Lithuanian teenagers continue to smoke and drink less, according to a new European school survey, LRT reports. Also, cannabis use among minors in Lithuania is now lowest in 20 years. At the same time, the misuse of over-the-counter and prescription medications, especially sedatives and sleeping pills, among teenagers has increased markedly. Also, electronic cigarettes remain…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has approved in first reading amendments to make it easier to dismiss the director general of the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), BNS reports. Altogether 76 MPs voted for, 50 against, and none abstained. Almost all MPs from the ruling three-party coalition backed the bill. The…
Estonia needs more skilled foreign labour, Hando Sutter, CEO of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation (ETK), stated, ERR reports. Speaking on ETV, Sutter noted that Estonia’s employment rate was now one of the highest in history. At the same time, the number of births was likely to be the lowest in 100 years in 2025, he…
Five schools in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, will take part in a pilot project to curb children’s use of smart devices, ERR reports. Ott Oja, head of Tallinn’s mental health action plan for children and youth, said that the city was developing the project in collaboration with researchers at Tallinn University’s Centre for Educational Psychology…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments to ban advertising of beer and wine on radio and TV, Baltic News Network reports. The ban will apply to advertisements that include information on prices and discounts. The restriction is aimed at reducing the total consumption and negative impact of alcohol on young…
Estonia’s liberal Estonia 200 (E200) party, junior partner in the country’s current coalition government, has elected Education Minister Kristina Kallas as its new chairperson, replacing Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, ERR reports. Kallas stressed the importance of values as a “key component” in politics. E200 will now start preparing for upcoming local elections and will strive…
The youth wing of the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE), Blue Awakening, will quit the far-right opposition party, ERR reports. The organisation decided to begin talks on joining the new right-wing party, Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives (ERK), which was formed mostly by former EKRE politicians. Eino Rantanen, the newly-elected chairman of Blue Awakening, said…
Medical experts in Latvia have warned that drug use among adolescents is rising, LSM reports. The number of young drug users admitted to hospital is also rising, and some of them overdose repeatedly, the experts said. Statistics show that the number of young people who have tried and regularly use narcotics is increasing. The data…
Estonia’s ruling coalition plans to lower the country’s voting age in all elections to 16 years, ERR reports. The coalition has agreed on cutting the minimum voting age in elections to the European Parliament. Under the plan, teenagers would be able to vote in European elections in 2029. The coalition parties want to cut the…