Latvia’s inability to complete Rail Baltic construction by the set deadline will inevitably end up costing Estonia as well, Auditor General Janar Holm has said. The Riigikogu Anti-Corruption Select Committee discussed the Rail Baltica construction schedule, the sustainability of its financing and the main risks related to the project’s implementation on June 8. Sander Salmu,…
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has lowered its economic growth forecasts for all three Baltic States for both this year and next year. According to the bank’s latest projections, Latvia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 2.0% this year, down from the 2.2% forecast published in February. The forecast…
The Baltic countries agree that clock changes should be abolished and that permanent summer time should be adopted. However, since Finland would prefer permanent wintertime, Estonia does not want to create a time difference with them, meaning no decision is expected in the near future. The idea of ending clock changes in Europe dates back…
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all tentatively back switching to permanent summer time following a recent discussion by the Baltics’ transport ministers. While all three Baltic countries fundamentally support the transition to permanent summer time, or daylight saving time (DST), outgoing Transport Minister Atis Svinka says broader public discussion is still needed on the issue. A…
Recent GPS disruptions across the Baltic Sea region are forcing aviation and defense sectors to prepare for unreliable satellite navigation, an Estonian researcher warns. Tallinn University of Technology (Taltech) senior lecturer Ivo Muursepp explained that GPS interference is often described using a single general term, although two distinct technologies must be distinguished: jamming and spoofing.…
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are purchasing up to 20 regional trains for the Rail Baltica route. The locos will operate on the Rail Baltica line, solely within their home country and stopping at local stations. The joint procurement was announced in March and will see Lithuania ordering up to eight trains, Estonia between five and…
Plans for the fourth electricity connection between Estonia and Latvia have been postponed beyond the original 2038 completion date, and no final decisions have been made. Estonia’s national transmission system operator, Elering, has projected that new connections with Finland and Latvia would be completed in around 10 years’ time. Under the updated plan, both Estlink…