The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, is working on a "national agreement" to address the issue of a declining population, LRT reports. Currently, one in three households in Lithuania consists of single individuals living alone, which has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. This trend includes both seniors, particularly women due to a significant gender…
Car owners in Estonia face increasing pressure and deserve fair treatment, Simmo Saar, head of the newly-established Estonian Car Owners Association (EAOL), stated, ERR reports. The new association aims to represent the rights and interests of car owners, including in regard to taxation, highway planning, traffic law, penal policy, and traffic education. EAOL opposes the…
Police officers in Estonia are required to draw their weapons almost every week on duty, primarily due to the prevalence of gas pistols and starter guns that resemble real firearms, ERR reports. However, police officers actually discharge their firearms only a few times a year. Armin Saarits, head of the Special Preparedness Unit at the…
Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, Tiit Riisalo (Estonia 200), said that the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) had the right to protect Estonia’s media space from propaganda channels of hostile states, ERR reports. Riisalo said that TTJA had blocked 51 TV channels and 273 websites to date. Also, he noted that…
Estonia’s Minister of Interior, Lauri Läänemets (SDE), does not support the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority’s (TTJA) proposal to begin monitoring media bias in news programmes, ERR reports. The ministry’s media adviser, Andres Jõesaar, rejected the idea as well. Speaking on ETV’s “Aktuaalne Kaamera,” Jõesaar stated that there was no problem that required such…
Estonia’s daily newspapers, Eesti Päevaleht and Postimees, strongly criticised in their editorials on 5 July 2023 the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority’s (TTJA) proposed legislation to monitor the truthfulness, impartiality, and balance of news programmes, ERR reports. Both editorials strongly rejected the notion of state intervention in media, emphasising the importance of media freedom…
The 13th Youth Song and Dance Festival (Laulupidu) in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, attracted around 90,000 spectators who watched performances by 31,415 singers, dancers, and musicians, ERR reports. Around 120,000 reusable bowls and spoons were handed out to participants during the festival weekend, while 134,000 dishes and 44,000 utensils were issued to spectators. Around 350 police…
The Estonian Association of Media Enterprises (EML) strongly opposes a proposal for the Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) to function as an independent media regulator for the entire media market, ERR reports. The Ministry of Culture has shared the draft proposal with over 40 organisations and institutions, seeking their feedback. EML emphasised…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has begun discussing a proposal from the parliamentary speaker, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, to seek the Constitutional Court’s opinion on the compatibility of the Istanbul Convention with the country’s Constitution, BNS reports. The corresponding draft resolution passed the first reading in parliament. The final vote on the resolution will take place in…