The Baltic News is an independent news portal, highlighting political, economic, business, and social events in all three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Baltic News also covers major events in the European Union.
Current Pulse
Estonia
Cigarette smoking has declined in 4 years
Over the past four years, the number of smokers of regular cigarettes in Estonia has decreased by 12 percent and the number of e-cigarette...
Interviews
BNS asks Lithuanian presidential candidates about foreign policy
Continuing a series of articles in which presidential hopefuls respond to questions posed by BNS, in the second part, we present the candidates' responses...
Latvia
airBaltic prices a EUR 340 million bond issue
Latvian national airline airBaltic has issued bonds worth EUR 340 million, Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens (Progressives) announced in a tweet last night.
airBaltic said in...
Latvia
Over 60% of Latvians would choose to invest in real estate...
If they had spare money, 63 percent of people in Latvia would choose to invest it in real estate - a home, land property...
Interviews
Kati Kusmin: we must develop our products and export them worldwide
Ain Alvela, Editor of TööstusEST, interview with Kati Kusmin, Chairman of the Management Board of The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS).
Kati Kusmin, which was...
Estonia
Wolt, Bolt delivery fees to couriers vary by order
Delivery fees vary by order, say both the major companies engaged in food courier app services in Estonia, and depend on various factors including...
Lithuania
Early voting in Lithuania’s presidential election, citizenship referendum kicks off
Early voting for Sunday's presidential election and referendum on dual citizenship got underway in Lithuania on Tuesday.
Eight politicians are vying for the presidency, including...
Estonia
Startup Estonia launches free expert counseling for startups in counties
Startup Estonia, in cooperation with county development centers, is launching a free expert counseling program across Estonia for startup entrepreneurs and people who are...
Latvia
German Chancellor confirms strong support for strengthening Baltic security
The security of NATO allies is also our security and "an attack on the Baltics would be an attack on all of us", which...
European Union
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...
Lithuania
Total number of Lithuania’s eligible voters down 4 pct to over...
A total of 2,385,234 voters are eligible to vote in Lithuania's May 12 presidential election and citizenship referendum, a four percent decrease from five...
Estonia
Scammers once again defraud people out of thousands of euros in...
The East Prefecture of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board are investigating cases that once again saw people scammed out of thousands of...
Latvia
Lufthansa Cargo to operate regular cargo flights to Riga Airport
German air cargo carrier Lufthansa Cargo has started regular cargo flights to Riga Airport, making it the first Baltic airport with which Lufthansa Cargo...
Latvia
Plane which landed on Tallinn Highway on Saturday was on a...
An instructor who was on a private flight with a passenger piloted the plane that made an emergency landing on the Tallinn Highway near...
Estonia
Ecolines’ St. Petersburg-Tallinn bus to run via Luhamaa
The bus operator Ecolines will direct the St. Petersburg-Tallinn bus, which the company has so far been operating through the northeastern Estonian border town...
Lithuania
Thirty-five journalists imprisoned in Belarus “freed” symbolically in Vilnius
Journalists from different countries symbolically “freed” from prison 35 colleagues, currently imprisoned in Belarus, during a solidarity event in Vilnius on Friday.
The #freedomforjournalists event...
Lithuania
Dual citizenship campaigners in Lithuania face obstacles
Public figures campaigning for dual citizenship in Lithuania say they have faced obstacles.
"Today, we were supposed to launch the campaign, and media outlets were...
Estonia
Estonia climbs to 6th place in 2024 World Press Freedom Index
Estonia rose by two places to sixth place after Finland in the 2024 edition of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index.
Norway...
Lithuania
Lithuanian govt in favor of obliging banks to also provide fixed-rate...
The Lithuanian government on Friday agreed to oblige financial institutions to provide consumers with a real opportunity to choose the type of credit interest...
Estonia
New plan would see registration tax also hit second-hand cars bought...
The government needs to change its car tax plan to make sure it meets European Union rules. The latest plan would see the registration...
Latvia
Riga Set to Host the Premier Deep Tech Industry Conference –...
On May 16th and 17th, 2024, Riga will host the most prominent Deep Tech industry gathering in the Baltics, "Deep Tech Atelier 2024." Now...
Estonia
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...
Estonia
Switzerland provides EUR 7 mln for conservation innovation in Estonia
An initiative titled "Biodiversity Program," sponsored by Switzerland and launched on Wednesday, will provide funding for four years of work to improve wildlife monitoring...
Lithuania
Minimum wage in Lithuania may cross pretax threshold of EUR 1,000...
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...
World
Tele2 Once Again Among the Top as the Financial Times Names...
