Estonia does not support banning young people from accessing social media, Estonia’s Justice and Digital Affairs Minister, Liisa Pakosta, announced, ERR reports. Earlier, the European Parliament proposed setting an EU-wide age limit on social media platforms. Under the plan, children could use social media from the age of 13 with parental consent and independently from…
Recent Belarusian actions against Lithuania “could be recognised as terrorism,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene stated, BNS reports. She was referring to the launch of smuggler balloons from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace and the detention of Lithuanian trucks in Belarus. The actions endangered aviation security and violated international law, Ruginiene noted, saying that she was…
Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Industry, Erkki Keldo, has approved a national action plan to broaden equal opportunities and protections for LGBTIQ people, ERR reports. The plan sets goals to ensure that everyone in Estonia has equal opportunity to live a full, supported, and inclusive life, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading draft laws accompanying the state budget for 2026, LETA reports. MPs will now begin discussing the draft budget. The government’s budget priorities are national security, support for families with children, and high-quality education. Revenues are planned at EUR 16.1bn and expenditures at EUR 17.9bn. The…
Latvia’s Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) may take the electronic moped rental company, Ride, to court for its refusal to suspend operations as ordered, LSM reports. Earlier, PTAC told Ride to halt its rental service after two teenagers riding the company’s vehicle died in a traffic accident in Riga. Linda Rinkule, deputy director of PTAC,…
Latvia’s Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) has called on its coalition partner, New Unity, to support withdrawing from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women and domestic violence, LETA reports. ZZS argued that a case of alleged inappropriate behaviour by a foreign worker towards a minor in Liepaja demonstrated that…
Latvia’s ruling coalition has failed to secure a quorum in the parliament, the Saeima, for two weeks during votes on contested bills, LETA reports. On 2 October 2025, opposition parties again broke the quorum to preempt a final vote on transposing EU directives on emission trading systems into national law. Only 48 out of 100…
Over 7,700 people in Latvia have signed a public petition against withdrawing from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on violence against women and domestic violence, LSM reports. Earlier, several parties in the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, signalled that they might vote to revoke Latvia’s ratification of the human rights treaty. The Union of Greens…
Latvia’s Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) will fine the electronic moped rental company, Ride, for failing to suspend operations as requested, LETA reports. PTAC told Ride to suspend operations after two teenage girls riding the company’s moped died when they were hit by a train in Riga. The consumer rights authority concluded that Ride had…