Opinions

Atlas Aerospace unveils tactical drone alternative to DJI Mavic amid rising demand for European defense tech

By Viesturs Deksnis. For the first time, Riga hosted the international Drone Summit 2025, a landmark event uniting global leaders in unmanned aerial systems to explore the future of drone [..]

Business in a time of change: how automation becomes a growth strategy

Have you ever looked at your operating costs and thought, “We’re squeezing every drop we can. What else is left?” For many transport-heavy or reliant businesses, that moment has already [..]

Latvian IT industry should focus more on service exports – Accenture

The Latvian information technology (IT) industry should place greater emphasis on exporting services and engaging with global markets, as many companies remain overly reliant on domestic public contracts, Ivo Almanis, [..]

Diplomat: Israel-Iran developments are not conflict or crisis, but war

The conflict which has broken out between Israel and Iran is clearly a war, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov said, and is unpredictable and concerning for the [..]

Estonia’s maritime sector gaining momentum – country aiming to attract large-scale shipbuilding projects

Article by journalist Ain Alvela. Estonia is making a bold push at the national level to strengthen its image as a maritime nation. The goal is to bring a share [..]

Expert: Ukraine’s drone strikes impact Russia’s longer-term strategic planning

Sunday’s drone strike by Ukraine on Russian airfields hosting strategic bombers most of all affects the longer-term strategic planning by Russia’s general staff, security expert Rainer Saks said. Speaking to [..]

Economist discusses ways of boosting Latvia’s economic growth

During the past decade, investments in Latvia have amounted to 22.6% of gross domestic product, but increasing the volume and reducing the price could boost Latvia’s economic growth by at [..]

Air Baltic secures investor, but postpones stock market debut

By journalist Ain Alvela. After announcing the plans to raise capital through a stock market listing and secure a strategic investor last year, the future of Air Baltic is still [..]

St. Thomas Cathedral: A Living Legacy of Dhaka’s History

By Rezaul Amin, a Bangladeshi journalist and social entrepreneur. Nestled in the heart of Dhaka, St. Thomas Cathedral Church is more than just a place of worship—it’s a landmark that [..]

Toni Cerkez: Events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and why should Estonia care

Toni Cerkez, lecturer at the Tallinn University School of Governance, Law and Society. As the EU grapples with growing instability at its periphery, Estonia has strong reasons to pay closer [..]

For 34 days now, Russia has been openly refusing to cease fire – address by the President

Dear Ukrainians! All day today, recovery efforts have been ongoing in Sumy following yesterday’s Russian ballistic missile strike – the rubble is being cleared. Nearly forty of the injured remain [..]

Client alert: Lithuanian Competition Council intensifies scrutiny of defence sector

Article by Monika Mališauskaitė-Vaupšienė, Partner at Sorainen & Danas Šniutė, Associate at Sorainen. With Lithuania’s defence budget increasing, the Lithuanian Competition Council (LCC) has identified the defence sector as one [..]

Soil and climate change: How healthy soil can help us combat a real and dangerous phenomenon

To some European citizens, soil may look like mud or a dry patch of earth. Still, it is a complex ecosystem containing minerals, organic matter, and many living organisms that [..]

General Hodges pushes for completion of Rail Baltica to strengthen military mobility in the Baltic

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis. The Baltic Sea region has been facing a series of growing challenges that highlight its geopolitical significance and the urgent need for enhanced security measures. [..]

A historic event is approaching – the Baltic States are breaking free from Russia’s electricity grid

By journalist Ain Alvela. On February 9, the Baltic States will disconnect their electricity grid from the Russian and Belarusian networks and join Europe’s unified energy system. This means that [..]

EBRD expects record investments in Lithuania this year

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested a record EUR 233 million in Lithuania in 2024, and it plans to maintain or even increase the level of investments [..]

Will cancelled airBaltic flights influence passenger loyalty, Latvia’s economy?

By journalist Inga Karlinska. The Latvian flag carrier airBaltic recently announced that it is cancelling 4,670 flights this summer. This has affected 67,160 passengers who, because of this decision, are [..]

Bank expert: Enough competition in Latvia’s banking sector

There is sufficient competition in the banking sector in Latvia, but it would not be proper to claim that it will not expand, LETA was told by the board chairman [..]

Price and Tax Increases to Cost Estonians Hundreds of Euros in 2025

By journalist Ain Alvela. The coming year brings several new tax increases in Estonia as price increases show no signs of slowing down. At the same time the government placed [..]

Jānis Bergs: We’ve put our foot into the door of the United States, and now we must open it more widely

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis. One of Latvia’s largest business delegations visited the United States last autumn, led by Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs. A wide range of businesspeople participated, seeking [..]

One hundred years of solitude

By Janis Taukacs, Sorainen partner. A new TV series based on the famous book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez has appeared on Netflix. What does this have to do with taxes? [..]

“MONK ECHO” – an Innovative Guitar Pedal, which breaks the traditional boundaries

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis. The recent winners of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) competition “Idea Cup 2024,” Toms Lazdovskis and Matīss Tazāns, creators of the “MONK ECHO” [..]

State support for companies has to be considered carefully says Madis Müller

Global trends indicate that state support for some types of investment may also be needed for some sectors in Estonia said Governor of Eesti Pank Madis Müller at a seminar [..]

AO ПрицеВатер vs AS PriceWater in Bulgaria

Kalvis Vītoliņš, Lawyer and LCCI Representative in Uzbekistan. I occasionally post notes about the business environment. This story is about Bulgaria, which will fully join the Schengen Zone on January [..]

Small petrol companies losing market share in Latvia

The market share of small fuel traders in Latvia has been declining in recent years, says Jānis Viba, board chairman of the Virsi-A energy trading company which runs the Virsi [..]