Tele2 AB ("Tele2") (Nasdaq Stockholm: TEL2 A and TEL2 B) is ranked number two among 500 European companies on the list Europe’s Climate Leaders...
Latvia
Latvia has no plans to stimulate the return of draft-age men...
Latvia has not received any requests from Ukraine and our country currently has no concrete plans to stimulate the return of men of conscription...
Estonia
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...
Estonia
Lux Express to launch night-time bus service between Tartu, Riga
Estonian bus operator Lux Express is launching a night-time bus service between Tartu and Riga from May 1.
Every day, a bus departs from Tartu...
Estonia
Piletilevi Group acquiring majority stake in 2 Polish ticket sales companies
Baltic ticket sales company Piletilevi Group is buying a majority stake in two Polish ticket sales companies and becoming the second largest ticket sales...
Lithuania
Panevezys district residents to protest in Vilnius over Rail Baltica node
Residents of Lithuania's northern district of Panevezys are staging a protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Vilnius on Tuesday against the developers'...
Latvia
State might buy up to EUR 100 million worth of airBaltic...
The Latvian state might purchase up to EUR 100 million worth of shares in airBaltic national carrier, Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens (New Unity) told...
Estonia
Bank of Estonia governor Madis Muller – the central bank should...
Bank of Estonia governor Madis Muller and Prime Minister Kaja Kallas responded to MPs' interpellations concerning the connection between European banking and climate policy...
Estonia
Exhibition of design, natural cosmetics opens at Estonian Business Hub in...
In South Korea, an exhibition of Estonian design and natural cosmetics was opened at the Estonian Business Hub in Seoul on Monday.
Estonian Ambassador to...
Estonia
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,...
Estonia
Baltic formins: Tartu airport under Russia’s hybrid attack
The foreign ministers of the Baltic states warn that the GPS signal interference, as a result of which two Finnair flights from the Finnish...
Latvia
It is important to reduce overall alcohol consumption in Latvia –...
It is important to reduce the overall alcohol consumption in Latvia, Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity) said in an interview with commercial...
Lithuania
Lithuanian formin officially opens embassy in South Korea
Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Gabrielius Landsbergis on Friday officially opened the country's embassy in South Korea, set up two yeas ago, saying that this important...
Lithuania
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...
Lithuania
GetJet Airlines in court dispute with Lithuanian govt commission
GetJet Airlines, a Lithuanian wet-lease and charter services provider indirectly majority owned by Aleksandr Celiadin, has been in a court dispute with the government's...
Latvia
Swedish government formally tasks armed forces with preparing for presence in...
The Swedish government has given the armed forces a formal task of planning and preparing for the Swedish contribution of a reduced mechanized battalion...
Estonia
List of narcotic, psychotropic substances supplemented
Estonian Minister of Health Riina Sikkut signed regulation amendments, with which eight new psychoactive substances are added to the list of narcotic and psychotropic...
Lithuania
Stepukonis transferred EUR 31.6 mln to Olympic Casino shareholder in Estonia...
Sarunas Stepukonis, a former partner at the BaltCap Infrastructure Fund, transferred 31.6 million euros to the account of OB Holding 1, the Estonian shareholder...
Lithuania
Ryanair cancels flight from Vilnius due to strike in France
Irish airline Ryanair has cancelled more than 300 flights, including from Vilnius to Paris, due to Thursday's strike by French air traffic controllers.
According to...
Lithuania
MP Zemaitaitis broke his oath, violated Constitution – court
MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis broke his oath of office and grossly violated the Constitution with his statements about Jewish people, the Constitutional Court ruled on...
Latvia
Siliņa will ask to probe allegation on falsification of results of...
Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) will ask law enforcement authorities to investigate the public allegation that almost ten years ago the then secretary...
Latvia
OECD recommends Latvia to improve fiscal policy, tax system and public...
Latvia needs to improve fiscal policy, reform the tax system, improve public sector capacity and attract investment to boost growth, the Organization for Economic...
Lithuania
Four Georgians detained on suspicion of stealing valuable books in Lithuania,...
Law-enforcement officials from Lithuania and several other countries have detained four Georgian citizens suspected of stealing valuable books from Vilnius University and libraries in...
Interviews
Eastern business sale price ‘doesn’t make us happy’ – Viciunai Group...
As Viciunai Group, a Lithuanian fish and other food production and sale group partly owned by Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijosaitis, has recently sold its...
Estonia
Särav: We have not intentionally hidden correspondence with Bolt
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication's (MKM) communication with Bolt has been honest, and it is necessary to talk with companies to stand...
Latvia
Temperatures could rise above +20 degrees C next week
The air temperature in Latvia will gradually rise in the coming days and will exceed +20 degrees C at the beginning of next week,...