Current Pulse
Lithuania
US Switchblade 600 combat drones to be delivered next year – Lithuanian DefMin
American Switchblade 600 combat drones will be delivered to Lithuania next year, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
Wahid Nawabi, CEO of AeroVironment, confirmed...
Estonia
Tallinn Christmas Market is open
Tallinn Christmas Market with a touch of a fairy tale will be held at the Town Hall Square of Tallinn. Everything is possible at...
Lithuania
Swedbank pays EUR 52.5 mln in bank solidarity levy, SEB pays EUR 34 mln
Swedbank and SEB, two of Lithuania's largest commercial banks, have paid 52.5 million and 34.1 million euros respectively the bank solidarity levy to the...
Latvia
Tallinn is the most popular destination for Latvian passengers from Riga – Lux Express
Tallinn is the most popular destination for Latvian passengers from Riga for the international passenger carrier Lux Express,
Aldis Kibens, Head of Baltic Business Development...
Latvia
40% of people in Latvia plan to spend up to EUR 100 on Christmas and New Year gifts – poll
The majority of Latvians, or 40 percent, plan to spend up to EUR 100 on Christmas and New Year gifts this year, representatives of...
Estonia
Estonia’s e-residency program has delivered over EUR 200 mln in state revenue
The Estonian e-residency program, which is celebrating its ninth anniversary on Friday, has seen its cumulative contribution to the national budget exceed 200 million...
Estonia
Lux Express to open Tallinn-Warsaw direct route
Starting Friday, Lux Express will operate a new daily direct service between Tallinn and Warsaw, one of the most important hubs for bus passengers...
Latvia
Latvian signs purchase order on procurement of air defense systems worth EUR 600 million
On November 30, Latvian Defense Ministry and German company Diehl Defence signed a purchase order on the procurement of the IRIS-T medium-range air defense...
Lithuania
Russia interested in opening Kaliningrad crossing, no proposals yet – Lithuanian MFA
Russia is interested in the possibility of opening the Dubki-Rambynas border crossing point but has not yet made any proposals to Lithuania, Lithuania's Foreign...
Lithuania
Veolia ordered to pay Vilnius EUR 83 million – arbitral court
Vilnius has won an international arbitration case against the French group Veolia and its subsidiary Vilniaus Energija (Vilnius Energy) as an arbitral court has...
Latvia
Bus traffic in Riga delayed for up to an hour amid heavy snowfall
Passenger buses in Riga are running up to 60 minutes late on Thursday due to heavy snowfall, Baiba Bartasevica-Feldmane, a spokeswoman for Rigas Satiksme...
Estonia
Scammers trying to gain entry to homes under guise of checking smoke detectors
The Estonian Rescue Board has received reports of scammers on the move attempting to gain entry to people's homes under the pretext of checking...
Estonia
Estonian court annuls extradition of crypto businessmen to US
The Tallinn Circuit Court on Wednesday annulled the decisions to extradite Estonian crypto businessmen Ivan Turogin and Sergei Potapenko, who are accused of an...
European Union
Driving disqualification in one EU country should be valid across EU
To make Europe’s roads safer Transport MEPs want driving disqualification decisions to apply in all EU member states and for more offences to trigger...
Lithuania
Ministry, trade unions back tighter recruitment of third-country nationals
The recruitment of third-country nationals should be tightened to attract more workers with higher added value, Vice Minister of Social Security and Labor Vytautas...
Latvia
Pasazieru Vilciens to rebrand to Vivi after receiving new trains
From today, when the first new electric trains manufactured by Skoda Vagonka are handed over to Pasazieru Vilciens, the company will gradually switch to...
Latvia
Gaso plans to increase tariffs for natural gas distribution services from next year
The natural gas distribution system operator Gaso has submitted to the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK) new tariffs for natural gas distribution services, which envisage...
Estonia
Estonia’s new car tax bill to increase registration fee for older vehicles
The Estonian Ministry of Finance has prepared a new bill on the motor vehicle tax, which takes less account of the age of the...
Estonia
EKRE leader says early elections the way out of impasse in Estonia
In a letter sent to the leaders of Estonia's political parties on Wednesday, Martin Helme, chairman of the opposition Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE),...
Interviews
Adven Baltics – new natural gas supply chains promise cheaper district heating prices in the coming winter than last year in Estonia
Journalist’s Ain Alvela interview with Juhan Aguraiuja, the head of Adven Baltics, which provides district heating services in Estonia and also in Latvia, Finland...
Lithuania
Gas prices for Lithuanian households may fall 4-7 cents from January – regulator
Natural gas prices for households in Lithuania may go down by 4-7 euro cents per cubic meter from January, compared to the price they...
Estonia
Circle K launches new automatic charging service in Estonia
Starting from Monday, all Circle K ultra-fast chargers across Estonia allow "plug and charge Autocharge" charging, a new convenient and easy way to charge...
Latvia
Parking fees could be raised in the center of Riga
Dzineta Innusa, CEO at Riga municipal public transport company Rigas Satiksme, is not ruling out that parking fees could be increased in Riga.
Parking fees...
Latvia
Latvia to be one of four hosts of men’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments
Latvia will be one of four hosts of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024, FIBA said on Monday.
The other three...
Lithuania
Growing inflow of migrant workers poses threat for Lithuania’s security – 50,000 foreigners have come to work in Lithuania
The growing inflow of foreigners coming to Lithuania for work is a threat to Lithuania's security, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite says, adding that newcomers...
