Around 4,000 people attended the 20th annual Riga Pride parade in the Latvian capital, Riga, on 13 June 2026, LSM reported. Police said that the parade in the centre of Riga proceeded peacefully and without significant incidents. Participants noted that Latvian society was becoming more accepting of same-sex couples and diverse sexualities. Kaspars Zalitis, co-chair…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has signed into law amendments to legislation governing the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), BNS reports. The changes will create a new board of directors for LRT, expand the company’s governing council, and establish fixed terms for council members and increase their powers. Also, the amendments will…
The number of marriages registered in Estonia totalled 5,998 in 2025, which was 363 fewer than in 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. The number of new marriages was the lowest since 2012. The first-marriage rate was 0.45 for men and 0.52 for women. The average age at first marriage was 31.8…
Following the entry into force of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, human rights groups in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland urged their governments to review migrant pushback practices on the border with Belarus, BNS reported. In a joint statement, Latvia’s I Want to Help Refugees (GPB), Lithuania’s Sienos Grupe, and Poland’s Association for…
Estonia’s Supreme Court has rejected a request from President Alar Karis to declare legislative amendments obliging religious associations to sever their ties with hostile foreign states unconstitutional, ERR reports. Karis had insisted that the amendments violated the Constitution, arguing that the law would place excessive restrictions on freedom of religion and association. However, the Supreme…
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…
A Lithuanian soldier serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (ZSU) has gone missing in action, LRT reported. According to 15min, the 25-year-old Lithuanian had been taking part in a combat mission in an area that was shelled by Russian occupation forces. Reportedly, the soldier had been serving as an assistant grenade launcher since February 2026….
This year’s Baltic Pride parade was held in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, on 6 June 2026, ERR reports. The parade progressed through Tallinn’s Old Town and ended with an open-air concert at the Telliskivi Creative City. This year’s theme was “silence will not defeat hate,” emphasising the need to speak up and take action against…
A petition initiated by the mayor of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, on stricter language rules for foreigners has collected more than 22,500 signatures, BNS reports. Under the proposal, non-EU residents would be required to have at least A2-level proficiency in Lithuanian after three years of residence. Earlier, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic argued that…