currently, LTV7 carries programmes in Russian as well. Earlier, the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, approved a new national security concept that obliges Latvia’s public broadcasters to have…