Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, plans to remove Soviet symbols from city-owned buildings by the end of 2024, ERR reports. The Estonian parliament passed corresponding legislation in 2023. However, President Alar Karis has refused to sign the legislation due to “legal ambiguities.” Deputy mayor Madle Lippus notes that changes to protected buildings require approval from the National Heritage…
Campaigners for dual citizenship in Lithuania may not be able to advertise on media, BNS reports. A spokeswoman for the Central Electoral Commission (VRK) noted that political advertising could only be paid for by participants of the referendum campaign. The referendum was initiated by a group of members of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. Marija…
Estonia rose two places to 6th place in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), BNS reports. Estonia scored 86.44 points on the index, which was up from 85.31 points in 2023. Latvia ranked 12th (16th) with 82.9 (83.27) points and Lithuania 13th (7th) with 81.73 (86.79) points.
Chief justices and judges of the constitutional courts of the three Baltic States held a meeting in Riga to strengthen cooperation and share best practices, BNS reported. The court representatives discussed topics like fair trial rights, state language protection, and recent case law, highlighting the importance of such collaboration for maintaining the rule of law.
Vehicles with Russian licence plates will have to be entered into Lithuania’s national vehicle register or leave the country by 11 March 2024, the Lithuanian Customs Department (LRM) announced, ERR reports. Drivers violating the new rule risk fines and having their vehicles confiscated. Exceptions apply to vehicles transiting via Lithuania to or from Russia’s Kaliningrad…
Latvia’s State Police registered 781 road traffic accidents involving pedestrians in 2023, which was 60 more than in 2022, Baltic News Network reports. Of the total number of cases, 576 resulted in light injuries, 64 in severe injuries, and 30 in fatalities. Drunk driving and carelessness were the main reasons for the accidents, according to…
Lithuania has altogether 2,266 stateless residents, of whom 2,151 have permanent residence permits, according to data from the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), LRT reports. In 2018, the number of stateless people totalled 3,193. Most of the stateless residents are persons who failed to apply for citizenship after Lithuania regained its independence in 1991. Stateless persons…
Russian fascist symbols continue to appear in public places in Latvia, LSM reports. In the latest incident, the letters Z and V, which indicate support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, were spray-painted onto a bus stop along the Jelgava highway in Olaine. Public outcry prompted state road management company Latvijas Valsts Celi to…
The unadjusted gender pay gap in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in 2022, according to Eurostat data, LSM reported. In Estonia, women’s average gross hourly wage was 21.3% lower than that of men in 2022, which was up from 20.5% in 2021. The gender pay gap stood at 17.1% (14.6%) in Latvia and…