BMW boss believes 2025 climate target for new cars is achievable

The boss of the German luxury carmaker BMW expects his company will be able to meet the climate targets for new vehicles in the coming year. “We have known the [..]

“Pro bono” Work – Beneficial for an Individual or an Example for Others

Filips Kļaviņš, Attorney-at-Law, Co-Founder and Senior Partner of the law firm Ellex Klavins. Notion pro bono (from the Latin pro bono publico) means a delivery of some professional service for [..]

Germany’s spy chief: Putin is banking on the failure of NATO

The head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service BND on Wednesday warned of increasing hybrid attacks by Russia on Germany and the NATO defence alliance, with the underlying goal of testing [..]

Completion of Rail Baltica by the set deadline depends on the ability of the three Baltic States to cooperate efficiently and co-ordinately

Authored by journalist Ain Alvela. The construction of the Rail Baltica high-speed railway, designed to connect Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with Europe, has entered the construction phase across all three [..]

Spanish basketball: a key pathway for young Baltic talent seeking international exposure

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis. A month ago, the sports portal Sportacentrs.com published an article stating that in the 2024/2025 season, 38 Latvians, including three female coaches, represent teams in [..]

The labour market improved a little

Orsolya Soosaar, Economist at Eesti Pank. Wage growth accelerated to 8.1% in the third quarter and the purchasing power of the average wage increased further. Sectors where wages rose at [..]

Kristjan Svirgsden: Is the war in Ukraine really only 1,000 days old?

Kristjan Svirgsden, ERR front-line camera operator. The passage of time since the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine has demonstrated both high and low points, for more than 1,000 [..]

Therapist shares tips to help weather Estonia’s dark season

In a recent appearance on Raadio 2’s “R2 Päev,” creative arts therapist Kadi Jaanisoo-Kuld said that fresh air, daylight and connection with loved ones can all help folks get through [..]

The Climate-Resilient Economy Act being drafted in Estonia is sparking opposition among industrial leaders

Article by Ain Alvela, Editor of TööstusEST. To meet the climate goals set by the European Union, Estonia’s Ministry of Climate has begun drafting legislation to support the green transition. [..]

Growth in borrowing has been led by private individuals in recent months

Taavi Raudsaar, Economist at Eesti Pank. Households are borrowing at quite a strong rate to buy houses and cars. The market for housing loans has been quite active despite the [..]

Navigating the NIS 2 Directive: An in-depth look at Lithuania’s cybersecurity landscape

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis. The General Data Protection Regulation brought about many major legal changes in various sectors and businesses, but now another huge challenge has appeared to change [..]

Klaipėda LNG vessel operating under extremely mighty capacity

The Independence is a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at Lithuania’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Klaipėda, and it is distinguished among such vessels because of its workload [..]

Latvian welfare minister: Migrants may be needed in workforce

Latvian Welfare Minister Uldis Augulis has told the LETA News Agency that the government must think more about keeping local residents in the labour market for as long as possible, [..]

Lithuanian president expects centre-left government: BNS Interview

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday that the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) has “clearly won” this past weekend’s parliamentary election, adding that a government formed by centre-left political [..]

Business freedom needs limiting in climate crisis

Marilin Eessalu, executive manager of NGO Estonian Green Movement; Halliki Kreinin, senior researcher at the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Potsdam (RIFS) Attempts to steer business activities towards more sustainable [..]

Economist: Estonia taking decisions which will harm economic well-being

Raul Eamets, chief economist at Bigbank, has said that economic forecasts published by the Bank of Estonia on Tuesday show that the government’s economic policy decisions will reduce the economic [..]

The future of Estonia’s forests – more protected areas, less logging, continuous cover forestry and wood for local industry only

Journalist’s Ain Alvela interview with Mikk Marran, the Chairman of the Management Board of the Estonian State Forest Management Centre (RMK), who thinks that the RMK’s development plan is placing [..]

Aviation expert Toomas Peterson: Securing Air Baltic’s future requires involving a core investor

Journalist’s Ain Alvela interview with an aviation expert Toomas Peterson, who thinks that involving a core investor should help alleviate the company’s financial concerns, enable the purchase or lease of [..]

Rostovskis: It’s time for politicians to hear the entrepreneurs at last

By journalist Inga Karlinska. Although entrepreneurs and organisations protecting their interests have been actively trying to draw attention of the government and politicians to the necessity to improve competitiveness of [..]

New ambassador promoting Latvia as travel destination

Latvia’s new ambassador to the Czech Republic, Vilmars Henins, says that he wants to look for ways of promoting Riga and Latvia in Czech travel plans as an attractive and [..]

Ambassador: Latvia, UK should focus on security, defence collaboration

Latvia’s new ambassador to the United Kingdom, Atis Lots, has told the LETA News Agency that Latvia and the UK should focus more on co-operation in the areas of security [..]

Economist predicts higher inflation in Lithuania in 2025

The SEB Bank expects Lithuania’s average annual inflation rate to rise to 3% next year because an increase in excise taxes on fuel in January, as well as anticipated hikes [..]

Expert discusses rental market in Tallinn

Offerings from Tallinn’s apartment rental market were far more varied at the beginning of this academic year than in the past, and that was because of a confluence of various [..]

On a mission to simplify managing companies’ finances: Latvian start-up “Tailwind Technologies”

Article authored by Viesturs Deksnis. One of the cornerstones in successful entrepreneurship is ability to plan cash flow correctly and supervise the entire playing field. Development of technology has opened [..]

Economic adviser: Claims of Estonia joining EU’s most expensive countries incorrect

The assertion by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI) that Estonia is moving towards becoming one of the five most expensive countries in Europe is inaccurate, according to the [..]