Interviews
Allied support for Lithuanian division will depend on bilateral discussions – NATO admiral
NATO does not require the creation of a division in Lithuania, Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee says, adding that allied support...
Latvia
Smart-ID can be used to access e-addresses and other services in future
In order to make electronic communication and document circulation with the state and local government institutions even more convenient, e-address and many other services...
Estonia
Elisa Estonia: Only quarter of employees go to office every week
Not going to the office for work, which became commonplace during the coronavirus crisis, has become a permanent phenomenon, statistics by telecom operator Elisa...
Latvia
A documentary about a Latvian’s 39-day cycling trip to Rome creates a huge buzz in Latvia
Latvian video artist Edgars Trankalis’ documentary “Rucava–Riga–Rome” has been released in Latvia. The film reveals in an exciting and inspiring way the adventures of the...
World
With an ace up its sleeve – the US Army designs a deck of cards to help tell friends from foes
Battlefields are high-stress, complex environments where decisions have to be made in a split second. In the fog of conflict, it’s not always easy...
European Union
Germany, Baltics to collaborate on innovation to compete with China and other innovation giants
Germany will collaborate with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in the field of innovation through the new Innovation Club, an initiative launched by German Minister...
Latvia
Skanste revitalization project to cost EUR 9.3 million more
The Skanste revitalization project will cost EUR 9.3 million more, lawmakers of the Riga City Council finance and administration committee were informed today.
Thus, from...
Lithuania
Lithuania’s Commercial Banks solidarity levy in 2023 could be around 250 million euros – part of a money will be used for military mobility
Lithuania's commercial banks will soon transfer the second installment of the new solidarity levy for the third quarter of this year, with the central...
Estonia
Eesti Energia seeking to improve quality of forecasting using data science
Estonia's state-owned energy group Eesti Energia has launched an international competition among data scientists to find a more accurate model for forecasting the consumption...
Estonia
Rally Estonia to return to WRC calendar in 2025
In 2025, Rally Estonia will once again be part of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) series, and in 2024, it will be included...
Latvia
Central Election Commission could be given the right to revoke councilors’ mandates if they do not attend municipality’s meetings for prolonged time
Saeima Public Administration and Local Government Committee today decided to submit to Saeima for consideration amendments to the Law on the Status of Local...
Lithuania
Germany to send around 4,800 troops, 200 civilian staff to Lithuania – ambassador
With Berlin planning to deploy a brigade in Lithuania, Cornelius Zimmermann, Germany's ambassador in Vilnius, said on Thursday that about 4,800 troops and 200...
Estonia
Estonian Environmental Board approves environmental impact report of Enefit oil plant
The Estonian Environmental Board declared the environmental impact assessment report of the Auvere Enefit 280-2 oil plant as having met the requirements, after the...
Latvia
airBaltic Places New Order, Eyes Expansion to 100 Airbus A220-300s by 2030
During the Dubai Airshow 2023, the Latvian national airline airBaltic and the aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced a firm purchase agreement for 30 Airbus A220-300...
Lithuania
Gun owners in Lithuania to be requited to attend civil resistance course
Gun owners in Lithuania will be required to attend a course on civil resistance from January, the country's parliament decided on Tuesday after 108...
Lithuania
Lithuania’s top court sentences all defendants in high-profile political corruption case
The Lithuanian Court of Appeal on Wednesday changed the ruling of the court of first instance and sentenced all the defendants in a high...
Estonia
Nearly 19,800 people receive unemployment insurance benefit in Estonia in Q3; average unemployment insurance benefit – 684 euros
19,799 people received an unemployment insurance benefit in the third quarter of this year, 24 percent more than during the same quarter last year...
Latvia
Government approves establishment of state-owned military industry company
The government on Tuesday approved the establishment of state-owned military industry company Valsts Aizsardzibas Korporacija (National Defense Corporation).
Before taking the decision, ministers at the...
Latvia
First Michelin Star in Latvia awarded to Max Cekot Kitchen
Micheline Guide has included 22 Latvian restaurants in its latest edition, while the first Michelin Star in Latvia has been awarded to the restaurant...
World
Secretary General in Pristina: “NATO will do what is necessary to maintain a safe and secure environment in Kosovo”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Dr Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo in Pristina to discuss the security situation in Kosovo and the wider...
Latvia
93 migrants prevented from illegally crossing Latvian-Belarusian border in past four days
93 migrants were prevented from illegally crossing the Latvian border with Belarus in the past four days, LETA learned from the State Border Guard.
So far this year, border guards have...
Estonia
More than 284,000 passengers passed through Tallinn Airport in October, 2023 – a rise of 7.8% on the same period in 2022
A total of 284,215 passengers passed through Tallinn Airport in October, equalling the high-season volume recorded in August and the same month last year....
Estonia
Estonian parlt committee supports lowering voting age
The European Union affairs committee of the Estonian parliament at a sitting on Monday supported lowering the voting age in both Riigikogu and European...
Lithuania
Lithuanian govt proposes allocating extra EUR 157 mln for roads next year
The Lithuanian government has tentatively agreed to allocate an extra 157 million euros for roads next year as some politicians, road workers and the...
Estonia
Tallinn’s resident parking discounts to remain in place
The Tallinn City Government recently adopted a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, which was discussed at the City Council meeting on Thursday. Among other things,...