Over 60% of Estonia’s population is prepared to defend the country, according to a poll conducted by Eesti Uuringukeskus for the Ministry of Defence, ERR reports. The survey shows that 81% support armed resistance in case of an attack. Support for military service is very high at 87%, for reserve forces at 86%, for NATO…
Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence will procure various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for EUR 36mn, BNS reports. The Defence Materiel Agency (GRA) has signed contracts to buy reconnaissance drones from Estonia’s Threod Systems and Latvia’s Edge Autonomy as well as quadcopter drones from Lithuania’s Deftools. Most of the drones will be delivered in autumn 2024…
Latvia’s State Border Guard (VRS) prevented a total of 2,770 people from illegally entering Latvia from Belarus in the first half of 2024, LSM reports. Only 12 people were admitted to Latvia on humanitarian grounds. VRS chief Guntis Pujats said that “very massive attempts” had been made to cross the border from Belarus to Poland…
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has met with a visiting delegation from the Appropriations Committee of the US House of Representatives, LSM reports. The delegation was led by Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma and included congressmen Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, and Jake Ellzey of Texas. The…
Estonia’s ruling coalition parties have agreed to introduce a new tax to fund national defence, ERR reports. Incoming prime minister Kristen Michal of the Estonian Reform Party stated that the tax would likely combine increases in VAT, income tax, and excise duties. The aim was to distribute the financial burden evenly across different societal groups,…
Lithuania will acquire Polish-made Piorun air defence systems, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas announced, BNS reports. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz proposed that Lithuania procure the new systems jointly with Poland. Kasciunas said that Lithuania was “very pleased” with the offer. Lithuania already has an older version of the Polish-made Grom air defence system but will…
The Lithuanian government has approved a draft resolution to withdraw from the Convention on Cluster Munitions, allowing to acquire, stockpile, and use these weapons, BNS reports. The proposal from the Defence Ministry follows the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine and is based on the argument that these munitions are highly effective for…
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 outgoing prime minister, Kaja Kallas, has picked Vivian Loonela, head of the European Commission’s representation in Estonia, as her chief of staff if she is confirmed as EU’s foreign policy chief, ERR reports. Before her current position, Loonela served as the head of the Estonian delegation at the European Commission. The European Parliament will…