EuropeanUnion

Lithuanian retail sales lower than EU average in March

Lithuania experienced retail sales growth in March that was below the EU average when compared to the same month in 2024, according to the latest Eurostat figures, which were released [..]

Germany criticized by neighbours as police step up border checks

Police in Germany on Thursday stepped up border checks, drawing criticism from the country’s neighbours. A spokesman for the federal police in the southern state of Bavaria said more checks [..]

Former German foreign minister suggests Canada should be part of EU

The former German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel has proposed offering Canada partial membership in the European Union. The former German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel has proposed offering Canada partial membership [..]

Bureaucracy, energy, taxes remain main problems in Latvia, Europe: expert

Current problems in Europe are the same as in Latvia – energy, bureaucracy and taxes, the president of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Aigars Rostovskis, said at [..]

Germany extends border controls by another six months

By Michael Fischer, dpa. The German government has extended controls at all of the country’s land borders by another six months in an effort to further reduce irregular migration, Chancellor [..]

IG Metall union chief wants a European independent industrial policy

IG Metall union leader Christiane Benner has called for a determined industrial policy at a European level to combat competition from China and the United States. “Europe and its industry [..]

Former Italian prime minister Draghi sees leadership vacuum in Europe

The former head of both the European Central Bank and the Italian government lamented on Monday over the “leadership vacuum” stemming from weakened leadership in France and Germany. “The Franco-German [..]

German police: 6,889 people stopped in border checks in October

Police patrolling Germany’s borders detected 6,889 attempted unauthorized entries in October, Germany’s Federal Police said in a press release on Friday. The figure is very similar to the number of [..]

First European Semester Autumn Package under new economic governance framework sets out path for sound public finances and sustainable and inclusive growth

The Commission has presented the first European Semester Autumn Package since the ambitious and comprehensive reform of the EU’s new economic governance framework entered into force in April 2024. It [..]

EU Council, European Parliament agree on budget for next year

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached agreement on the EU’s budget for next year, LETA learned at the Latvian Ministry of Finance. A representative [..]

Hearing of Commissioner-designate Valdis Dombrovskis

Valdis Dombrovskis, Latvian candidate for the Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification portfolio, was questioned by two committees. A smart and fair economy In his introductory speech, Mr Dombrovskis pledged [..]

Evika Siliņa: EU needs clear decisions to address migration problems

“Clear decisions on the way forward are needed to tackle migration problems in the EU. This is a matter of our security,” stressed Prime Minister Evika Siliņa at the European [..]

EU Aviation Safety Agency bans travel to Israeli, Lebanese airspace

In response to the situation in the Middle East, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has temporarily banned EU carriers from using the airspace of Israel and Lebanon. This [..]

EU makes progress in ensuring secure and affordable energy for all

The EU has withstood critical risks to its security of energy supply, regained control over the energy market and prices, and accelerated the transition towards climate neutrality. These are the [..]

Lithuanian parliament approves Kubilius for European commissioner

The Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday approved MEP Andrius Kubilius’ nomination for the post of the country’s European commissioner. The motion was passed with 70 votes in favor, 24 against, and [..]

60% of Latvian residents are confident about the strength of EU democracy in the next five years

Around 60 percent of Latvian residents are very or somewhat confident about the strength of European Union (EU) democracy in the next five years, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. [..]

Spain is interested in Latvia’s work on resilience building – ambassador

Spain is interested in Latvia’s knowledge of the Eastern European region and the country’s work in building resilience, the new Latvian ambassador to Spain, Janis Zlamets, told LETA. He believes [..]

Re-election of von der Leyen shows pro-European majority in the EP – Dombrovskis

The re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as the President of the European Commission (EC) shows that the European Parliament (EP) still has a majority of pro-European, centrist forces, and [..]

Lithuania posts one of lowest inflation rates across EU in Jun – Eurostat

Lithuania’s EU-harmonized annual inflation rate was one of the lowest across the EU in June, the latest figures from Eurostat, the bloc’s statistics office, showed on Wednesday. Lithuania’s annual inflation [..]

The EU and its allies must do more to curtail Russian influence in Europe

By journalist Inga Karlinska. EU-Russia tensions have been elevated since the latter’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and have gone downhill since Russia’s outright invasion of and war [..]

Government extends participation of border guard and police officer in EU mission in Georgia

The government on Tuesday approved the extension of the mandates of a border guard and a police officer participating in the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia until August 2024. Latvia [..]

Estonia’s Kallas named to be EU’s next foreign policy chief

EU leaders late on Thursday sealed a deal to re-appoint Ursula von der Leyen for a second term in charge of the European Commission and Estonian premier Kaja Kallas to [..]

EU opens accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova

Statement by President von der Leyen on opening accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, via video message. It is very good news that today the European Union opens accession negotiations [..]

52% of people in believe Europe is not dealing effectively with impact of violent conflicts on the EU

About half or 52 percent of Latvian residents believe that the European Union (EU) is ineffective in dealing with the impact of violent conflicts on the EU, according to a [..]

European Parliament ready to engage, President Metsola tells the European Council

EP President Metsola emphasised the strongest commitment of the Parliament to ensuring the smooth running of the process leading to the election of the next Commission President. Addressing the informal [..]

Meloni might sabotage Estonia’s Kaja Kallas’ bid for Brussels position

Incumbent Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’ chances of becoming the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs have declined, according to recent news in European media, Postimees reports. It is [..]

