The Lithuanian government has decided to restructure the country’s Refugee Reception Centre (PPC) into the Reception and Integration Agency (PIA) as of 2025, BNS reports. The new agency will operate under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour. The agency will ensure temporary accommodation and other assistance for foreign migrants and asylum applicants.
Estonia’s Social Insurance Board (SKA) has cancelled child benefits for nearly 3,000 Estonian children who mostly live abroad since 2019, ERR reports. Signe Riisalo, Minister of Social Protection, pointed out that family benefits are only meant for people living in Estonia. People paying taxes in Estonia should not pay for benefits to people who do…
The Estonian government has agreed on switching to need-based social benefits in 2028, Education Minister Kristina Kallas announced, BNS reports. She argued that the state and taxpayers could no longer afford distributing equal support to everyone, and that doing so was not even necessary. Better data would allow the state to provide better personalised services, Kallas…
The Latvian government has decided to pay compensation to low-income households for rapid rises in energy prices, LSM reports. The permanent support mechanism will apply to exceptional price increases for electricity, heating, and biomass fuels. Households with per capita income of up to EUR 473 per month and housing expenditure of at least 30% of…
The Estonian government will impose a lower ceiling on parental benefits and a cap on sickness benefits as of 2026, ERR reports. The government will reduce the maximum rate for parental benefits from the current three times the average wage to twice the average wage. The cut will affect around 3,500 people annually, or about…
The number of poor people in need of assistance in Latvia has been decreasing in recent years in the regions of Kurzeme and Latgale, but has increased in the capital, Riga, according to the state-run Society Integration Foundation (SIF), LSM reports. More than 20% of all poor and low-income people received food aid and basic…
The Latvian government, which took office in September 2023, has approved a plan of action, LSM reports. The plan foresees 269 specific measures in line with the government declaration. The action plan is divided into three main priorities: “Prosperous Latvia,” “Safe Latvia,” and “Latvian and inclusive Latvia.” All state institutions must submit reports on the…
Estonia’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, said that the Estonian Defence Forces believed that the country’s defence spending could rise to 4.5% of GDP, ERR reports. However, Pevkur emphasised the need for a “reasonable limit” due to investments in health care, social welfare, and education. He acknowledged the desire for increased spending on defence given…
Latvia’s Ministry of Finance plans to submit draft laws on the state budget for 2024 and budget plans for 2024-2026 to the parliament, the Saeima, on 3 November 2023, LETA reports. The government will discuss the budget at its next meeting. The new coalition government’s declaration pledges to carry out a “balanced social, environmental, and…