A new law in Estonia will allow ships sailing under the Estonian flag to employ private armed security guards in high-risk zones, enhancing protection against piracy and armed robbery, ERR reports. The move aims to boost the international appeal of the Estonian flag by enabling shipowners to contract security services more flexibly. Security personnel can…
The Estonian government will tighten controls on the transit of goods subject to EU sanctions, Ukrainska Pravda reports. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that attempts to evade sanctions continued to occur on the border with Russia. She noted that the EU’s latest sanctions package exacerbated the threats. The government will therefore replace the present risk-based…
US technology company Google has removed the official accounts of EU-sanctioned Russian performers, following a request from the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK), BNS reports. LRTK asked Google to remove the YouTube accounts of several Russian artists who have been placed under EU sanctions for actively supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has ordered the opposition National Alliance to pay back to the state EUR 210,673 of state budget financing that the party had spent illegally, LETA reports. Also, KNAB halted the payment of state support to the party for one year. In 2022, the National Alliance spent EUR 554,727…
A major loophole in EU sanctions against Russia is being exploited via Belarus, evidenced by a luxury car traffic jam at the Latvia-Belarus border, LSM reports. Although luxury car exports to Russia are banned, they are allowed to Belarus, resulting in a 50-fold increase in car exports to Belarus via Latvia. This suggests that many…
Latvia will triple the number of average speed cameras on roads, Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens announced, LSM reports. Currently, there are average speed cameras on 16 road sections. Briskens said that the situation on Latvian roads was critical. He said that the ministry would increase focus on improving road infrastructure and enforcement of speed limits….
Estonia’s Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Finance have drafted legislation mandating gender balance on the boards of listed companies, ERR reports. An EU directive requires that at least 40% of supervisory board members or 33% of the total board and council members be from the underrepresented gender by the end of June 2026. Currently,…
Estonia’s Ministry of Justice reported that 66% of legal entities submitted their annual reports for the 2023 fiscal year by the deadline of 1 July 2024, which is an improvement from just 56% a year earlier, ERR reports. A ministry official said that the better compliance was due to recent changes aimed at motivating timely…
Lithuania’s State Data Protection Inspectorate (VDAI) has imposed a fine of EUR 2.39mn on the local online marketplace for second-hand goods, Vinted, for violating consumer data protection laws, BNS reports. The fine follows complaints from French and Polish supervisory authorities and pertains to breaches of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Vinted was found…