Polish court refuses to extradite 2nd Volkov attack suspect to Lithuania

A Polish appeal court on Thursday refused to extradite the second Polish citizen suspected of assaulting Russian dissident Leonid Volkov Vilnius to Lithuania. “A ruling was issued yesterday and the [..]

Lithuania elects its 11 MEPs – BNS REVIEW

Lithuania elected eleven members of the European Parliament on Sunday. Preliminary figures from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) show that the seats were shared between eight political parties. Here are [..]

Isamaa wins Estonia’s European Parliament elections

Opposition party Isamaa won the highest vote share in the European Parliament elections on Sunday (June 9) with over 79,000 ballots. The top three parties were Isamaa (79,170 votes), the [..]

New Unity and National Alliance each gain two seats in EP

In the elections to the European Parliament (EP) in Latvia, New Unity has gained the most votes, leaving the National Alliance (NA) in second place, and both political forces have [..]

European sports stars encourage citizens to vote in European elections

Footballers, football clubs, tennis tournaments, and Paralympians have joined in with the EU’s #UseYourVote campaign ahead of the European Parliament elections on 6-9 June. Leading footballers including Belgian Red Flames [..]

Estonian law firm: Sugary drinks tax bill runs counter to EU law

An analysis by lawyers at the law firm Sorainen shows that the so-called sugary drinks tax bill runs counter to European Union law. Consequently, Sorainen filed a complaint with the [..]

Lithuania blocks Kaliningrad-bound train wagon with letter Z from entering

A train wagon with the letter Z painted on it had to be uncoupled from a Kaliningrad-bound train at the Kena railway border checkpoint in Lithuania, State Border Guard Service [..]

The European Parliament strengthens its cooperation with the Belarusian Democratic Forces

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya sign a Letter of Intent, in Valletta. During a ceremony at the European [..]

Benelux, Baltic countries to recognize each other’s higher education degrees

On Wednesday, an agreement on the automatic recognition of higher education degrees between the Benelux and the Baltic states came into effect. The Dutch parliament was the last of the [..]

Minimum wage in Lithuania may cross pretax threshold of EUR 1,000 in 2025 – minister

Social Security and Labor Minister Monika Navickiene forecasts that the minimum monthly wage in Lithuania may cross the 1,000-euro pre-tax threshold next year. “The considerations are correct, the minimum wage [..]

Estonian formin: Foreign agents law jeopardizing Georgia’s path to EU

At an informal meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Georgia’s foreign agents law endangers the country’s path to the European Union. [..]

Estonian Natl Electoral Committee registers 71 candidates for European Parlt elections

The Estonian National Electoral Committee on Monday registered all candidates whose documents met the requirements — altogether nine political parties and five independent candidates, totaling 71 candidates, are running for [..]

Lithuania looks for communication campaign developers for 20th EU membership anniversary

Lithuania is looking for the developers of an communication campaign to mark its 20th EU membership anniversary. “This is an image campaign, and its main goal is to show what [..]

EP President Metsola at EUCO: The Single Market is Europe’s greatest economic driver

Doubling down on the Single Market ensures Europe’s long-term competitiveness, prosperity and leadership on the global stage, said President Metsola at the Special European Council. Addressing the Special European Council [..]

From economic point of view, Latvia has taken advantage of EU opportunities – Dombrovskis

From the economic point of view, Latvia has benefited from the opportunities offered by the European Union (EU) over the years, and despite the crises, we have come much closer [..]

86 pct of Lithuanians happy with their quality of life – Eurobarometer

86 percent of Lithuanians say their quality of life is good, while 75 percent say the country’s economic situation is also good, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey published on [..]

EU could agree that Russian presidential ‘elections’ in temporarily occupied Ukraine are not legitimate – Zatlers

The European Union (EU) could agree that the Russian presidential ”elections” in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are not legitimate, former President Valdis Zatlers told LETA. In his opinion, [..]

Gun permits of third-country nationals lose their validity in Estonia

As of March 15, weapons permits issued to citizens of non-EU and non-NATO countries were declared invalid in Estonia. Those gun owners who had not managed to transfer their guns [..]

Digital prescriptions of Estonians, Latvians now moving across borders

Starting Thursday, citizens of Estonia and Latvia will be able to use cross-border digital prescription and health data summary services in each other’s countries. This step marks an important development [..]

Polish farmers end protest at border with Lithuania – border guards

Vehicles are no longer being checked at the Lithuanian-Polish border as Polish farmers have ended their protest launched last Friday, a spokesman for the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said [..]

Latvenergo plans to start exports to Poland at the end of this year

Joint-stock power supply company Latvenergo plans to expand its export market by starting to export to Poland at the end of this year, Martins cakste, Chairman of the Board of [..]

Lithuania ready to step up its strategic partnership with Poland – president

Lithuania ready to step up its strategic partnership with Poland, President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday after meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Vilnius. “We are close allies [..]

Estonia announces preliminary round for European Enterprise Promotion Awards competition

The Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has announced a competition for recognizing promoters of entrepreneurship, which also serves as the Estonian preliminary round for the European Enterprise Awards [..]

Average wage in Lithuania up 12 pct – SoDra

The average wage growth of almost 12 percent at the end of 2023 was driven by a higher minimum wage, rising wages of civil servants, and companies’ desire to retain [..]