The prime ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries announced that the group would cooperate with Ukraine on military expertise and training, information sharing, and the development of their defence industries and technology, ERR reports. Joining the summit meeting in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to supply…
A new Baltic think tank, the Baltic International Security Centre (BISC), was launched at an event in the Belgian capital, Brussels, on 3 June 2026, LSM reports. The UK-based centre was founded by British veteran journalist and security expert Edward Lucas. BISC’s patrons are four former Baltic presidents: Estonia’s Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Latvia’s Vaira Vike-Freiberga…
Gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) in relation to GDP in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. R&D spending amounted to 1.99% of GDP in Estonia in 2024, which was up from 1.41% in 2014. Meanwhile, R&D expenditure stood at 1.04% (1.03%) of GDP…
Most large and medium-sized companies in the Baltic States plan to invest in business development in 2026, according to a Kantar survey for OP Corporate Bank, LSM reports. The survey showed that 87% of enterprises in Lithuania, 85% in Latvia, and 74% in Estonia plan to invest in development. Specifically, Lithuanian companies plan to increase…
Gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in 2024, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Estonia’s R&D spending stood at 1.99% of GDP, which was up from 1.83% in 2023. The indicator stood at 1.04% (1.04%) in Lithuania and at 0.92% (0.82%) in Latvia. The EU…
Estonia hopes to receive around EUR 6bn more from than it pays to the EU’s budget for 2028-2034, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi said, ERR reports. Under the current budget proposal, Estonia would contribute EUR 4.8bn to the EU’s next multiannual financial framework. Estonia’s national allocation would amount to EUR 6.5bn and funds awarded competitively to…
Estonia ranks the highest in the Baltic States on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index in 2025, Labs of Latvia reports. Estonia ranks 16th on the global index, followed by Lithuania on 33rd place and Latvia on 41st place. The Global Innovation Index ranks the world’s 139 most innovative economies based on…
Five schools in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, will take part in a pilot project to curb children’s use of smart devices, ERR reports. Ott Oja, head of Tallinn’s mental health action plan for children and youth, said that the city was developing the project in collaboration with researchers at Tallinn University’s Centre for Educational Psychology…
Estonia has officially joined the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) as the organisation’s 24th member state, Estonian World reports. Estonia applied for CERN membership in 2018. Estonia signed the first cooperation agreement with CERN in 1996 and gained associate member status in 2021. As a full member state, Estonia will have voting rights in…